Wrestlemaniac -You simply won’t care

‘Slasher’ films are hardly revolutionary.  Even what is considered the film which ‘re-launched’ the genre, Scream, was not exactly anything new.  The basic principle is that you take one killer, mercilessly stalking a handful of teens.  However, just because something isn’t original, doesn’t mean it has to be bad.  All you need is something that makes it stand out, just a little (or at least entertain us for the film’s duration).

‘Wrestlemaniac’ does none of these.  It’s a ‘slasher’ film all right, yet it doesn’t tick a single box.  It’s about the mandatory teens, this time travelling (and obviously getting lost) in a desolate, deserted Mexican town.  There, they encounter a psychotic ex-wrestler who picks ‘em off one by one.
So, there you have it – nothing original, but, if done right, it could be entertaining.  It isn’t.  Normally, among the good-looking teens, one is the ‘virgin’ – the ‘nice’ girl who we basically can figure out is going to survive until the end.  There isn’t one here.  They’re all horrible teens.  You won’t care about a single one of them.  Therefore, when the killer gets killing, he’s almost doing the world a favour by getting rid of them.  

Also, you have the obligatory old, creepy bloke near the beginning who explains everything you need to know, i.e. the Mexican government created a ‘super’ wrestler out of old body parts.  Then, when he went bonkers, they sort of abandoned him in a town and then left him there.

But, it still could be good.  It’s an ‘adult’ film, therefore horror fans are probably hoping for a bit of gore.  There isn’t any/much.  Most kills happen off screen and you’re left to imagine much of what’s transpired.

What about the killer?  Just because the cast are all annoying, maybe the bad guy can redeem the film?  He doesn’t.  He’s dull.  He’s also stupid.  He picks off people one at a time then only walks after the others so they can repeatedly get away from him.

All in all, Wrestlemaniac is a depressing experience.  It’s totally dull and you won’t care about any of them.  Just watch Scream again.

2/10 Scuzzier than the leftover goo from a Queen alien's egg sack