On this edition of Direct to DVD Dissection, a treat for movie and wrestling fans alike, as the squared circle plays host to a battle of monsters from around the globe, in the movie MONSTER BRAWL.
The Specs
Release Date June 12th, 2012
Runtime 89 minutes.
Director Jesse T Cook
Studio Foresight Features
The Story
Eight classic monsters fight to the death in an explosive wrestling tournament set inside an abandoned and cursed graveyard.
The Cast
Robert Maillet as Frankenstein, the mythical monster created by Dr. Frankenstein, also known as “Frankenstein’s Monster”. Best known as a pro wrestler during the WWF Attitude days, he wrestled under the name Kurrgan with both The Truth Commision and Oddities wrestling stables. He made the shift to movies, and has acted in movies like 300, SHERLOCK HOLMES, and IMMORTALS.
Dave Foley as Buzz Chambers, the play by play man in the commentary booth, along with his color man, former wrestler “Sasquatch” Sid Tucker (Art Hindle). Foley is best known as one of the members of Canada’s comedy troupe The Kids in the Hall. He’s also had various appearances across several mediums, like a role in NEWSRADIO, A BUG’S LIFE, BLAST FROM THE PAST, and FALLOUT: NEW VEGAS.
Jimmy Hart as himself, the fabled manager of wrestling’s greats, now an interviewer, ring announcer, and general master of ceremonies for the Monster Brawl. The fabled “Mouth of the South” has been involved in wrestling since the 80’s, known best for his loud suits and big megaphone. His list of famous wrestlers, single and tag team, is too long to list. His influence goes beyond wrestling, known also for his music career and being involved with the start of several wrestling federations.
Lance Henriksen as The Voice of God, the narrator who introduces the monsters, as well as gives his own views on the in ring action on occasion. Best known for his role in the horror/sci fi genre, he is best known as Bishop in the movies ALIENS and ALIEN 3. He’s also worked on the PUMPKINHEAD movies, as well as HARD TARGET, the 3 MASS EFFECT video games, Disney’s TARZAN, and the western cult game, GUN.
The Dissection
Ever since the classic Universal monsters landed on the silver screen and were thrust into the American Lexicon, they have been feuling the imaginations of people all over the globe. It gave people things to fear in the night and to see on the screen these strange and new ideas brought to life. From Universal to Hammer to The Asylum and more, on and on for nearly a century, monsters have been part of the big movie scene. Beyond that was when two monsters were pitted together to do battle with one another. Many movies have been made on the subject, and most have a favorite. But now, we go to a movie that takes it one step forward, and not just limited it to a few, but a amalgam of various horror staples and monsters. All this in the confines of the squared circle itself, a wrestling ring.
Dave Foley as Buzz Chambers
From the beginning of the movie, the whole set up is reminiscent of a wrestling PPV rather than a movie. From the opening video, to the introduction of the commentary team and the federation, to the rundown of the card, to the hype videos promoting the matches, and the matches themselves, and even a main event and a championship belt. There is an aura of an 80’s WWF show, from the way the matches are structured and booked to how the promos are given.
The movie breaks down like this. A pop culture driven indy promote has invited several of the world’s monsters to a secluded crypt to do battle with one another to find out which is superior. The action is broken down between 2 divisions of monsters, Creatures and Undead. Those monsters then do battle with one another to determine who is the top contenders for their divisions, including middleweight and heavyweight sections. All this with the commentary team calling the action and hype videos before each match to get the people watching caught up with the challengers.
The movie has a lot of wrestlers in the cast. Beyond the aforementioned Jimmy Hart and Robert Maillet, you also have Kevin Nash in the role of evil military manager Colonel Crookshanks. Along with that, a majority of the roster are independent wrestlers from the area. There’s Jason David Brown as Swamp Gut and the Cyclops, RJ Skinner as the Mummy and the Werewolf, Rico Montana as Zombie Man, Holly Letkeman as Witch Bitch, and Kelly Couture as Lady Vampire.
Jimmy Hart with the Monster Brawl Ring Girls (Rachelle Wilde and Ashley Byford)
Beyond just the multiple roles for some actors, the crew involved had various parts in the cast. The movie is the firt of Canadian film studio Foresight Features, working with a skeleton crew, who not only were working with the technical issues, but also have small appearances through the film in minor roles. The movie is reminiscent of cult classic EVIL DEAD in the execution, but the overall product doesn’t look it, as the film looks very professional and well done. The back stories of the monsters should be noted as being one of the best parts of the movie. They paint this vivid picture of the world they are in and mix a nice variety of tones in each one, making them all interesting and waiting to check out the next one to show up.
The movie works well in integrating the horror aspects of the subject matter in the image of a 80’s wrestling pay per view. Beyond the different monster tropes, you also have the horror movie tropes being integrated and transferred over to the tropes of a wrestling show. It’s hard to explain, but in execution you will understand quick.
There are a few issues, both as a wrestling show and as a movie. On the show front, the lack of a crowd hurts it. While you are given a reason for why you can’t have a crowd, a lot of the impact of the match is lost without any crowd reactions. The movie seem meant for a festival crowd to do that instead, so it seems you’ll need to bring some friends along for the ride. On the movie front, there are a few subplots that don’t end up going anywhere (with one at the ending that is almost heartbreaking), and the style the movie was filmed in could make the film seem disjointed at times.
The Extras
The DVD starts up with some trailers for other movies:
- BENEATH THE DARKNESS
- RABIES
- DON’T LET HIM IN
The movie itself has some features of its own. It includes a commentary: track featuring the writer & director, Jesse Thomas cook, as well as Producers John Geddes and Matt Wiele. There’s also a behind the scenes feature called “Monster Brawl: Beyond the Grave”, which looks at the making of the movie from pre to post production. There’s also a reel called “Tales from the Hart: Jimmy Hart Outtakes”, which features Jimmy Hart talking about life and his experiences while shooting the movie. All those are very interesting and a treat to movie fans, and wrestling fans as well for the Jimmy Hart feature.
The Verdict
The film has some minor issues that keep it from perfection, but wrestling fans as well as horror fans will get a kick out of this love letter to both genres. Any FAN who stumbles on this movie should pick it up, because it’s a strange trip that needs to be experienced.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Rent Monster Brawl at Blockbuster
http://www.blockbuster.com/browse/catalog/movieDetails/534196
View Monster Brawl at Amazon Instant
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008ASLBLG/ref=atv_feed_catalog?tag=weblab-control-20