August 8, 2014

All Cheerleaders Die (2013) - The Dog Farm Gets Its Panties In A Twist

All Cheerleaders Die (2013) poster

     So many horror movies revolve around teenagers, and as a viewer grows older it becomes increasingly difficult to relate.  Teens have a tendency to be overly dramatic and self-involved.  An ultimately inconsequential exchange often seems to have an import far out of proportion to its true significance.  Every social interaction has the potential to completely ruin a teen's life.  Social standing trumps all in the relatively uncomplicated hierarchy of high school.  Everyone has a role to fill, and only an elite few - the jocks and cheerleaders - get to set atop the pyramid of social relevancy.  The goths, metalheads, stoners, geeks, academics, loners, and outwardly awkward and unattractive kids make up the broad base of that pyramid upon which the privileged few rule from the pinnacle on high.

    Of course, the preceding is a somewhat inaccurate worldview.  High school is really more of an inverted pyramid wherein the majority of the kids feel disenfranchised and misunderstood, even those jocks and cheerleaders.  The true social pariahs, the kids with the real problems, are the ones beneath the narrow point of this inverted pyramid.  Sadly, those kids often end up crushed beneath its weight, unnoticed or unheard until they either collapse or erupt into violence that compromises the base of this unstable, top-heavy construction and has serious and far-reaching consequences for all.  Unfortunately it's often not until then, when the surviving teens are left to pick through the ruins and try to make sense of the tragedy, that they begin to understand what it means to really have problems. 

the cheerleaders of All Cheerleaders Die
All cheerleaders...
     What does all this philosophical contemplation have to do with the new horror movie All Cheerleaders Die (2013)?  Not much, actually.  All Cheerleaders Die doesn't address these serious and weighty issues at all.  Should it?  Hell no.  It's a friggin B-movie.  It deals in the stereotypes that populate the high school social hierarchy as most teens imagine it, and that's as it should be.  It's an entertainment, for Pete's sake.  It's a horror/comedy that pretty much states its intent with its exploitative title.  No one expects a movie called All Cheerleaders Die to be a cinematic treatise about the tragedy of teen-on-teen violence.  My point is this: why does it seem so many reviewers have  taken this movie to task for not being more thematically profound or socially incisive when it plainly just wants to have a little fun rearranging the stereotypes that serve as the building blocks of so many teen horror movies?

     In particular, it seems many critics are disappointed that All Cheerleaders Die doesn't do more with the subversion of the gender objectification that's part and parcel of far too many genre movies.  All Cheerleaders Dies is so obviously intended first and foremost as an entertainment that I can't for the life of me understand why so many reviewers are determined to be disappointed or outraged that it isn't a full-bore feminist declaration.  Where does that expectation come from, and how is that any more reasonable an expectation than thinking such a movie would boast a serious examination of teen violence?

blood sucking cheerleader from All Cheerleaders Die
...one cheerleader...
     Even if, for argument's sake, that was one of the primary objectives of the filmmakers here - and to be fair, it may well have been* - then what All Cheerleaders Die accomplishes is arguably far more subversive and effective than what its critics seem to have expected of it, anyway.  Everyone knows that horror movies are targeted primarily at a young, male demographic, right?  Surely the promise of sex and violence implied by that blunt title will bring all the boys running.  If that doesn't, a few promotional stills of the undeniably attractive young female cast members will.

a date-raping jackass from All Cheerleaders Die
...a date-raping jackass...
     And what will those impressionable young boys find when they actually watch the movie?  They'll find a movie that tweaks their expectations by knowingly subverting them at almost every turn.  They'll find a movie that pokes fun at the way guys are conditioned by our gender-biased society at large - and horror movies in particular -  to see females only as victims or conquests.  They'll find a horror movie told from an almost entirely female perspective that cleverly forces them to identify with the female protagonists by depicting almost all of the male characters as violent, stupid, one dimensional, date-raping jackasses.  Most importantly, they'll find a movie that entertains them for ninety minutes - a sly spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine go down.  I think that's pretty good for a modest, low budget horror movie.

