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.

  • The Swinging Cheerleaders (1974) Cover

    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.
  • Satan’s Cheerleaders (1977) Cover

    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.
  • Heathers (1988) Cover

    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.
  • Cheerleader Camp (1988) Cover

    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.
  • But I’m a Cheerleader (1999) Cover

    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.
  • Sugar & Spice (2001) Cover

    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.
  • Jennifer’s Body (2009) Cover

    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.
  • All Cheerleaders Die (2013) Cover

    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.
  • The Final Girls (2015) Cover

    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.
  • Bring It On (2000) — Review Cover

    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.
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