Arrow Video FrightFest is on its final countdown. Since Thursday, both London’s Cineworld Leicester Square and The Prince Charles Cinemas have been taken over by the festival. Now, all that is ending, and one by one the screens play their final FrightFest features. Whilst Scott Mann’s Fall will close out the Cineworld main screen, it is Pat Higgins’ Powertool Cheerleaders vs the Boyband of the Screeching Dead that will bring The PCC’s line-up to an end.
Powertool Cheerleaders vs the Boyband of the Screeching Dead will certainly be a film that sticks with you. Of the seventy-plus titles that have screened at the festival, this is easily one of the most eccentric and bonkers movies on the programme. It follows the journey of Emily (Charlie Bond), a waitress with an aversion to cheerleaders. After some moral boosting words from her boss, she decides to tackle her fear head on by becoming a cheerleader herself – or rather ‘a person who cheers’. She assembles a trope of people who cheer and enters the world of televised talent shows. Somehow, the girls find themselves in the final against boy band Starmen. On the eve of the finale, Emily uses a family heirloom to put a hex on the competition. There are unexpected after-effects and soon the girls find themselves fighting hordes of the undead.
Did I mention that it’s also a musical? Well it is. Following in the footsteps of Anna and the Apocalypse, Powertool Cheerleaders mixes song and dance scenes with carnage and mayhem. As demonstrated with Anna and the Apocalypse, the juxtaposition of music and murder can work. Higgins follows suit and there’s something oddly intoxicating about jumping from an emotional ballad into blood spurting from various orifices. It helps that Higgins’ film plays firmly within the comedy horror sandbox. Powertool Cheerleaders is a film brimming with a light-hearted and jovial atmosphere, which is vital to make an over-the-top musical shine.
Like all good musicals it’s a film that encourages audience participation. There is no ego amongst the cast, and everyone throws themselves in with gusto. Their commitment and energy is infectious and helps to distract and pave over some of the wobblier moments. The songs offer a wide-range of genres from the screamo angst of ‘Exorcising Grandma’, to the poppy All Saints beats of Game of Soldiers. Whatever your musical tastes are, there is sure to be at least one song that gets stuck in your head. As gung-ho as the cast and crew are, on occasion the low-budget peeks through. In doing so there’s a strong whiff of high school musical production in places. Rather than be a nail in the coffin, it actually helps make the film a little more charming. It reinforces that can-do spirit and helps sell the lower budget parts of the production.
The heart of Powertool Cheerleaders vs the Boyband of the Screeching Dead is Head Cheerleader Emily. Played by Charlie Bond, Emily has reached a crossroad of frustration in her life, one that is strangely aided by the rising of the undead. Her journey from an uncertain place in life to bad-ass zombie dispatcher has an air of coming-of-age tale to it that opens up a more emotional side for the film. The dynamic between Emily and the rest of her team ensures early laughs, but later facilitates some key heartfelt exchanges. Emily’s posse are as eclectic and anomalous as the film itself, and come together like some obscure take on The Spice Girls. There’s a strong girl-power message to Powertool Cheerleaders, one that expounds the importance of not selling yourself short. Like Emily, many of the other girls are battling their own issues and seeing each of them embrace their potential is lovely to see on screen.
Powertool Cheerleaders may be a very low-budget independent film, but it’s infused with an underdog spirit. Thanks to the pandemic, the film was three years in the making and every minute has been spent trying to achieve the best it can on a modest shoe-string. Sometimes their efforts don’t pay off in the desired way, but there is a lot for the team to be proud of. Super silly and sickly sweet, Powertool Cheerleaders vs the Boyband of the Screeching Dead will leave viewers with a smile on their face, and a new tune in their head.
Powertool Cheerleaders vs the Boyband of the Screeching Dead
Summary
Following in the footsteps of Anna and the Apocalypse, Powertool Cheerleaders vs the Boyband of the Screeching Dead mixes melodies with gore, creating a rip-roaring time.
Powertool Cheerleaders vs the Boyband of the Screeching Dead was reviewed at Arrow Video FrightFest 2022.
