PodBill Just what I expected

Spidersecu Don't Believe the Hype

Spoonatects Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Toronto85 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

Dagon I remember seeing this film in the horror section when we'd go to rent movies as a child – Cheerleader Camp, along with 1985's Slaughter High (which I've done a review for) and '88's Night of the Demons (which would later turn out to be a favorite of mine) stood out to me; the cover art especially. I'm sure I'd be a broken record if I uttered this phrase, but I'll say it once more for posterity's sake: they sure don't make 'em like they used to! The same could be said for the premise of Cheerleader Camp, too...it follows the path of the "Slasher"; a sub- category within the horror genre that was cleverly constructed before the formula gave birth to a near-limitless barrage of underlings. Cheerleader Camp arrived late in the '80s; that is to say, numerous films that were released prior exercised the usual Slasher-esquire routine ad-infinitum.Cheerleader Camp focuses on a group of high school students who attend Camp Hurrah - a cheerleading camp that features opposing squads that compete to win the All-State finals. The film's protagonist and primary point of interest is Alison - a girl who suffers from feelings of inadequacy compounded by her boyfriend Brent's (Leif Garrett) unscrupulous behavior. It's not long after their arrival that a death occurs on the camp grounds. Initially ruled as a suicide, sketchy characters are introduced and explored respectively that may offer a clue to the killer's true identity.I'm sure many of you are curious as to why Leif Garrett, a former '70's teen idol, headlines this film. It is a bit out of place but I find the situation comical. Garrett was not exclusively tied to child-stardom - his filmography is extensive and since 1977 he's released 8 studio albums. I'm still curious as to how the budget of Cheerleader Camp was able to afford someone like Garrett...but I suppose stranger things have happened. The girl who fills the position of Alison is none other than Betsy Russell. Horror audiences would fully recognize her 18 years later in Saw III, portraying the character of Jill Tuck - Jigsaw's wife. Garrett and Russell are probably the only two that actually display a shred of talent in this mess of a film. Perhaps I should be more honest and mention George "Buck" Flower too - a man who was a very experienced character actor with a career that spanned over 35 years. Flower seemingly starred in just about everything - his accolades achieved within the profession of acting are quite extensive, having been featured in over 100 films. Horror was certainly no stranger to him as he filled roles in films like The Fog, Maniac Cop, Pumpkinhead, They Live, 976-Evil II, Waxwork II: Lost in Time, Warlock: The Armageddon, and the John Carpenter/Tobe Hooper anthology collaboration, Body Bags. Buck Flower was involved with many other horror films as well but I've chosen to be kind and keep my rambling brief.What else is worth mentioning about Cheerleader Camp? Are you curious about the film's director, John Quinn? He's virtually unheard of and this feature was his third film as a director - that's where his developments in the genre start and end, I'm afraid. Since Cheerleader Camp arrived so late in the scene with many well-known Slasher titles firmly established, the production values and supposed imaginative death sequences do not measure up to a satisfactory standard. The acting by the rest of the gang present in this film is a joke - a cruel, twisted joke, like getting dowsed by a bucket of urine while asleep in your bed as a wake-up call. While the gory sequences do not boast overly- impressive results they could be worse. My complaints in this department are kept to a minimum. In true Slasher representation, the audience is left to wonder who the real killer is; several red herrings are strewn about in a sloppy and predictable fashion, trying so desperately to trick and fool you but lacking the intelligence to do so. If I actually gave one idiom of a damn, I could have guessed who the killer was too; alas, I sat motionless through this 88 minute feature while scornfully disapproving of the stupidity therein. One could argue that all of these ingredients help comprise that of a cult classic, and normally I'd agree with you, if 50 other Slasher films didn't re-live this exhausting demonstration. I would spend far too much time listing the many films that share a similar premise all throughout the 1980's - many of them before 1988. All-in-all, I'd say Cheerleader Camp qualifies as another "campy" 80's Slasher with predictable elements and a borish amount of filler so thick you could spread it on a sandwich. Supposedly a sequel to this movie was in production in the early 90's but was scrapped - a different production company picked it up, however, and changed the name from Cheerleader Camp 2 to Camp Fear. It was released on television in 1991 and allowed the return of Betsy Russell. If you love Slasher films, by all means, watch the original to complete your mission in life. As for me, I've done my duty and I'd only agree to watch this film again under the pretense of doing something else...which doesn't include watching it. Does that make sense?

