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Cheerleader Camp |
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A bunch of cheerleaders go to summer camp
for a cheerleading competition. One of them,
Alison starts having nightmares and soon
her friends starts popping up dead, murdered.
Who's the viscous killer? Alison's jerky
boyfriend? Her obnoxious rival Pamela? Or
the camp's handyman?
Wow, talk about one big cliché. This could've
worked great as a spoof but get this, it's a
dead-serious horror film. It was probably made
just one or two years before the whole 80s
teen-slasher genre died. Cause this is filled
with all the stereotypical bits: pretty teens
taking their clothes off, red-herring suspects,
a heroine with emotional problems, the sex-
starved boyfriend, etc., etc.
The film works on an entertainment level. It's
never really dull or if somewhat unintentionally
funny sometimes especially when it tries to
be really serious and the not quite so talented
actresses are allowed dramatic acting spots.
Betsy Russell, who plays Alison, is perhaps the
biggest problem. She is given far too much
screen time and with all the surreal nightmares
and drama it all gets a little bit too much
for her to handle.
Several supporting characters are a blast though.
Vickie Benson as the up-tight, obnoxious camp
manager Dee Dee Tipton is hilarious and is a
hoot in the climax when she gets hammered and
even more obnoxious. Genre veteran George "Buck"
Flower is good though, given more screen time
than he usually gets, as the drunken, mumbling
handyman - Flowers career character!
When it comes to the horror, don't expect any
real suspense or scares. It tries pretty hard
to be original with several twist endings and
a killer's-identity-surprise but it's all too
predictable. The killer is easy, if you just
think a little (it's rarely one of the obvious
suspects...) and the murders come quick and fast,
with little or no gore. The film also makes a
classic blunder keeping some killings off-screen!
Other annoying details are Alison's boyfriend,
played by Leif Garrett, who's unusually jerky
and mean. He dumps Alison when she won't have
sex and sneaks away with another girl, but is
still setup as the film's hero in the end. And
then there's the constant teen-prank jokes, with
a fat guy who spends most time peeping on
bare-breasted girls.
Still, it's an OK time-waster. It's fairly well-
made, has a quirky sense of humour and a
surprisingly dark, offbeat ending. And for
anything, it's worth seeing for the late,
underappreciated George "Buck" Flower in one of
his bigger roles.
Scissors in the eyes, fox trap in the face, knife
in the back, two victims are shot. One guy is
slashed over his stomach with the insides wallowing
out while a girl is split in two by a car against a tree.
Some annoying pop music, the usual synth-score.
Nothing special.
Stereotypical 80s slasher with pretty, naked teens,
lots of clichés and too little gore. Still, fairly
entertaining with some good supporting characters
(especially George "Buck" Flower). The plot twists
(like the killer's identity) are obvious though.
Review
By: Slicer-Dicer
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