Director: Lucky McKee, Chris Sivertson.
Cast: Caitlin Stasey, Sianoa Smit-McPhee, Brooke Butler, Amanda Grace Cooper, Reanin Johannink, Tom Williamson.
Certificate: 18.
Running Time: 89 minutes.
Synopsis: Maddy (Stasey) is out for revenge against the cheerleaders and jocks. She infiltrates the cheerleaders and begin to forge friendships, but her attached neighbour Leena (Smit-McPhee), who is into the dark arts, becomes jealous. After a shocking accident, things begin to get out of hand between cheerleaders and football players.
How much can we in the UK care about cheerleading and American high school politics? It’s almost as though such cultural ideals are from a different planet entirely. Granted, we’ve been subjected to them throughout visual media and music videos, which has given us an insight into these vapid lifestyles. So why should we care about ALL CHEERLEADERS DIE? Because it has the name Lucky McKee attached to it, and any man behind the astonishing MAY and RED (Brian Cox dead dog revenge film, not Brian Cox aging spy film) is a man to take notice of.
ALL CHEERLEADERS DIE is a true battle of the sexes, one in which females are represented as cheerleaders and men are shown as football players, each group endearingly referred to as Bitches and Dogs. The film may begin as your archetypal revenge tale of girls hating on each other, but things take a violent twist when Captain Terry (Williamson) has his manhood challenged and strikes his ex-girlfriend. This act changes the motivations of lead character Maddy (Stasey) who originally wanted vengeance against her own sex for the way they treated her late friend. It takes a lot of guts to change a story’s drive like this but it is one that is much appreciated.
On top of that, other plot elements are played out in surprising ways. A lesbian romance hints at a big reveal and shaming etc. but this never happens. Like that scene in 21 JUMP STREET when the students are no accepting, even though some of the characters may be jerks, McKee and Sivertson make sure to not make them scum in every facet of their existence. As the boys react to pack mentality, the girls find strength within one another, that is until old wounds open cause friction once again.
The script also unapologetically infuses the supernatural in sequences that could very well have ended up cheesy and daft. The fact that the whole film sticks together so cohesively is due to the fantastic cast. Stasey is a star in the making, and comes off as both manipulative and strong. Butler oozes charisma and sex appeal, but also finds time to secure a vulnerable side. Cooper and Johanninik shine together as sisters who swap bodies, thus forcing each of them to tackle very different roles successfully, while Smit-McPhee has an insecure and unpredictable intensity which perfectly draws out the more paranormal aspects.
Despite a strong gender message and harsh violence, the film brings forth the fun as we see our female leads tease the men and bide their time. As the girls adapt to their new clique, we see wonderful transformations that reverberate with humour and charm. Supporting the girls is a tight soundtrack that always feels essential and never overplayed. It’s very easy for teen focused films to rely too heavily on certain music cues, characters, or plot developments, and ALL CHEERLEADERS DIE avoids them all.
If ALL CHEERLEADERS DIE becomes the success it deserves to be, then high school teen angst films are going to have trouble going back to their old ways. Wickedly smart while staying true to its genre, ALL CHEERLEADERS DIE gives us the violence, sex appeal, and social commentary we deserve and need. It’s a blast.
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