Satan’s Cheerleaders — Satan’s Cheerleaders(DVD/Blu Ray)
Released in 1977 & directed by B-movie actor, come writer/ director Greydon Clark. Satan’s Cheerleaders pretty much does what it says-on-tin. Its first half is a very campy, but pretty flesh-less teen sex comedy about a group of high school cheerleaders. Then in the second half, we switch to the satanic action, when the cheerleaders & their teacher get stuck in a devil loving country community- with a brand of campy comedy, demonic psychedelic effects, and a peppering of light chills ‘n’ thrills.
You really have to enter into the film expect mostly 70’s campy/ cheesiness- and you’ll enjoy what we have here. Though if you’re expecting really any flesh, gore, or dread- you’ll be sorely disappointed. At times Satan’s Cheerleaders almost comes across as a 70’s TV movie or series episode, save for some of the slightly more cheeky humor. And other times it ’s like a blend of flesh-less Russ Meyer, and the original Scooby Doo.
The pace/ flow of the film did feel a little uneven in the first half, as some of the set-up & scenes seemed a little over milked. But there are mild chuckles along the way, and a few of the characters are enduring- like the ditsy -though geekily foxy psych-ed teacher, and the creepy older janitor with his studded denim shirt. The whole thing certainly becomes more even & balanced in the second half and I rather enjoyed the twist at the end.
Extras wise aside from the 2k transfer, which is fairly nice & crisp, though still a little darkly lite in places. We get the two commentaries- first is from writer/director Greydon Clark- this sees him discussing the film from it’s very beginnings, it’s financing, casting, filming etc- it’s packed with interesting titbits of info, and really gives a good overview of both the film, and how one made a B movie in the 70’s. The second track is with filmmaker David DeCoteau and film historian David Del Valle- this is fairly chatty & wider reaching, seeing the pair talk about the different actors & the different roles they took, 70’s satanic cinema in general, and Greydon Clark himself. So really this track feels more of a discussion than firm track, as they often don’t focus in on the action on film.
On the whole, I was pleasantly surprised by Satan’s Cheerleaders- after reading some fairly damning reviews online. Sure it’s far from a perfect film, or some forgotten masterwork of 70’s Satan fuelled horror- but if your in for a campy romp, with some light thrills & chills rolled in, I think you’ll get a kick out of this, and both commentaries makes for worthy extras.