Presented by Director’s Guild of Canada

World Premiere
Septentrion Shadows

Dark Match

Directed by Lowell Dean

Hosted by Director/Writer Lowell Dean, Actors Ayisha Issa, Steven Ogg, Chris Jericho, Jonathan Cherry, Sara Canning, Mo Jabari, Michael Eklund, Justin Lawrick

Credits  

Director

Lowell Dean

Executive Producer

Chris Jericho, Eleanor Wiebe

Producer

Rhonda Baker, Don Depoe, Michael Feehan, John MacDonald, Michael Peterson

Writer

Lowell Dean

Cast

Sara Canning, Jonathan Cherry, Michael Eklund, Ayisha Issa, Chris Jericho, Steven Ogg

Cinematographer

Karim Hussain

Sound Designer

Johnny Blerot

Composer

David Arcus, Terry Benn, Michelle Osis

Editor

Dean Evans

Special Effects

Josiah Buhler, Mike Gibney, Jason Paradis

Production Designer

Myron Hyrak

contact

Dept.9 Studios

Official website

Canada 2024 94 mins OV English
Genre HorrorThrillerAction

Lowell Dean, who made the cult hit WOLFCOP and came to Fantasia with WOLFCOP 2 in 2017, is back with the World Premiere of DARK MATCH, starring wrestling legend Chris Jericho!

Indie wrestling can be tough. Despite the hardcore fanbase, there’s little money to be made. That’s where Rusty Bean’s (Jonathan Cherry, SUPER GRID, WOLFCOP 1 and 2) gaggle of small-time wrestlers come in. Amid fighters duking it out over chances with talent scouts, Rusty gets a mysterious call offering $50K to bring headliners Miss Behave, aka Nick (Ayshia Issa, TRANSPLANT, UNITÉ 9), Kate the Great (Sarah Canning, SUPERHOST, THE VAMPIRE DIARIES), and Mean Joe Lean (Steven Ogg, THE WALKING DEAD, WESTWORLD) to a private event called “The Dark Match.” It’s too good to pass up, so, along with their rival fighters, they arrive at a secluded compound to a scene of bacchanalia, or as they learn, “Lupercalia,” headed by a mysterious leader called The Prophet (WWF/WWE eight-time champion, Chris Jericho). It’s Party Central as the athletes indulge in drinks and drugs, leaving them guiltily disoriented and uneasy the morning after. Things get stranger leading up to the match, and Nick knows something’s amiss. Armed guards spark alarm bells, and the team learns they’ll fight for more than a big payday.

Dean goes in for demonic fun with his latest offering, enlisting Jericho and a fantastic cast. Along with Issa (a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu World champion), Ogg, and Canning, you’ll see genre fave Michael Eklund (THE DIVIDE, CONTINUUM) and Leo Fafard of WOLFCOP fame. This edge-of-your-seat horror set in the late ’80s wrestling heyday puts you ringside with a demonic cult and battles on the ropes to stay alive. Dean’s return to Montreal with Jericho will conjure rabid fans and a devil of a good time! – Carolyn Mauricette