CHEERLEADER MASSACRE
PLOT-A high school cheerleading squad are snowbound in a cabin while a mysterious killer stalks them.
VIOLENCE-A few bloody stabbings and shootings here and there, plus a great shot of a freshly decapitated fellow.
SEX/NUDITY-I counted two shower scenes featuring one or two of the lead actresses, but I'm sure there was some additional nudity that I can't remember right now.
WHY I WATCHED IT-Number one, I'll watch anything with a name like CHEERLEADER MASSACRE. That's a kickass name for a movie. Second, I'm a big fan of director Jim Wynorski, who made this as well as recent favorites like THE BARE WENCH PROJECT and classics like DEATHSTALKER 2 and RETURN OF SWAMP THING.
THE DOPE-This is a B-movie in the truest, most old-school sense. The fact that it came from the legendary Roger Corman's New Concorde studio should give you an idea of what I mean. Let me break it down for you...first there's the title. CHEERLEADER MASSACRE. Like I said before, incredible. Already it gives you all kinds of mental images. Next you have the cover box, which looks just like the box art for SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE 1-3. Some scantily-clad women shot from between the legs of some male killer. Does it say something? Certainly. Are said females in the actual movie? No. Does the killer in the actual movie use a chainsaw like the guy on the box? No. Next we move on to the film itself. It's shot on video, but features stock footage of explosions and car crashes from older Corman stuff like HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP. I didn't count one single cheerleader outfit in the entire movie, and only the very beginning takes place in high school. The rest of the movie takes place in a cabin, in the snow. Scream Queen royalty Brinke Stevens makes a cameo appearance, reprising her role from the first SLUMBER PARTY MASSACRE, which this film is kind of a sequel to. Also, Nikki Fritz (from the BARE WENCH films) shows up long enough to get killed. Now let me make something clear, NONE OF THIS IS BAD! It's the way B-movies are notorious for being made, and they did it on purpose. It's a by-the-numbers B-flick in every way possible, and I ate it up. Wynorski delivers every single time he makes a movie, and I love him for it. One time I saw an interview in which he stated, "I have no desire to make an 'art fart' film." That was awesome, because I have no desire to see one. You rent a movie called CHEERLEADER MASSACRE to see naked women and blood, and that's what you get. Simple, easy, excellent. Thank you Jim. I should also mention, however, that even though this was filmed cheaply, the camera work by Chuck Cirino is outstanding. And hey, the killer was still a surprise.
MEMORABLE SCENES-A guy gets his head cut off right as he's knocking on the cabin door. The girls answer just in time to see his headless body standing there with his hand still in the knock position. Very very cool, but it happens fast so you may need to freeze-frame it.
DVD NOTES-This disc features two lonely extras, but they are of astoundingly great quality. First is the deleted scene, which is the kind of scene you always hope for when you go through deleted stuff on other discs. Normally you'll see things that were cut out because they made the movie drag or something. The deleted scene on CHEERLEADER MASSACRE has three girls, one of whom is the supremely beautiful and talented Julie K. Smith, getting naked in a bubble bath and covering themselves in chocolate syrup (like in BARE WENCH 2). Now THAT'S a special feature if I ever saw one. Second is the commentary by director Wynorski and actor GiGi Reneta. Let me just say, I was completely fascinated by listening to Jim talk about making this movie. The man has been making low-budget movies for over 20 years, and he knows his shit. But he doesn't come across as a know-it-all or a jerk, he tells it like it is and gives people like me the information we want. If you're interested in filmmaking, you could do well to listen to this track. I got a lot out of it.
(April 2003)