A high-school outsider’s plot to avenge herself on the captain of the football team turns bloody when some phantasmagorical hijinks get tossed into the mix, in this refreshingly smart horror comedy from directors Lucky McKee (May, The Woods) and Chris Sivertson (I Know Who Killed Me).
Maddy (Caitlin Stasey) is a rebel and outsider at Blackfoot High, dead set on bringing down the clique of too-cool cheerleaders who rule the school. When Maddy turns up at tryouts to infiltrate their squad, you might think that you know where this film is going. But after things turn ugly at a bush party and Maddy's wiccan ex-girlfriend Leena (Sianoa Smit-McPhee) interferes in her plot, Maddy, Leena and the whole pom-pom-wielding posse must become unlikely allies in a supernatural showdown against the boys, led by Terry (Tom Williamson), the captain of the football team.
Taking the high school clique dynamics from Heathers and injecting them with a healthy dose of phantasmagorical hijinks, All Cheerleaders Die starts out seemingly as a teen-revenge tale, but takes a series of increasingly unexpected and otherworldly twists, turning every genre convention upside down.
Basing All Cheerleaders Die on their own shot-on-video sophomore effort from 2001, directors Lucky McKee and Chris Sivertson, who have since then forged successful independent careers, reteam to remake this grander version of their fresh, original story.
Hilarious, surprising and peppered throughout with enough scares to satisfy a bloodthirsty Midnight Madness audience, this refreshingly smart horror comedy is a ride you'll want to go on again and again.
COLIN GEDDES
Screenings
Ryerson Theatre
The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema
Scotiabank 14
Scotiabank 6
Scotiabank 11