Head Cheerleader Dead Cheerleader starts late one Halloween night, also the eve of a big football game, as local high-school caretakers George & Earl remove dead animals hanging from the sports field goalposts, put there as a practical joke by some people who obviously have no sense of humour. However George comes across a bag which contains the decapitated head of a cheerleader named Patricia Bertwood. It's not long before head cheerleader Heather Connelly (Tasha Biering) is told the distressing news over the phone by cheerleading coach Elaine Riley (Debbie Rochon), they are somewhat shocked but figure the show must go on. Shortly after putting the phone down coach Riley is murdered... Back at home with Heather & the phone calls start, phone calls from the killer who taunts her, scares her & warns her not to set foot outside of her house. Meanwhile three more member's of the cheerleading squad, Molly (Noelle Manuel), Violet (Beth Hunt) & Rose (Amy R. Swaim) meet gruesome ends at the hands of the axe wielding killer. Heather receives more phone calls informing her of her friends fate but who is responsible? Her boyfriend Danny (Daniel Justin Roach)? Her jealous & possessive ex Chris (Andre Walker)? Or maybe the local drunk Joseph Hatterman (Bob Carter) who has a very dodgy history?
Written, produced & directed by Jeffrey Miller Head Cheerleader Dead Cheerleader is a pretty poor film on all accounts. The script obviously takes it's inspiration, or steals it's ideas whichever way you want to put it, from better films from this genre like Scream (1996) & Friday the 13th (1980) & unfortunately doesn't do a very good job, it can't even match them let alone surpass them in an already overcrowded sub genre. For most of it's 80 minute duration Head Cheerleader Dead Cheerleader is a very uninspired clichéd slasher, think the worst Friday the 13th clone you can & mix it with a right out of nowhere a similar to Scream twist ending which seemed over elaborate but at the same time was surprisingly effective. If the start of the film had built up to this ending better than Head Cheerleader Dead Cheerleader could have been a decent little film but it comes from absolutely nowhere & just doesn't feel like it belongs to the preceding 70 minutes which are throughly routine & not especially enjoyable. The character's are awful, the dialogue is poor with some really bad red-herrings spread throughout that just don't work although at least there is a fairly steady stream of victims & it's quite short.
Director Miller hasn't got a clue how to make a horror film. There is no build up to any of the murders they just suddenly happen which means there is no tension or potential for scares whatsoever. He has no idea how to set a mood as in one scene as Heather is having a 'emotional' chat with her ex boyfriend Chris his choice of music is bizarre as he uses a tune that would be more appropriate during a murder scene. There are a few murder's but nothing that memorable, a couple of women have their breasts cut off with an axe, someone gets an axe in the head, there is quite possibly the worst looking severed foot I've ever seen, a couple of decapitated heads & a hammer stuck in someone's head. There is some nudity as well which is nice but no actual sex scenes.
The budget for Head Cheerleader Dead Cheerleader must have been minuscule, I'm not joking or exaggerating when I say that 90% of the film takes place in Heather's front room & house (that 'don't go out' warning from the killer was there to save money then) & it becomes highly irritating. The shot on video photography is point shoot & hope for the best stuff while the special effects are anything but special. The acting is pretty poor, but then did I really expect anything else?
Head Cheerleader Dead Cheerleader is a throughly rotten attempt at a slasher film, apart from from a clever & surprisingly effective climax which deserves to be used in a better overall film there is absolutely nothing to recommend here. Stick with the likes of Friday the 13th, The Burning (1981), My Bloody Valentine (1981) & Scream for decent slashers that deliver the goods. Not worth your time or money.
Written, produced & directed by Jeffrey Miller Head Cheerleader Dead Cheerleader is a pretty poor film on all accounts. The script obviously takes it's inspiration, or steals it's ideas whichever way you want to put it, from better films from this genre like Scream (1996) & Friday the 13th (1980) & unfortunately doesn't do a very good job, it can't even match them let alone surpass them in an already overcrowded sub genre. For most of it's 80 minute duration Head Cheerleader Dead Cheerleader is a very uninspired clichéd slasher, think the worst Friday the 13th clone you can & mix it with a right out of nowhere a similar to Scream twist ending which seemed over elaborate but at the same time was surprisingly effective. If the start of the film had built up to this ending better than Head Cheerleader Dead Cheerleader could have been a decent little film but it comes from absolutely nowhere & just doesn't feel like it belongs to the preceding 70 minutes which are throughly routine & not especially enjoyable. The character's are awful, the dialogue is poor with some really bad red-herrings spread throughout that just don't work although at least there is a fairly steady stream of victims & it's quite short.
Director Miller hasn't got a clue how to make a horror film. There is no build up to any of the murders they just suddenly happen which means there is no tension or potential for scares whatsoever. He has no idea how to set a mood as in one scene as Heather is having a 'emotional' chat with her ex boyfriend Chris his choice of music is bizarre as he uses a tune that would be more appropriate during a murder scene. There are a few murder's but nothing that memorable, a couple of women have their breasts cut off with an axe, someone gets an axe in the head, there is quite possibly the worst looking severed foot I've ever seen, a couple of decapitated heads & a hammer stuck in someone's head. There is some nudity as well which is nice but no actual sex scenes.
The budget for Head Cheerleader Dead Cheerleader must have been minuscule, I'm not joking or exaggerating when I say that 90% of the film takes place in Heather's front room & house (that 'don't go out' warning from the killer was there to save money then) & it becomes highly irritating. The shot on video photography is point shoot & hope for the best stuff while the special effects are anything but special. The acting is pretty poor, but then did I really expect anything else?
Head Cheerleader Dead Cheerleader is a throughly rotten attempt at a slasher film, apart from from a clever & surprisingly effective climax which deserves to be used in a better overall film there is absolutely nothing to recommend here. Stick with the likes of Friday the 13th, The Burning (1981), My Bloody Valentine (1981) & Scream for decent slashers that deliver the goods. Not worth your time or money.