There have been many films dealing with teen angst and troubles over the years and All Cheerleaders Die from Lucky McKee and Chris Sivertson takes its inspiration from several of them. Maddy (Caitlin Stasey) is an outsider at high school until she reinvents herself in order to join the cheerleading group to gain revenge on the captain on the football team who betrayed her friend.
Following an eventful and confrontational party Maddy and three other cheerleaders are involved in a car accident that claims their lives. Maddy’s former best friend Leena (Sianoa Smit-McPhee), who happens to be a witch, resurrects the girls using a spell that turns them into bloodthirsty undead and together they set out for retribution. Based on McKee’s earlier film of the same name, All Cheerleaders Die is for the most part an inventive and entertaining watch.
There are many genre tropes; airheaded but beautiful girls, dumb but sporty jocks and the strange outsider who actually holds the key to everything. The difference here though is that there is a darker undertone to much of the story and the humour, while retaining many familiar set ups, has a wit that is not often seen in similar productions. There is a good deal of story development before the real narrative begins and this adds a credibility and depth to what could have been a flimsy and hollow tale and credit must go to the filmmakers for being brave, although not all of their choices have been successful as we will see.
Led by the impressive Stasey, who excelled in the original found footage slasher movie Evidence, the cast are generally strong in roles that you have seen many times before. Tom Williamson is decent as main protagonist Terry and it is refreshing that his cohorts are not just the usual routine clones you often see. There may be an element of silliness in some of the scenes and characters but all involved are convincing enough for this not to become an issue. As stated though, not everything in the film works.
There is a strange lesbian sub-plot that while admirable for its originality adds little to the story and serves as something of a distraction. Some of the effects are also a little weak and though the film doesn’t exactly suffer from their inclusion, they do come across as a little unnecessary.
OVERALL SUMMARY
On the whole though, All Cheerleaders Die is a fun take on the teen revenge movie. Taking its main influence from classic films such as Heathers and The Craft this is an original and respectful addition to the canon. McKee and Sivertson are definitely filmmakers to watch in the horror genre and it will be interesting to see what they deliver next. If it is a fun, if slightly imperfect, Friday night film you seek then this could be the one for you. All Cheerleaders Die is available on VOD now.
