Cheerleader Camp (1988)

Beautiful, moving film.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

This hammy slice of wonder has insecure yet talented cheerleader Alison (Betsy Russell) joining her team at a remote cheer camp where they are competing for titles that could propel their team to nationals. Things turn immediately sour when one of the girls is found dead in an apparent suicide, but things go from bad to worse overnight when someone starts picking the girls off on by one."Cheerleader Camp," (also known by the kitschy title "Bloody Pom Poms") is one of the few slasher films to emerge so late in the decade, when the sub-genre's big boom had already waned; similar films, such as "Sorority House Massacre" and "Return to Horror High" tended to be low caliber, low budget, and were ultimately waylaid by critics and audiences for their less-than-stellar production values. "Cheerleader Camp" falls in with this crop of films, hardly, if at all, making a footnote in the horror history books.Obviously a low budget endeavor, I have to commend "Cheerleader Camp" for really making the most out of what its production was working with. While this is a straightforward, classless slasher, there are some genuinely fun moments and some well-shot scenes, as well as decent gore effects. The flip-side of this means that the film is something of a lost opportunity, because it did have the potential to take out the eighties' slasher trend with a bang. It was destined for failure regardless after its distributor went bankrupt in the middle of its limited theatrical run, relegating it to the video store circuit in 1990.There is some black humor in the film that, combined with the familiar camp setting, is reminiscent of "Sleepaway Camp." There is also some misguided sex-comedy hi-jinx that round out the sleaze factor, and plenty of topless girls sunbathing at the river. These quirky elements of the film offset the darker edge it has— there are underlying themes of sexism, relationship abuse, suicide, jealousy, depression, insecurity, and anxiety that are unusually serious for a film of this type. Betsy Russell is somewhat effective as the protagonist who exemplifies many of these themes, with Leif Garrett playing her womanizer boyfriend, but the cast on the whole are playing eighties slasher clichés to the hilt, and the performances are rarely, if at all to be taken seriously. Normally I'd knock a film for having such hammy acting, but this film is of a specific league where underwhelming performances are the norm.The film's final act is almost destroyed by poor editing— things happen in such rapid, sloppy succession that it's hard for the viewer to orient themselves; it almost feels like the filmmakers haphazardly rushed the last act to makeup for lost time, which is not only a terrible mistake, but also a suspense neutralizer. In spite of this, the contrived ending is sickly satisfying, and, call me naive, but I didn't see it coming. In spite of how silly it all may be, there is something genuinely macabre about the final "cheer" scene that ends the film, and I think that sentiment goes for it as a whole.Overall, "Cheerleader Camp" is a surefire discussion piece for fans of late eighties slashers; it has all the makings: hammy acting, juvenile sex comedy, gory kills, and plenty of T&A from big-haired babes in the woods. In spite of it being a prime example of genre sleaze, I also found it to be a film that had promise which was destroyed by production decisions and budget problems. The film has a lot of heart and spunk, which contrasts with its more downbeat elements that really make it a dark gem in its own way. 7/10.

