Review of Cheerleader Camp (1988) by David. B — 15 Jan 2008

This has one of those endings that always makes me smile. Just like April Fools Day and on a non slasher note Dead and Buried seem to do. Whilst Dead and Buried was way a head of it's time, both AFD and CC came out towards the end of the 80's when the slasher film was starting to become yesterdays story. The Friday the 13th and Halloween hysteria had started to die down. Betsy Russell as Alison Wentworth and Lucinda Dickey as Cory are both great and will have you backing them until the final climax. And you will see why I smile. Miss Russell may not be the most convincing border-line psychotic, but as a cheerleader she fits the role.

The script is fresh, the humor funny for the 80's and the characters are also very believable for that time period. Yes it does feel a bit like the Sleepaway and the first Friday the 13th film and has a similar kinda twist at the end, but this is not as shocking. The ending is still a winner here though(as well as the cheerleader camp setting.mmm:)), but the humor and laid back script is what made this film something more than just one of those uninspired slasher flicks that only tries to scare the hell out of you, but then falls flat on it's ass. Fans of slasher films should check this out, even if it's only for the lame dream sequence death where a female teen is slashed by pom poms...hahaha..classic stuff...