Movie Reviews
Film and television reviewed the way I’d want to read them — with a rating that means something, an honest accounting of what works and what doesn’t, and craft notes for writers who want to understand how the machinery operates.
Each review includes a craft notes section for writers — specific observations about structure, character, world-building, and what the film does that you can actually use. Not theory. Technique you can steal.
Cheerleader (11)
May 19, 2026All Cheerleaders Die (2013)
Lucky McKee and Chris Sivertson's 2013 American supernatural horror film about four high school cheerleaders resurrected by witchcraft after a car crash and seeking revenge on the football players who caused their deaths. McKee's distinctive feminist horror sensibility shapes the cult-genre production.
May 11, 2026Bring It On (2000) — Review
Kirsten Dunst, Gabrielle Union, and the cheerleading film that made its race plot load-bearing. Peyton Reed's debut. Bring It On reviewed at 8/10.
May 19, 2026But I’m a Cheerleader (1999)
Jamie Babbit's 1999 American satirical romantic comedy about a high school cheerleader sent to a conversion therapy camp by her parents who fall in love with another resident. Natasha Lyonne and Clea DuVall star in the canonical queer-cinema cheerleader film.
May 19, 2026Cheerleader Camp (1988)
John Quinn's 1988 American slasher film about a high school cheerleading squad attending a competitive summer camp where members are murdered one by one. Betsy Russell stars as the troubled lead in the canonical 1980s cheerleader-slasher entry.
May 10, 2026Fired Up! (2009) — Review
The cheerleading comedy filmed at the LA Arboretum. Fired Up! is funnier than its critical reception, with chemistry between leads carrying the film.
May 19, 2026Heathers (1988)
Michael Lehmann's 1988 American dark comedy about a high school where three popular girls named Heather rule the social hierarchy until a transfer student and her boyfriend begin murdering them. Winona Ryder, Christian Slater, and Shannen Doherty star in one of the foundational dark teen comedies of the 1980s.
May 19, 2026Jennifer’s Body (2009)
Karyn Kusama's 2009 American horror comedy with screenplay by Diablo Cody about a high school cheerleader possessed by a demon who feeds on her male classmates. Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried star in the substantially reappraised feminist horror landmark of the late 2000s.
May 19, 2026Satan’s Cheerleaders (1977)
Greydon Clark's 1977 American horror film about a high school cheerleading squad kidnapped by Satanic cultists for a sacrifice ritual. Canonical entry in the cheerleader-horror crossover with John Carradine and Yvonne De Carlo in supporting roles.
May 19, 2026Sugar & Spice (2001)
Francine McDougall's 2001 American crime comedy about a high school cheerleading squad that robs banks to support their leader's pregnancy. Marley Shelton and Mena Suvari star in the cult-classic cheerleader heist comedy.
May 19, 2026The Final Girls (2015)
Todd Strauss-Schulson's 2015 American meta-horror comedy about a grieving teenager and her friends pulled into the 1980s slasher film starring her dead mother where the cheerleader and counselor characters are stalked by a masked killer. Taissa Farmiga and Malin Akerman star in the canonical 2010s meta-slasher.
May 19, 2026The Swinging Cheerleaders (1974)
Jack Hill's 1974 American exploitation film about a feminist journalism student who joins a college cheerleading squad to write an expose and finds genuine friendship with the team. Foundational entry in the cheerleader subgenre and one of the strongest Hill productions of the 1970s.