SATAN’S CHEERLEADERS Reviews and now free on Tubi

‘Come score with the cheerleaders’
Satan’s Cheerleaders is a 1977 comedy horror film about the janitor at a high school who is the scout for a coven of satanists on the lookout for a virgin to sacrifice.

Directed by Greydon Clark (Dance Macabre; Without Warning, Uninvited) from a screenplay co-written with producer Alvin L. Fast.

The World Amusement Company production stars John Ireland, Yvonne De Carlo, Jack Krischen, John Carradine and Sydney Chaplin.

The movie’s cinematography was provided by Dean Cundey who would famously go on to work on Halloween a year later and on several of John Carpenter’s films.

Plot:
“Benedict High School’s cheerleaders aren’t shy and sweet. The football team knows them well – and Billy, the school’s disturbed janitor, would like to.

In the locker room, the girls shower and dress, unaware of the evil eyes which secretly watch them. They don’t know that a curse has been placed on their clothes. And they don’t know that their trip to the first big game of the season might sideline them for eternity. Will the cheerleaders succumb to the dark ritual of carnal sacrifice and death that’s been plotted for them?”

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Reviews:

“John Ireland, Yvonne DeCarlo, and Sydney Chaplin (one of Charlie’s extensive brood) are the names, but no one will care. It’s the equivalent of an indie Big Mac with extra cheese. It may not be good for you, but it tastes pretty good going down.” Alfred Eaker

“The film quickly documents the underlying rowdiness of both the cheerleaders and (of course) the football players, but the whole satanic element is such a gonzo addition to this basic plot formulation that the film struggles to weave things together into something amounting to an organic whole.” Blu-ray.com

“The cheese runs high in the opening minutes of the girls reciting inane dialogue and playing “chicken” on the beach, but once the Satanists are introduced, the audience is subjected to horrendous acting by both the embarrassed veterans and the newcomers (soon to be gone from the screens for good).” DVD Drive-In

“A charming detour into the Theatre of the Absurd that’s sweetened by a deliciously subversive edge. Rah! Rah! Rah!” DVD Talk

“Not one moment of this flick is believable or suspenseful, because the acting is as atrocious as the writing, with stupidity guiding the behavior of all of the characters. Jokes fall flat in every scene, leering shots of scantily clad babes are distasteful, and supernatural moments are filmed so clumsily as to create narrative confusion. Sleaze-cinema fans should content themselves with enjoying the movie that the title Satan’s Cheerleaders conjures in their reptile brains, because it’s a damn sight better than this one.” Every ’70s Movie

“To its credit, this movie isn’t quite as stupid as its title, but it’s not for lack of trying. The first half of the movie is mostly concerned with the antics of the cheerleaders, and they are as vapid as you might fear. The Satanists really come into play during the second half, and though this section is not really a great improvement over the first half, it does have at least one plot complication to add to the interest factor.” Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings

“Satan’s Cheerleaders had potential to be devilishly fun, but its lackluster pacing sucks the wind right out of it. Director Greydon Clark doesn’t bring anything original or outrageous to the table. The film’s first third is devoted to cheerleader frolics that are dull despite all the leaping, bending and showering.” HNN

“As a horror film, Satan’s Cheerleaders is either wilfully incompetent or simply incapable of understanding how to make a devil-worshipping sect made up of middle-aged white trash threatening in the slightest. Once they escape from the house, Chris, Sharon and Debbie all manage to run into members of the cult – it’s like an entire town filled with variations on Texas Chain Saw‘s Cook…” The Pink Smoke

 

“Satan’s Cheerleaders takes a little while to hit its stride but the last half of the film, if not good in the traditional sense, is at least entertaining and bizarre enough to hold our attention. The film also benefits from a genuinely strange cast.” Rock! Shock! Pop!

“Horror, sex and comedy mingle equally in this generally good-natured lite entry that can be fun in the right mood; boasts some game performances most notably from De Carlo as the Satanists’ enthusiastic high priestess and Cole as the girls’ likable coach. It’s minor and inconsequential, but if you don’t expect any real scares you might just find a giggle or two herein.” The Terror Trap

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