While wrestling is one of my many interests in life, another interest of mine is the vast world of Lost Media. I find it so fascinating how one piece of media (be it music, TV or even whole movies) could simply exist and then suddenly vanish into the ether. So when these two interests intersect (like the case of the lost Bret Hart vs Tom Magee tape), my intrigue is beyond peaked. And this intersection is where the topic of today’s article can be found: the partially-lost 1987 film, Blood Circus.

The Movie

Blood Circus is a Science Fiction Horror Wrestling Comedy film directed, produced, and starring Santo Victor Rigatuso (aka Santo Gold/Bob Harris). With this film being based around wrestling, legitimate talents would be needed to fill these roles. Wrestlers like Ox Baker, Gary Albright, Eric Embry, “Big Red” Jerry A. Reese, Vinnie Valentino, and the late Nancy Benoit would take part in the film. Wrestlers from the now defunct Southwest Championship Wrestling would also feature in the film to take on the wrestling oriented roles. While the film saw a limited theatrical release, here is the plot synopsis according to the film’s Wikipedia page:

Aliens from the planet Zoran are sent to Earth to fight against professional wrestlers from the United States and the Soviet Union, but prove to actually be man-eaters who devour their opponents upon defeating them.

On the surface, this film seems like the perfect amalgamation of popular 1980s genres. On the film side, the Sci-Fi Horror genre experienced a boom with films such as The Thing, Predator and Aliens. And of course wrestling in the 1980s saw a massive boom as well with the advent of both WrestleMania and The Hulkamania Era for the WWF; blasting wrestling into the popular culture of the time.

The Production

With a $2 Million budget funded by Rigatuso’s various businesses, production would begin in 1985. Filming would take place at the Baltimore Civic Center (now known as CFG Bank Arena) in Baltimore, Maryland. The Baltimore Civic Center had previously featured events from both the NWA and the WWF, and would go on to host many more wrestling events. The wrestlers competing during the filming of Blood Circus would wrestle their matches in a boxing ring as opposed to a traditional wrestling ring made to be slammed onto. The filming itself would also be available for attendees as both a live wrestling event and a chance to be featured in the crowd in the movie. The following is an account from one such spectator at the Civic Center:

“The audience was the usual unwashed kids and grannies at a low-rent wrestling event, and MAN were they pissed when it turned out to be a sham… Long pauses while nothing happened, with people screaming for blood… There were aliens (bad dummies, as I recall) lowered from the roof to suck the brains/blood of wrestlers; there were fake severed heads tossed about. My favorite part was a [tag team] called the Cryin’ Blondes. Hit them and they cried, which they indicated by spinning/rubbing their fists in their eyes, baby-style. All the while Mr. Santo himself ran around with a bullhorn, looking exactly like Phil Spector.”

The Release

After two years of production and editing, the film would be ready for theatrical release. As for the release of the film, Rigatuso could not lock down a distributor to widely release his movie. So to remedy this issue, Rigatuso would take it upon himself to rent theaters in the Baltimore area to screen his film. To promote his movie, Rigatuso would create a commercial which featured some of the film’s wrestling action. This commercial would also showcase a song to be featured in the movie. The song itself was nothing more than a glorified commercial for Rigatuso’s Santo Gold jewelry business; with lyrics about how he has “bracelets for your arms.”

Opening night had finally arrived. Movie goers who attended a screening of Blood Circus would receive a special Scream Bag that featured a poem about the film, as well as a coupon for a free diamond ring from Santo Gold. The opening night screening of Blood Circus was attended by only three people: two movie critics and one of the film’s extras. After just one week of playing to rented theaters in the Baltimore area, the film that was expecting to gross $200 million would exit theaters. Blood Circus would not be screened again until a secret screening in 2014 at The Alamo Drafthouse Ritz in Austin, Texas according to a Letterboxd user.

Where is The Film Today?

Today, the film is classified as Partially Found per the Lost Media Wiki. The 35mm reels have been put up for sale on three different occasions through eBay. The original listing started at $21 million back in 2011 before eventually falling to a much more reasonable Buy it Now price of $3,499.00 back in 2015; The 2015 auction also featured never before seen frames of the film in its listing. According to a Lost Media Wiki forum post in 2020, the reels are now in the hands of a new owner who is reluctant to have the reels scanned due to the rarity of the film. Although the film itself may be intangible for the foreseeable future, attached to this movie is an hour-long “Making of” DVD advertised through the official Santo Gold website. As of the release of this article, I have filled out the contact form listed on Santo Gold’s website to try my hand at getting a hold of this DVD. If this leads anywhere, I will surely post updates as they come on my Twitter account.

I personally hope that either of these pieces of media come to light. And I hold this hope not just to solve the mystery, but also for the slice of obscure wrestling history that this film is. To have this, and also the peek into what the production of this businessman’s wrestling passion project absolutely intrigues me. For now, I will simply have to keep an eye on my mailbox for that coveted response from Santo Gold.