Cheerleader Camp - Five Dolla Holla

By: Brandon Sites - Make sure to check out my latest article at http://www.bigdaddyhorrorreviews.com/2010/07/so-what-type-critic-are-you.html

Back in the late 80's, the careers of a bunch of once popular teen stars was drying up so they got aboard the slasher film craze joining the cast of this masterpiece of contemporary cinema (LOL). We have young Betsy Russell (nowing playing Jigsaw's ex wife in the Saw series) as a cheerleader who suffers from violent nightmares in which she uses her pom poms to murder off anyone that threatens her. Problem is those dreams are coming true. Also involved in the mix is former heartthrob Leif Garrett as her cheating boyfriend and Lucinda Dickey of Breakin' as the team mascot.

This used to be a staple of late night entertainment during the early to mid 90's. I remember as a kid staying up to whatever time this movie would come on to watch this is either on USA's Up All Night (boy, those were the days!) or Cinemax (aka Skinamax). There was a reason this was such a popular late night staple. We got classic lines such as "honey on her muffin". We got the film's obese sidekick getting stuck in the car window while mooning the entire cheerleading camp. We also get to do some nature watching while at Cheerleader Camp in which the film's sidekick examines the bodies of the film's various female leads while they are sunbathing topless. We have classic instructional videos detailing how to feel the spirit while visiting Cheerleader Camp. We have sex scenes involving various costumed mascots surrounding the partipcants screaming " Do it! Harder! Harder!". For all the women out there, there is a scene of Leif standing around in nothing, but his tightie whities trying to make his bulge bigger though he says he is trying to protect it (yeah right!). Or we have poor little traumatized Betsy Russell slashing people to death via pom pom in some deliciously over the top scenes of violence. As if that wasn't enough, George 'Buck' Flower is in the supporting cast as the film's sleazy cook trying to catch glimpses of whatever tender young flesh happens to be around or their is a nasty little twist ending that took me by surprise.

Cheerleader Camp is a film that I must have watched at least 50 times and I can watch it at least another 50 times more without tiring of it. One of the most entertaining films of the 80's slasher era, though it certainly can't be recommanded for it's sterling production values.