     If ever a male working in the horror genre has earned the benefit of the doubt insofar as his intended message regarding gender politics, it's co-writer/co-director Lucky McKee.  He presented us with the complex and believable female characterizations of The Woods (2006).  He challenged us with a bold and uncompromising tale of female objectification ultimately punished by violent retribution in The Woman (2011).  His directorial debut May (2001), the sublime and haunting story of a troubled young woman making increasingly desperate attempts to connect with the world around her, may just be one of the most touching female-centric narratives the genre has ever produced.  So how about everyone just calm the f**k down, not be quite so eager to hang the man in the village square, and recognize All Cheerleaders Die for what it is?

a dead cheerleader from All Cheerleaders Die
...and a dead cheerleader.
     All Cheerleaders Die is clearly the most blatantly commercial movie with which McKee has yet been involved, and kudos to both him and his co-writer/co-director Chris Sivertson (The Lost, 2006) for managing to make a popular entertainment that still manages to knowingly circumvent the conventions propagated by most other movies of its type.  Lest I be misunderstood, I don't mean to imply that All Cheerleaders Die is some kind of misunderstood masterpiece.  It's not.  It is, however, a rollicking bit of B-movie entertainment that kept me engaged throughout by flinging a little gore around, boasting better than average performances, and keeping me guessing from beginning to end.  It still manages to get in a few well placed jabs at the leering male gaze that dominates horror without being heavy handed about it, and it's not rife with the rampant misogyny that often characterizes the genre.  I think that should have been good enough for the high-minded critics who seem to have expected more.  All Cheerleaders Die isn't going to single-handedly alter anyone's views on gender inequality any more than it's going to ignite a serious discussion about the tragedy of teen violence, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't meant to.


18 comments:

  1. You know I hated this movie, right?

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    1. I do, Bob. You're own post about it (http://www.candycoatedrazor.com/2014/06/gimme-f-gimme-u.html) makes plenty of admittedly valid points. Knowing the providence of the project and based upon the tongue-in-cheek marketing, I think I had just already modulated my expectations before viewing. Purely as B-movie fluff that I streamed for free from Netflix, I enjoyed it. Didn't love it, but enjoyed it.

      I Googled some reviews afterward, and I found myself irritated that so many reviews kept bemoaning the lack of deep narrative subtext in what was so obviously not a movie with highfalutin objectives. It's kind of like watching a Cheech and Chong movie and wondering why it doesn't promote a stronger anti-drug message.

      I can understand being turned off by the silliness of the movie or the admittedly haphazard everything-but-the-kitchen-sink narrative - which seemed to be your primary objections - but expecting this to be another May or The Woman seems a little disingenuous on the part of many of the reviews I read.

      Thanks for commenting. Debate keeps things interesting. :)

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  2. I enjoyed reading your thoughts about this film, Brandon, and for taking a stand (even an unpopular one). Taken in the proper light, it could be fun. McKee is one of the more intriguing filmmakers working today, although I feel he hasn't quite lived up to his potential. I recall enjoying May, and liked his contribution to Masters of Horror, but The Woman left me feeling conflicted. On the one hand, I could appreciate how well it was made, and its themes of female objectification, but it was difficult wading through so much nastiness. Even so, I'm looking forward to his future projects.

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    1. The Woman is a tough watch. Adrienne and I were both a little "...what the f**k just happened..." upon first viewing it. The narrative structure of the film leads one to believe that the Sean Bridgers character (the dad) should be your protagonist, the character with whom the viewer is invited to enter into the reality of the movie. His character is ultimately a despicable one, though. If you watch the entire movie thinking he's your main guy, it comes off as being off-puttingly misogynistic. At some point you have to jump ship and realign your "allegiance" to the characters, which I think was McKee's point. Just the fact that McKee's movies warrant discussion makes them worthwhile.

      Thanks for commenting.

