Table of Contents
What is Match About?
Match uses horror and a fair amount of dark comedy to tell the story of an online dating match gone indescribably wrong.
Paola is playing the field, using an online dating app to try to find her perfect match. After a series of abysmal dates, she finds Henry. He seems nice, and their match percentage is over 90%, so what could go wrong? Despite her sister Maria’s pleas for caution, Paola goes over to Henry’s house for their first in-person meeting. Paola is soon locked inside a house horrors with a monster, as well as the monster’s mother who will do anything to facilitate her son’s love life.
Match was directed by Danishka Esterhazy (Slumber Party Massacre, 2021), and it was written by Al Kaplan (Lowlifes, 2024) and Jon Kaplan (Zombeavers, 2014). Humberly González and Shaeane Jimenez play sisters Paola and Maria respectively. Also featured are Dianne Simpson, Jacques Adriaanse, Luke Volker, Nikita Faber, and Dean Goldblum.
Match Review
I know I’ve said this before, but I’ll say it again. Tubi’s original horror movies are surprisingly good. Not all of them are winners, but enough of them are entertaining enough to say that whenever a new one is released, you should probably check it out. I’m glad I checked out out Match, because it’s a lot of dark and gross fun.
I went into the movie blind, but if I’d looked at the director and writers beforehand, I would’ve known I was in for a good time. One of the co-writers, Al Kaplan, wrote the excellent Tubi Original Lowlifes, and I can see some similarities here. Both Lowlifes and Match deal with family dynamics, they have fun twists, and they each have some surprisingly dark character moments. If you enjoyed Lowlifes, then there’s a good chance you’ll enjoy Match. Also, the director, Danishka Esterhazy, directed the 2021 reimagining of Slumber Party Massacre. That movie was pretty good, but Match is better.
From the start I liked the main character, Paola. I think what really sold me on her as a sympathetic lead is the scene where she and her sister Maria talk to their father over the phone and sing to him when he starts to stress out. It might be a simple way of conveying a strong family bond, but it works wonders. I also think Paola’s character is portrayed well throughout the entire movie. She’s less proactive than her sister, but there is a good mix of strength and vulnerability in the way she handles herself. Plus, her slight naivete towards the beginning of the movie allows her to have a satisfying character arc by the end.
I also enjoyed how many of the characters are written with shades of gray. Well, maybe not Henry’s mother. She’s irredeemable, but the others, especially the other antagonists and supporting characters, aren’t pure evil. They might do bad or questionable things, but there’s a reason for all of it. I don’t want to spoil anything because there are a few good surprises, so I’ll just say that the final sequences get a little complicated emotionally because of some of the characters’ conflicting motivations.
I will say that I can totally understand why some people won’t like Match very much. The driving force of the story is based on a gross and uncomfortable premise, and there are a few scenes where the yuck-factor is pushed to the limit. Some people will find the gross-out scenes funny, others will see them as repugnant. I don’t really care for them either way, because to me they feel like they’re adding shock value (bordering on dark humor) with a minimum of story or character impact. I like my shock value with blood and guts, not necessarily with, um, other bodily fluids and body parts.
The horror in Match is based mostly on suspense. It’s essentially a cat-and-mouse movie as Paola tries to stay a few steps ahead of her pursuer as she gets lost in a maze of locked doors and dingy rooms. Maria is a good source of additional tension as she begins her search for Paola, closing in on Henry’s house and coming up with a plan to get inside. That means most of the direct violence and action takes place in the final third of the film, and it’s pretty satisfying once it happens. I was a little disappointed that a few of the more interesting character conflicts never really get resolved, but the journey was mostly good. So, it’s a little bit of a bummer ending, but overall the movie is fun.
Rating and Recommendation
Star Rating: 3.5 out of 5
Match begins with a familiar setup, but the strong characterization of the leads and the fun/gross surprises along the way make this icky horror movie a good choice for fans of Tubi Originals. If you enjoy movies like Barbarian (2022), Fresh (2022), and Lowlifes (2024), give Match a try.
Match was released on Tubi on October 3rd, 2025. You can stream it for free right now!