Young girls are getting murdered in "Cheerleader Camp". The film begins with a cheer squad heading to Camp Hurrah, a camp for cheerleaders where they can train and compete for various awards. Our main character Alison starts having strange dreams, some are sexual and others are violent involving some of the girls at camp getting murdered. Those dreams start mixing with reality, and pretty soon the bodycount increases. Who is the killer and why are they murdering innocent cheerleaders?Cheerleader Camp isn't one of the better slashers of the eighties, that's for sure. In the beginning of the film, I really had no idea what was going on. You get scenes of reality, and then all of a sudden it flashes to a dream of Alison's. After about the thirty minute mark, the film starts to pick up and the characters get picked off one by one. The characters are pretty basic. You have the lead girl Alison, the hot guy Brent, the clown Timmy, ditzy Bonnie, outcast Corey, etc. Acting is nothing to write home about, Lorie griffin of "Teen Wolf" fame gets props for her portrayal of the ditzy but lovable Bonnie. That character was the only one I really cared about and hoped would survive. I thought Betsy Russell in the lead was a WEAK point for this film. Her performance was lackluster, and the script didn't help the character at all. She was pretty much a standoffish and entitled snob for the most part, qualities that do not lead me to root for her or care for her safety. One of the most important rules of a slasher flick is to have a likable "final girl" who the audience can either relate too or root for. Overall, Cheerleader Camp is a weak slasher film. It's not a movie to be taken seriously, the plot is thin and the ending leaves us wondering many things. The killer's identity wasn't that much of a shock, but I kind of just shrugged and wondered why this person would kill upwards of eight people. Cheerleader Camp does get points for it's over the top cheese and for creating a lot out of a weak budget. If you like eighties slashers, it's one to check out.5/10

The plot of "Cheerleader Camp" is simple:Alison,who strives to be the best goes on a trip with her cheerleading squad to Camp Hurrah to compete in a cheerleading contest.After her boyfriend is caught flirting with other girls,those girls begin to turn up dead,starting with an apparent suicide."Cheerleader Camp" is one of the many slasher flick made in mid 80's.It's fun to watch and surprisingly sleazy,but I think that "Sleepaway Camp" series is even better.There is only a little bit of gore,however there are some lovely girls who show bare breasts quite often.So if you are a fan of slasher flicks give this one a look.It is certainly more enjoyable than "Berserker","Hollow Gate" or similar amateurish crap.7 out of 10.

Hey, what do you get when you cross a cheerfully dippy T&A-ridden teen sex comedic jiggle romp with a more nasty and gory slice 'em and dice 'em up body count horror slasher opus, adding a dash of "Meatballs"-type silly summercamp stupidity hi-jinks for good goofy measure? Why, you get this so-cheesy-it's-downright-choice late 80's direct-to-video junk about a mysterious murderous lunatic brutally butchering assorted lovely young lasses who've gathered together at Camp Hurrah for a big annual cheerleader contest.Toothsome 80's trash movie queen Betsy ("Tomboy," "Avenging Angel") Russell and the ever-luscious'n'lissome Lucinda ("Breakin',' "Ninja 3: The Domination") Dickey star as the main terrorized targets of the killer's wrath. "Playboy" centerfold Rebecca Ferratti, "Penthouse" Pet Krista Pfanza and a pre-porno Teri Weigel (sporting normal-sized, non silicone-enhanced natural breasts, no less!) supply lots of scrumptious eye candy in often undraped supporting roles. Among the prime suspects are the snippy head counselor (superbly bitched to snarky perfection by Vickie Benson, who's now an acting teacher), a creepy mute cook, and the sloppy tubby handyman (deliciously overplayed with mucho hambone aplomb by the inestimable George "Buck" Flower).Director John Quinn really delivers the pleasingly sleazy low-brow schlock movie goods with lip-licking flair and enthusiasm: there are genuinely shocking outbursts of ferociously grisly violence, a satisfyingly substantial number of gratuitously bared breasts on display, 70's teen hunk pin-up Leif ("Macon County Line," "Devil Times Five") Garrett singing a hilariously hideous rap song, a quick, steady pace, solid production values, a truly jolting surprise twist ending, lively performances from the entire cast, and some amazingly atrocious pun-laden dialogue (all time favorite line: "I think we'd all be better off if she'd think more about the team and less about getting honey on her muffin!"). Anchor Bay work their usual up-to-snuff magic with their excellent extras-loaded DVD: Besides a sparkling first-rate transfer and widescreen presentation struck from the original negative, we've also got a very entertaining and illuminating commentary by Quinn and producer/actor Jeff Prettyman (who appears in the picture as a useless lecherous sheriff), three trailers, an alternate title sequence, behind-the-scenes photos, and a poster and still gallery.