PopHorror Let's Get Scared
Nobody walks the line between innocence and deviance like a cheerleader. With their perfect hair, great moves, bright eyes, ear-to-ear smiles, and perky… personalities—what did you think I was gonna say?—there’s no better All-American trope to put the fun in funeral!
Ready? Okay!
1. BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER (1992)
Joss Whedon may not love it, but we do. Before the TV show, there was the original, early ’90s, girl power horror movie starring Kristy Swanson (Deadly Friend 1986 – our retro review), Luke Perry (Beverly Hills 90210 TV series), Donald Sutherland (Mr. Harrigan’s Phone 2022), David Arquette (Scream franchise), and Hilary Swank (The Hunt 2020). Following on the heels of the 1980s exploitation boom where cheerleaders were seen as nothing more than ticks on horror movie body counts, Buffy ushered in a new era of cheerers that were not only survivors but even heroes.
2. ALL CHEERLEADERS DIE (2013)
This squad demands respect and have each other’s backs to the bitter end. When toxic masculinity rears its ugly head, these girls shed the typical vapid cheerleader stereotype in favor of becoming the bloodthirsty hunters. Directed by genre favorite Lucky McKee (May 2002 – our retro review), All Cheerleaders Die is an intelligent, well-crafted horror movie with a solid fan base that’s still waiting patiently for that sequel!
3. JENNIFER’S BODY (2009)
Part of her charm—aside from being besties with outcast Needy Lesnicky (Amanda Seyfried: You Should Have Left 2020)—is that Jennifer Check (Megan Fox: Till Death 2021) is way too unique to be your typical cheerleader. She’s on the Color Guard. Sure, she’s a little full of herself, but she’s a good girl with good intentions at heart. That is, until a Satanic ritual goes violently wrong, and Jennifer returns from the dead to feast on fear. Penned by Diablo Cody (Juno 2007), this distinctive demonic possession movie has a quick wit and fantastic effects. Worth every viewing.
4. TRAGEDY GIRLS (2017)
Struggling bloggers and cheerleaders, Sadie (Brianna Hildebrand, Deadpool, 2016) and McKayla (Alexandra Shipp, Barbie, 2023), are frustrated with their failing website and lack of status on social media. And you know the saying… if you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself. So the girls go on a reign of terror to feature on their blog, terrorizing everyone and solidifying themselves as modern slashers.
5. SATAN’S CHEERLEADERS (1977)
The cheer horror movie that started it all… that’s right, PopHorror fiends, this one is the first of its kind. When a satanic cult sets their sights on a squad of “innocent” cheerleaders to offer up to Satan, they get the surprise of a life. One of the girls is a powerful witch, and she’s onto them. This gem stars genre sweetheart Yvonne De Carlo (The Munsters TV series) and offers up plenty of laughs with its screams.
6. CHEERLEADER CAMP (1988)
Summer camp slashers meet spirit squad screamers, you get Cheerleader Camp. Check this one out, and you will not be disappointed. Someone’s got a vendetta against cheerleaders. Where better to take out your grievances on teenagers than at summer camp? You know the rules: No sex, no drugs, no drinking… ah never mind. No one ever listens anyway.
7. THE MAJORETTES (1986)
A masked killer takes out the majorettes one by one… This one goes from slasher to revenge flick when it’s discovered that a local gang are behind the strange occurrences at the local high school.
8. BRING IT ON: CHEER OR DIE (2022)
Who doesn’t love the Bring It On (1999) franchise? Okay, so a lot of horror fans aren’t really into that sort of thing, but when you give it a slasher twist and have someone as beloved as Dr. Rebekah McKendry on the writing team, we’re in! Let’s go, Diablos!
