The film opens with Cheerleader Alexis Andersen (Felisha Cooper ) breaking down the social rules and probabilities on camera for Maddy (Caitlin Stasey), who is a bit of an outcast. After a freak accident that leaves Alexis dead, Maddy joins the squad. Between an ex-girlfriend Leena (Sianoa Smit-McPhee )who won’t let go and assimilating to her new status, things are a bit shaky. Things get worse though when new Cheerleader Captain, Tracy (Brooke Butler), finds out that psycho super jock Terry (Tom Williamson) is a lying cheater and confronts him at a secluded social. After things come to blows, the girls run and Terry and his boys give chase, running them off the road. Seeing that the girls are dead, Terry shrugs his shoulders and orders the other guys to forget about it. Thank god for clingy ex’s because Leena shows up and resurrects them using witchcraft. The girls are now bloodthirsty zombies and must feed constantly…just not at school. Time to give the guys the surprise of their life.
If you’re thinking that this is going to be a fun romp, well, it is, but it’s also a very cruel one. The evil perpetrated by Terry is pretty vile and at times hard to digest. Even for this kind of film, it’s a lot. There is a good balance of humor though to even things out. Once the girls return, they are chaperoned by Leena who advises them on all things undead. They enter school on the first day with the traditional slow-mo shot to cool pop music. Sure it’s tired but it works this time because though the girls are wearing their cheerleader outfits and Leena is dressed in her gothy best, the youngest girl is wearing her “special” cheerleading outfit – a goofy looking dog (the school mascot). Yep, that’s what makes it cool.
There is a lot of humor in this one but it’s never intrusive or overly slapstick. It’s just witty and sharp. The dialogue has some bite but never becomes indulgent like say Diablo Cody. Same can be said for the kills, they are bloody but different than we are used to seeing. In fact, they’re kind of reminiscent of Lifeforce. Mckee and Sivertson show that they have a different side to them and it works. Interestingly, if you think you have seen this film before, it’s because it’s been made before.
Back in 2001, the pair released a different version after film school. Though we won’t be covering that film, I do recommend checking it out for a comparison. All Cheerleaders Die is a great film filled with so much goodness that it leaves you wanting more…actually, it literally does, but I won’t spoil that. If you want something different and fun this weekend, this is a solid choice. You can’t beat a film that finds something new to do with zombies.
