Interview: Vinny Pacifico previews wrestling-focused horror movie Mr. Reset and the Society of Turnbuckle and Bone
- Brian Fanelli
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Mr. Reset and the Society of Turnbuckle and Bone is a clever indie horror movie, set in the world of pro-wrestling. The film deals with a secret society that decides which wrestlers will be famous and which won’t. The catch is that the wrestlers have to pledge everything to the secret society. Along the way, the movie addresses more serious issues, like celebrity and chasing fame.
Prior to the film’s VOD release on June 2, we chatted with one of its stars, pro-wrestler and actor Vinny Pacifico, who has competed across WWE, NXT, WWE EVOLVE, Ring of Honor, NJPW, and AEW, and performed internationally. He talked about the film’s concept, his character, Power Punch, and starring alongside his wife, Carly Pacifico, who plays Minnie.
This interview was edited slightly for clarity.
The Horror Lounge: Talk a little bit about your journey from wrestling to acting.
Vinny Pacifico: I’ve been playing this character Vinny Pacifico the wrestler for years. I’ve mastered my in-ring ability, promo, and character work. Using that in a movie is simple for me. That’s how my passion for TV, film, and acting started. As a wrestler, we are actors and performers. I always knew that I’d eventually get into acting. It came a lot sooner than I expected, and I’m grateful for it. My motto is to do anything. You are a brand, and yes, we’re wrestlers, actors, and performers, but we’re a brand. Having your brand in different places is the smartest thing you can do as a performer.
The Horror Lounge: What was it like working with your wife, Carly Pacifico, in the film?
Vinny Pacifico: It was so amazing. Me and my wife did a horror engagement shoot. We did a regular one, but then a horror one where Michael Myers chased us with a knife. I knew from that shoot that she had charisma. Her facials and reactions in the pictures were so good. I wanted to give her a shot in the movie.
When the director called me about this film, I wanted to take it a step further and involve my wife to go deeper into the story. When you have someone who you love involved in your story, in the film and outside of the film, it helps the story. You have a person you love and want to do things for. It helps your background. Having that person really added a lot of girth to the story. Having her be a part of this was amazing. It was also nice to see her kill it and do her best. She never acted in her life. She got a standing ovation on set. Now, we’re filming a movie together in Pennsylvania next week called Awake in the Dark.
Being able to film a horror wrestling movie with my wife and people I love, what beats that? And then, we went to Disney for the wrap party. Again, what beats that?
The Horror Lounge: Tell our readers about your character, Power Punch, and also, did you have a say in the choice of mask that he wears and his special move, the power punch?
Vinny Pacifico: I had a lot of input. [Writer/director Jedediah Koszewski} JC loved my character in wrestling. He was also involved in the wrestling industry, so he was able to pinpoint what he liked about the character and helped to shape it from paper to screen. He did give me a lot of say and was open to my ideas. I really enjoyed being able to utilize my ability and use my charisma that I had from wrestling for this.
With this film, I got to utilize my personality, as well as my skills. The best part is that I had to put myself in positions to ask how Vinny Pacifico would react in certain situations. Power Punch is an extension of who I am as a person. It was very simple for me, but it also helped me grow from a wrestling standpoint, too. Wrestling has a lot of story-driven points.
The Horror Lounge: One aspect of the movie pertains to these young wrestlers trying to achieve fame, and it also deals with personas, social media, and celebrity. How much were you able to relate to that aspect of the film, considering your career as a pro-wrestler?
Vinny Pacifico: It’s a true thing. It is very timely. People sometimes forget where they came from and who their friends are. They build an ego. With Power Punch, he’s driven so much to be able to take care of his family and wife. His only way to do that is through wrestling and subscribers. There are some true aspects in my life like that. I travel with my wife a lot. We go to all of these different places. A lot of the time, we’re having a good time, but I’m on my phone doing content, media, and answering emails. I’m not always present. That’s something I’m working on. Yes, I want to give my wife the best life possible. I want to utilize wrestling and acting as my income to take care of my family. What drives me is taking care of my family.
In this film, Vinny wants that attention. He wants to become the best at what he does. He believes it’s his shot. A lot of the time success is measured by likes, comments, shares, and subscribers. I don’t like that, but the subject is timely.
The Horror Lounge: Anything else that you’d like to add?
Vinny Pacifico: We utilized a lot of people and have a great roster. We have a whole universe planned for this. Each mask has meaning. We utilized so much history of wrestling. Each mask is a historic figure in wrestling. We want fans to have fun. We want to give wrestling fans and horror fans something to watch, enjoy, and appreciate. I feel like there’s nothing like this out there.
The Horror Lounge: Thanks so much for the interview!
Mr. Reset and the Society of Turnbuckle and Bone will be available for rental or purchase on VOD beginning June 2.
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