Cheerleader Camp

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Written by Neon Maniac

Thursday, 24 February 2005 03:28

Cheerleader Camp DVD Review

Written by Neon Maniac

DVD released by Anchor Bay

Directed by John Quinn

Written by David Lee Fein and RL O'Keefe
1988, Region 1 (NTSC), 88 minutes, Rated R

DVD released on August 3rd, 2004

Starring:

Betsy Russell
Leif Garrett
Teri Weigel
Lucinda Dickey
Rebecca Ferratti
Krista Pflanz

Movie:

A homicidal killer and a wacky band of teenagers spend the summer at Camp Hurrah! where the All State Cheerleader Finals are being held.

It's all fun and games until head cheerleader Alison's schizophrenia and paranoia start to ruin it for everyone. She can't control her nightmares anymore, not even with the pills she pops by the handful. Is she having problems controlling herself while she's awake, too?

As the competition draws to a close, the bodies start piling up — can popstar Leif Garret and pornstar Teri Weigel stop the killer and win the big prize?!?!

Review:

Cheerleader Camp is the standard '80s teen exploitation slasher film. Not that there is anything wrong with that! The first half of the movie plays out like the standard teen sex comedy of the time, and it is not until the second half that things start rolling and the body count rises. This is not a bad thing, as the first half is filled with gratuitous cheerleader nudity. And since the cheerleaders are played by the likes of Playboy Playmate Rebecca Ferratti, Penthouse Pet Krista Pflanz, and ex-Playboy Playmate turned pornstar Teri Weigel, this is really not a bad thing at all.

Leif Garrett stands out as male cheerleader Brent Hoover, and even manages to bust out with a cheerleader rap at one point. Similarly, drive-in veteran Betsy Russell does a good job portraying psycho cheerleader Alison. The rest of the cast is fine, but is there for either eye candy or comic relief. All of the '80s teen movie stereotypes are present; the fat party animal, slutty cheerleader (multiplied many, many times), creepy groundskeeper, uptight camp counselor and the ever popular pervy sheriff. You've seen these characters before, but have you seen them dead and topless?

Cheerleader Camp brings together all the best aspects ofl teen movies: sex, nudity, rock n' roll, and buckets of blood. While it will never go down in anyone's top 100 list, it is very much worth a watch on a late Saturday night.

Video and Audio:

Anchor Bay's horror releases have been dubious at best when it comes to video quality. Luckily, Cheerleader Camp looks good. It is grainy and soft at times, but that has more to do with the age and medium of the film, than the DVD transfer.

Cheerleader Camp has a mono soundtrack. You can hear everything just fine, but it is flat and boring.

Special Features:

Rounding out this release are the standard special features found on most discs. It has an audio commentary with the director and producer; a couple of photo galleries, trailers, and an alternate title sequence. Cheerleader Camp is not a movie that begs for a load of features, so this should be ample for most fans. The one thing that would have made this better is an audio commentary with the cast.

Grades:
Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Features:
Overall:

(Neon's Movie Lounge contains a Zenith 42" Plasma EDTV, Oppo DV971H DVD player using a DVI connection, JVC 5.1 DD/DTS receiver and JBL Northridge E Series speakers.)

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