Genre: Cheerleader
Stories set in the high-pressure, high-spirit world of cheerleading — ambition, rivalry, and the bodies and bonds pushed to their limits under the lights.
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The 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.E -
Satan’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.E -
Heathers (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.E -
Cheerleader 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.E -
But 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.E -
Sugar & 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.E -
Jennifer’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.E -
All 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.E -
The 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.E -
Bring 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.E