Director: Lee Demarbre
Writers: Ian Driscoll (consulting writer)
Stars: Ian Hodgkinson
Genre: Documentary/Wrestling
The Story:
As a fan of the Insane Clown Posse I was interested in learning more about the strange wrestler who has fought at the clowns’ side throughout much of their wrestling career. Some know him as the weird kid from down the block, his friends know him as Billy (as in Billy Idol), but the world knows him better as Vampiro. Ian Hodgkinson is Vampiro, a wrestler from Thunder Bay Canada who has fought for nearly every major promotion in the industry. In his home country he has never been a big player, but in Mexico he has a following comparable to America’s Hulk Hogan.
Characters:
Hodgkinson, throughout the documentary tells his story, his mistakes, his victories, and his hope of a bright future with his ex-wife and the new promotion he has decided to start with minimal financial backing. Through interviews with aquaintances and Hodgkinson himself we are given an extremely imformative look into what birthed the character Vampiro.
Effects/Gore:
In the past 20 years more athletes in professional wrestling have died prematurely than all other sports combined. The film shows both the emotional and physical strain that most wrestlers suffer. Vampiro claims he has recieved 27 concussions in his career and talks of an injury which often causes half of his body to go numb, his doctors worry if he continues this injury one day may prove fatal.
Final Headcount:
After telling his story Ian Hodgkinson says “…and they wonder why I hate everybody?” and after watching this movie you won’t blame him for doing just that. Vampiro’s rise hasn’t come without great challenges stemming far from the ring. Vampiro: Angel, Devil, Hero doesn’t hold anything back from the audience, focusing on the good as much as the bad. Some stories worth mentioning include his life before the fame when he would rob pimps by night and his short career as security for Milli Vanilli where he heard their secret before the rest of the world.