BA_Harrison A 'Bring It On' style cheerleader competition is the setting for this enjoyably dumb 80s effort that combines the puerile humour with stalk 'n' slash parody (think Porky's crossed with Sleepaway Camp, and you won't be far off). It's incredibly stupid and unlikely to appeal to mainstream movie goers or 'serious' horror fans, but if you're a fan of trashy cult films, then this might well be worth checking out.The action begins as a team of top cheerleaders, plus hunk Brent (70s teen heart-throb Leif Garrett), fat slob Timmy (Travis McKenna), and mascot Cory (yummy Lucinda Dickey), arrive at Camp Hurrah to take part in a state-wide competition; but as cheer-leading battle commences, a mysterious killer begins to hack through the hot, high-kicking teens, leaving 'bloody pom-poms' (the film's alternative title) in their wake.As soon as lard-ass Timmy moons through the van window on arrival at the camp (perhaps the most stomach churning moment of the entire film), you know you're in for a seriously low-brow piece of entertainment, and amazingly, director John Quinn manages to keep the entertainment this unsophisticated for the entire film—quite an achievement: we get fart jokes, beautiful bimbos baring their breasts in a big-boob showdown, a cross-dressing prank, a humorous sex scene, a dreadful rap from Brent and Timmy, cheap but bloody gore, and a mascot dance-off (you ain't seen nothing till you've seen an alligator break-dance!).As far as the actual story goes, there are several possible candidates for camp maniac—including cheerleader Alison Wentworth (Betsy Russell), who is plagued by twisted nightmares and visions, shifty handyman 'Pop' (played by versatile bit-part actor George 'Buck' Flower), head camp counsellor Miss Tipton (Vickie Benson), and mullet-haired Brent—but it should come as no surprise when the real killer is revealed to be none other than Cory, the jealous team mascot (who, let's face it, is easily as hot as her pals).Whilst I'm not convinced that being relegated to wearing a reptile costume is a valid reason to go on a killing spree, it sure makes for a fittingly daft denouement to a seriously silly flick.

Coventry For once, this stereotypical 80's horror movie is not just set in a sport-crazy American high school or at a summertime camp but in.... a combination of both!! An actual cheerleader camp! Do these really exist? Anyway, this setting means there's a double portion of clichés, dumb teenager jokes and naked breasts guaranteed, so it can't be all bad, right? The opening sequence, which seems to come straight from a "Nightmare on Elm Street" sequel, gives us the false impression that "Cheerleader Camp" might be more ambitious than the usual 80's slasher, but it rapidly turns into a silly and by-the-numbers horror comedy. A group of competitive high school girls and two incredibly dumb males attend a camp where the best group (including their mascot) can win tickets for the national cheer leading contest...or something. Of course, their main concern quickly becomes surviving, as there's a vicious killer around as well. The best thing you can say about this film probably is that it doesn't take itself too seriously. The murders only occur halfway through the film because the opening is too busy playing out the fat guy pranks! Travis McKenna (who truly has a gigantic bottom) is more than just a comic relief; he "fills up" the first 40 minutes of this film with vulgar fat-guy behavior, like videotaping the girls sun bathing topless and "mooning" the entire camp through the windows of his van. There's absolutely no attempt to build up tension and the murders are delightfully cheesy. Quite gory, but certainly not unsettling and only diverting your attention from the lousy storyline. The killer's identity is so easily predictable and even the typecasting of Buck Flower as the eerie old janitor couldn't possibly make you doubt.