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  3. I've been meaning to watch this one for a while and I haven't had the chance yet. I'd seen plenty of negative reviews (not that negative reviews have ever stopped me before) but it was lower on my list of things to watch. After reading your thoughts, Brandon, this has jumped up to to top priority!

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    1. It's worth a look. Good, bad, or indifferent - I always enjoy any movie that doesn't immediately remind me of something I've seen before and manages to lob a few surprises at me, as well. I'm easy. I'm not sure I'd necessarily make All Cheerleaders Die a top priority, but I had more fun with it than the lukewarm reviews would have lead me to expect.

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    2. The screen cap of the undead cheerleader rising from the grave with red glowing eyes is what really shifted this into top priority for me! I'm a total sucker for stuff like that! I've gotta say that the limited marketing that this film had certainly didn't do it any favors! After watching the trailer, I thought it was just your run of the mill slasher flick!

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    3. I was under the impression it was "only" a slasher flick, as well. I was pleasantly surprised when it took a hard left - literally, watch the movie - and became something far more fantastic in nature. Cheese from a can on a saltine cracker is delicious. That should totally be the movie's tagline. lol

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    4. I'm going to give this a watch on Monday! I'm very much looking forward to it!

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  4. I've been too caught up in 70's and 80's Asian black magic films recently to even realize this was on Netflix now. Been on the fence about whether or not to take the time to watch it, but your thoughts definitely swayed me. Just as Matt said, I'm also not one to be deterred by negative reviews (actually I'm more often deterred by overwhelmingly positive feedback, as weird as that is), but I love Lucky McKee's stuff and didn't really want that to change. But with a positive review from you I'll definitely give it a watch asap.

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    1. Let me know what you thought afterwards, JD. At the very least, I'm sure it will serve as a "palate cleanser" after a string of Asian black magic films, and it's definitely a bit atypical of McKee's output. Keep that in mind if you're a fan of his previous work. I actually enjoy seeing more serious minded filmmakers just dick around and have fun occasionally.

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    2. I'm really glad you wrote this cause it was definitely the push I needed to watch it, and I actually had a lot of fun. Frankly I don't understand the strong hatred that it's getting from a lot of people. I didn't expect a 'smart' horror after seeing any of the trailers, or hell even the poster. Thought it was fairly original personally, if a bit heavy on the CGI, and I'm a sucker for Wiccan shit in horror. Thanks again for the review Brandon, glad I watched it, and would willingly watch a sequel.

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    3. I'm glad you enjoyed it, JD. I was sweating it a little. lol I don't want to recommend crappy movies to people, and I'm pretty much in the minority on this one. The CGI was a little unfortunate here and there, but I wouldn't mind seeing a sequel, either.

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  5. Finally got to watch it, and I enjoyed it quite a bit! It's a solid B-Movie. Yeah, the CGI was a bit wonky here and there, especially with some of the blood effects, but as a whole it was pretty well done. Had this movie been made in 1987, I'm sure it would have gotten far more respect.

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    1. 1987, huh? Funny you should pick that year. All Cheerleaders Die reminded me a lot of Hello Mary Lou: Prom Night 2...which of course was released in '87. Did you have that one in mind, too? I cringed a little at the CGI blood, as well, but you take the good with the bad.

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    2. Actually, I was thinking about Cheerleader Camp (which came out in '88). To be honest for some reason whenever I bring up the 80's and want to toss in a specific year I gravitate toward 1987. It's my favorite 80's year: So many good horror flicks....Evil Dead 2, Hellraiser, Creepshow II, NIghtmare on Elm Street III: The Dream Warriors, Predator, The Hidden, The Monster Squad, Prince of Darkness, and so forth.....

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  6. I'm sorry Im late to the party but really liked your review of this movie. I agree that some critics try to over analyze most horror films and try to put them in categories they dont need to be in. I hope everything is fine on the farm Brandon

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    1. Thanks for the kind words, Vern. You can't be late to the party when the party never ends. lol

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