"Satan's Cheerleaders" is disturbing, all right
It's disturbing how YOUNG the titular girls actually appear to be. Especially the cute blond girl Patti – who wanders around topless on numerous occasions – barely seems to be a day over 14. Apparently, after justification on this great website, the actress Kerry Sherman was twenty years of age at the time of shooting and thus not jailbait at all. Yay!
Actually, the writer and director of "Satan's Cheerleaders" – Greydon Clark – is more than just a sleaze loving horror fanatic. He's a primarily clever marketer! Throughout the gloriously flamboyant decade of the 70's, both B-movies dealing with Satanism and High-School Cheerleaders were immensely popular. Imagine how successful a combination of both, regardless of how decadent it sounds, could be! The plot is quite stupid, or what else did you expect, with a group of cheerleaders and their annoyingly over-enthusiast female teacher on the road for a football game ending up amidst a coven of devil worshipers. The school's super sleazy janitor drives them to a remote little backwoods redneck town where he attempts to rape poor little Patti. The girls seek help in town and end up at the Sheriff's place. The name on his mailbox, however, states B.L. Bub (got it?!?) so you already reckon how much help he will be. Besides the Sheriff (cult cinema legend John Ireland) and his wife (cult cinema legend Yvonne DeCarlo), pretty much the entire community turn out to be Satanists. There's a completely bonkers – but admittedly original and unpredictable – plot twist half way, when blond Patti suddenly turns out to be a good witch who, after her near-rape experience, begins using her powers and knowledge to good purposes.
Actually, the writer and director of "Satan's Cheerleaders" – Greydon Clark – is more than just a sleaze loving horror fanatic. He's a primarily clever marketer! Throughout the gloriously flamboyant decade of the 70's, both B-movies dealing with Satanism and High-School Cheerleaders were immensely popular. Imagine how successful a combination of both, regardless of how decadent it sounds, could be! The plot is quite stupid, or what else did you expect, with a group of cheerleaders and their annoyingly over-enthusiast female teacher on the road for a football game ending up amidst a coven of devil worshipers. The school's super sleazy janitor drives them to a remote little backwoods redneck town where he attempts to rape poor little Patti. The girls seek help in town and end up at the Sheriff's place. The name on his mailbox, however, states B.L. Bub (got it?!?) so you already reckon how much help he will be. Besides the Sheriff (cult cinema legend John Ireland) and his wife (cult cinema legend Yvonne DeCarlo), pretty much the entire community turn out to be Satanists. There's a completely bonkers – but admittedly original and unpredictable – plot twist half way, when blond Patti suddenly turns out to be a good witch who, after her near-rape experience, begins using her powers and knowledge to good purposes.