Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Load of rubbish!!

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Cheerleader Camp (1988) ** 1/2 (out of 4)All of the best and brightest cheerleaders in the country attend a special camp where they can extend their talents. The only problem is that some sort of madman has also shown up and soon the cheerleaders are dropping dead.CHEERLEADER CAMP obviously wasn't meant to be taken too serious and it's clear that it was making fun of the slasher genre. This here is basically PORKY'S with an added slice of murder and for the most part the film is entertaining enough to make it worth watching. What makes the film so entertaining is the cast who manage to be fun and keep you interested in everything that's going on. Of course, all of them are way too old for their parts but this is just something most viewers will be accustom to. The cast really manages to be fun and that's the most important thing. The filmmakers clearly knew who their target audience was because this works as both a horror film as well as a "teen" comedy. The teen comedy aspect basically has a bunch of beautiful women getting naked and a bunch of horny guys wanting them. The summer camp setting works just fine. As far as the horror elements go, there are actually some rather gory and violent death scenes so gore hounds will be happy as well.CHEERLEADER CAMP certainly isn't a masterpiece or even a good picture but at the same time it's entertaining enough for what it is.

This hammy slice of wonder has insecure yet talented cheerleader Alison (Betsy Russell) joining her team at a remote cheer camp where they are competing for titles that could propel their team to nationals. Things turn immediately sour when one of the girls is found dead in an apparent suicide, but things go from bad to worse overnight when someone starts picking the girls off on by one."Cheerleader Camp," (also known by the kitschy title "Bloody Pom Poms") is one of the few slasher films to emerge so late in the decade, when the sub-genre's big boom had already waned; similar films, such as "Sorority House Massacre" and "Return to Horror High" tended to be low caliber, low budget, and were ultimately waylaid by critics and audiences for their less-than-stellar production values. "Cheerleader Camp" falls in with this crop of films, hardly, if at all, making a footnote in the horror history books.Obviously a low budget endeavor, I have to commend "Cheerleader Camp" for really making the most out of what its production was working with. While this is a straightforward, classless slasher, there are some genuinely fun moments and some well-shot scenes, as well as decent gore effects. The flip-side of this means that the film is something of a lost opportunity, because it did have the potential to take out the eighties' slasher trend with a bang. It was destined for failure regardless after its distributor went bankrupt in the middle of its limited theatrical run, relegating it to the video store circuit in 1990.There is some black humor in the film that, combined with the familiar camp setting, is reminiscent of "Sleepaway Camp." There is also some misguided sex-comedy hi-jinx that round out the sleaze factor, and plenty of topless girls sunbathing at the river. These quirky elements of the film offset the darker edge it has— there are underlying themes of sexism, relationship abuse, suicide, jealousy, depression, insecurity, and anxiety that are unusually serious for a film of this type. Betsy Russell is somewhat effective as the protagonist who exemplifies many of these themes, with Leif Garrett playing her womanizer boyfriend, but the cast on the whole are playing eighties slasher clichés to the hilt, and the performances are rarely, if at all to be taken seriously. Normally I'd knock a film for having such hammy acting, but this film is of a specific league where underwhelming performances are the norm.The film's final act is almost destroyed by poor editing— things happen in such rapid, sloppy succession that it's hard for the viewer to orient themselves; it almost feels like the filmmakers haphazardly rushed the last act to makeup for lost time, which is not only a terrible mistake, but also a suspense neutralizer. In spite of this, the contrived ending is sickly satisfying, and, call me naive, but I didn't see it coming. In spite of how silly it all may be, there is something genuinely macabre about the final "cheer" scene that ends the film, and I think that sentiment goes for it as a whole.Overall, "Cheerleader Camp" is a surefire discussion piece for fans of late eighties slashers; it has all the makings: hammy acting, juvenile sex comedy, gory kills, and plenty of T&A from big-haired babes in the woods. In spite of it being a prime example of genre sleaze, I also found it to be a film that had promise which was destroyed by production decisions and budget problems. The film has a lot of heart and spunk, which contrasts with its more downbeat elements that really make it a dark gem in its own way. 7/10.

Give me a F, give me a U, give me a N. Yes… FUN. Nothing more. Nothing less. Senseless, over-the-top, but fun. Probably too much fun? In its investment for energy, it really did play up the textbook gags and fooling around for the majority of the time. Teenagers will always be teenagers --- well what else would you do at Camp Hurrah. Anyhow the straight-to-video "Cheerleader Camp" is a low-budget b-grade late 80s slasher / sex comedy item opting for numerous semi-nude shots (especially when you got the likes of Teri Weigel and Krista Pflanzer in the cast), tacky blood splatter and a very tongue-cheek-approach to its traditional material. In which case much needed, because some of the cheesy dialogues can be eye-rolling and it stars a former teen idol Leif Garrett. The style is similar to other such campy slashers within the same period; "Return to Horror High" (1987) and "Cutting Class" (1989). The plot enters in a protagonist with a traumatically stressful mind, throws around typical red herrings (memorably enjoyable character turns by George 'Buck' Flowers and Vickie Benson), suspiciously telegraphed activities, absurd occurrences (like those odd dream sequences) and a silly revelation going on to a twisted ending. Everything feels purposely blatant. Director John Quinn's execution might be lumpy, but it's breezily paced and enthusiastically captured. Also the camera-work achieves some inventive angles, especially early on. The always enviable Besty Russell heads the cult cast with Lucinda Dickey (spending a bit time in a costume), Rebecca Ferratti, Travis McKenna and a delightful Lorie Griffin.

Simple-minded teen sex humor is punctuated with graphic slasher murders in this mediocre genre effort. Also known as Bloody Pom Poms, the film takes advantage of its central character's frequent nightmares to clog up the narrative with disturbing dream sequences. Further confusing matters is the fact that all these pretty young cheerleaders look about the same, so once the bodies start dropping it's easy to stop caring who gets it and when. Cheerleader Camp tries hard to win us over, offering goofy set pieces like horny old men spraying themselves in the face with hoses, a football-themed sex fantasy, and the most horrible "mooning" sequence ever filmed.Cheerleader Camp won't hold pleasure for any except the most dedicated Z-level celebrity watchers. Exploitation vet George "Buck" Flower mumbles and scowls his way through his role as a crusty red herring, and future hardcore-porn star Teri Weigel gets some practice from a garden tool. Ex-teenager Leif Garrett is bloodless as a philandering boyfriend, and his performance is distinguished only by an awful gelled-up hairdo and his weak, white rap duet with morbidly obese sidekick Travis McKenna. Betsy Russell had a healthy career in low-budget, low-impact exploitation films during the '80s, playing the title characters in Tomboy and Avenging Angel along with starring here. There are two Playboy Playmates and one Penthouse Pet among the toothsome cast members, and director John Quinn went on to helm an assortment of softcore sex films like Fast Lane to Vegas and Sex Court: The Movie.