Ian Richard Hodgkinson, or Vampiro as he’s known to you cats n’ creeps, is one hell of a dude. Born in Montreal, Canada, Vampiro got it in his head (after a few mishaps we’ll get to in a bit) to head to Mexico, learn Spanish, and even though he had no clue how to wrestle, become one of the most legendary figures to ever step into the squared circle south of the boarder.
Now there is conflict and drama involved, but this doc let’s you know from the get go that things turned out pretty damn good for our vicious vamp as it shows him in his current role of talent director for Lucha Libre AAA in Mexico and Lucha Underground in Los Angeles.
But, as stated things are still complicated for our hero as he is working two jobs, while trying to be a good father to his teenage daughter who lives in Ontario. It’s this element that brings out the man from the monster he portrayed, and really shows that he’s dedicated to family above wrestling, even though the latter dominates his time.
Speaking of the man; the film doesn’t shy away from showing that Vampiro has definitely lived a life, and one that has not always been the happiest, from being molested by a priest, to a stint in organized crime, and more… these were the hardships that lead to Vampiro saying “fuck it” and taking the plunge into the rasslin’ full bore.
The wrestling biz gets the warts and all treatment here as well with egos, drug abuse, and working with severe injuries brought to the spotlight in an unflinching, no bullshit manner with a focus on his troubled stint in the WCW (though as we see the problems he encountered still very much exist behind the scenes today as well).
Bottom line; director Michael Paszt has created one hell of a portrait of the life of Vampiro, as well as the man behind the make-up in Nail in the Coffin: The Fall and Rise of Vampiro, and it really shouldn’t be missed for fans of the horror-centric wrestler or the sport in general!
