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Rah! Rah! Rah! Devil worshipping and ice-cold beer makes me want to cheer!
First these cheerleaders touch and then they tackle. These young girls mean business and Hell follows wherever they go, especially when they discover that Satanists in a small town in California have them surrounded. Welcome to Satan’s Cheerleaders, a horror comedy flick from the tail end of the 1970s in which saving bodily fluids for the big game becomes a certifiable waste of time.
Director Greydon Clark’s film begins with hot pink titles splashing across a black screen and then, without warning, the eerie symphonic strings start stabbing our eardrums as composer Gerald Lee’s score brings forth the psychosis. And then we wake up with a sunny view on a southern California beach for a few cheers and beers, a whole lot of skin, and a game of football.
But, after a beach blanket bingo session of screwing and cheers, we quickly go dark again. Satanists, pissed at being made fun of, perform a ritual to guarantee their protection, even from some punk ass kids dominated by an airhead coach who mistakenly believes himself to be the next Vince Lombardi. They want protection and, as the story unfolds, they get it.
Starring John Ireland, Yvonne De Carlo, John Carradine, and Jack Kruschen as Billy Brooks, the janitor and part time satanic cult leader, Satan’s Cheerleaders is a super low budget horror escapade from the poorer side of the disco era. Complete with a cross-eyed devil mask and a rape on an alter that is upended by a powerfully demonic wind and light show, Satan’s Cheerleaders is all about the cultish crazy in rural California.
The film T&A-teases more than it delivers when it comes to bodacious babes and creepy moments, but that doesn’t mean this spirited flick isn’t worthwhile. It is completely bonkers in its delivery of brown-hooded cultists. And the acting is a healthy mix of the awful and the subpar. With Sonoma’s “Who You Gonna Love Tonight” as its guide through its first half, Satan’s Cheerleaders never drops the beat when it comes to 4 on the floor iridescent insanity.
Clark (Without Warning) wrote and directed the movie to read like a Jack Hill film (The Swinging Cheerleaders), but this one lacks the wit and the charm, preferring to be more abstract in its camera than anything else. It is, however, highly enjoyable when it comes to b-movie appreciation; it just fails to do much outside of a curiosity piece of cheap Southern California celluloid.
Satanic Cheerleaders is definitely a hoot. It turns out the girls are quite talented at getting away from their captors even though, ironically, most everyone in this Californian hamlet are Satanists. It is rather convenient that Satan had this much forethought.
Although, the satanic slapstick does save its best moments for the cheerleaders’ eventual kidnapping and escape, the film has enough crazy-headed ticks – including the surprise revelation amongst the group of a witchy woman – that it will definitely please genre fans starving for this short-skirted nonsense.
The girls are delivered straight to the devil. Do they deserve it? You decide. Thanks to VCI Entertainment’s new 2K scan from the original 35mm negative, Satan’s Cheerleaders makes its HD debut for all of us to deliciously devour.
All for one and one for all!
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[tab title="Details"]
MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime: 92 mins
Director: Greydon Clark
Writer: Greydon Clark, Alvin L. Fast
Cast: John Ireland, Yvonne De Carlo, Jack Kruschen
Genre: Horror
Tagline: Funnier than "The Omen"... scarier than "Silent Movie"
Memorable Movie Quote: "Well, I'm very well read... and I dream."
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: November 7, 2017
Synopsis: The janitor at a local high school is actually the scout for a coven of Satanists on the lookout for a virgin to sacrifice. One day he kidnaps the cheerleading squad to use for their rituals. However, unbeknownst to the devil-worshipers, one of the cheerleaders is actually a witch, and has plans of her own for the Satanists.
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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]
Blu-ray Details:
Home Video Distributor: Vci Entertainment
Available on Blu-ray - November 7, 2017
Formats: NTSC
Labguage: English
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A
VCI Entertainment presents Satan’s Cheerleaders with a 2K restoration from the original 35mm film elements. The crisp transfer is presented in a 1.78.1 aspect ratio and looks quite warm in the color department. Reds are the dominant colors. Black levels are solid, though. The film looks crisp and colors are bold, with special gooey attention paid to the melting aspect of the effects. It’s unlike any other version of the movie released thus far; focused and detailed. The sound is presented in an adequate Dolby Digital 2.0 track.
Supplements:
Commentary:
-
Fortunately, there are two included with this release. The first is with director Greydon Clark and the second is with genre film director David DeCoteau and film historian David Del Valle. Both are informative and fun, full of life..
Special Features:
- Included with this release is a different version of the movie, a behind the scenes photo gallery, and the two aforementioned commentary tracks.
- Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery
- Restored and Original Transfer
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[tab title="Art"]
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