‘Bring It On: Cheer Or Die’ Review – The Perfect Amount Of Cheese And Horror

Directed By: Karen Lam

Starring: Kerri Medders, Missi Pyle, Sierra Holder, Alexandra Beaton, Marlowe Zimmerman, Alten Wilmot

Plot Summary: When a cheer squad practices their routines on Halloween weekend in an abandoned school, they are picked off one by one by an unknown killer.

2022 will most certainly go down as a banner year for horror movies. New modern classics such as Barbarian, Watcher and Smile, not to mention returning IPs such as Halloween, Hellraiser and Chucky. Hell, we are even getting a new Stephen King adaptation and a new Interview with the Vampire series. However, without a doubt the biggest curve ball was SyFy announcing it was giving fans a horror entry in the Bring It On franchise. I did not see that coming, but here we are. Much like the Spirit Halloween movie, I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect from what seems on paper like a safe bet horror outing. Since we are in a new golden age of horror content, you might be wondering if Cheer or Die is worth devouring?

I will say that, going into this I kept my expectations low, knowing full well what I most likely was getting. My hope was that we would get a high-flying stunt-tastic version of Ryan Murphy’s Scream Queens. Whilst not nearly as funny or polished as the aforementioned Scream Queens, Cheer or Die does ‘bring on’ the irreverent and dark humor to this slasher romp. Sure, the plot is not that groundbreaking, but the pace is brisk, and it does have some interesting aspects (that I can’t mention without remaining spoiler free). The movie does have its share of clunky plotting and I felt like another draft could have been used to polish up certain elements.

On the plus side, there is enough engaging plot and familiar horror tropes to keep fans sated, despite not being that innovative. Plus, I think it does a fine job of tying together this theme of team work and having a friend’s back, no matter what. This point is made without ever going overboard on the sentimental. Which brings me to my next point which is, the balance of horror, sardonic wit and slasher conventions folded into the world of cheer feels like it shouldn’t work, but it actually does. I think it helps that I actually liked these characters. This is, of course, thanks to a group of talented up and comers that sell this film.

Kerri Medders is really fantastic as the lead, Abby, who dazzles with equal parts energy, talent and personality. Sierra Holder, Alexandra Beaton, Marlowe Zimmerman all really come to play here. For me though, it was actor Alten Wilmot ended up stealing the show for me, and his comedic timing made me root for him. Of course, the legendary Missi Pyle has a small role, and she shines as always. Visually, the movie does take a stab at some stylistic flourishes that really set a nice mood. Again, it’s not that amazing. However, Lam, who has directed other horror movies, does a great job on what was most likely a modest budget.

Watching the credits, behind the scenes of the cast rehearsing, and then later talking to director Karen Lam and star Kerri Medders, one thing was clear: everyone worked incredibly hard pulling off the cheer stunts. My hope is that, even critics that didn’t connect with the film can at least point out this aspect. After all, Medders told me she didn’t have a cheer background, yet you could have fooled me. Cheer or Die is by no means a perfect movie. Though, damned if I wasn’t completely engaged and thoroughly entertained throughout. It’s the perfect amount of cheese and horror, and, because its basic cable, not so gruesome that younger horror fans can’t watch.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBn5LU7Ymlw]