All Cheerleaders Die (2014) - Lucky Mckee

Maddy lives a reclusive existence in high school, plotting revenge against the captain of the high school football team for reasons unknown.  In an effort to get revenge, Maddy becomes a member of the cheerleading squad, befriending this elite group of high school ladies whom she convinces to help her with her revenge.  After a late-night party, their plan for revenge goes terribly wrong, leaving all of the ladies dead but a sinister power intervenes, bringing the girls back to life in order to finish what they started.  Lucky McKee's All Cheerleaders Die is a self-aware horror comedy that manages to combine the dark comedy elements of a film like Heathers with supernatural elements of the witchcraft and zombie genres.  It's as strange a film as it sounds, with McKee delivering his own brand of pop horror entertainment featuring one liners and a nice amount of unsettling violence.  What makes McKee's All Cheerleaders Die stand apart from many similar romps is its thematic approach, being a story of female empowerment at its core.  It's rare for a film like this to deliver strong female characters with All Cheerleaders Die portraying characters that are both strong and smart, intent on bringing down the captain of the high school football team who has clearly committed many crimes against woman.  On a symbolic level, one could make an argument that this football player personifies the oppressive male archetype, with McKee making a film that speaks to the importance of female empowerment.  I would imagine some would say I'm clearly reading into this too much but given Lucky McKee's track record of delivering strange and thought-provoking horror, I truly believe All Cheerleaders Die has intentions that go beyond simply entertaining the viewer.

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