The Cheerleader Murders (2016) Hannah Kasulka, Amanda Leighton, Samantha Boscarino, Devin Crittenden, Austin Lyon, Jim Pirri, David DeSantos, Eric Etebari Movie Review

The Cheerleader Murders (2016)   3/53/53/53/53/5


The Cheerleader Murders (2016)

Curse of the Cheerleader Murderer

Ellie (Samantha Boscarino - Zoe Gone) believes in a curse that everyone talks about as not only did a group of teenagers die in a car accident but then her father was murdered by her sister's recently dumped boyfriend. It is why when having relocated to a new town and become a cheerleader she believes the curse has followed her when her friends, Dee (Amanda Leighton) and Morgan (Hannah Kasulka), go missing. But it doesn't stop her from investigating what is going on as there are some suspicious things going on, including ceramic bunnies being left in people's bedrooms whilst rumours surrounding sexting between Morgan and the football coach begin to spread.

I'm wondering whether Matt Young, who wrote "The Cheerleader Murders", did so with the intention of making the most contrived and convoluted made for TV murder mystery movie possible because if that is the case he succeeded. Here is a movie which starts with some teens dying in a car crash, then an upset boyfriend going on a gun spree which has nothing to do with the crime in question other than to set up the fact that Ellie believes in a teen curse and is convinced she has brought the curse with her to the new home when trouble appears to have followed her.

That build up paves away for the disappearance of Dee and Morgan shortly after Ellie had been with them so maybe Ellie is cursed. Or perhaps she isn't as there are a few other characters thrust upon us such as school weirdo Ben and the football coach, as well as Ellie's own boyfriend. Yes "The Cheerleader Murders" movie certainly wants you to wonder who the sicko is behind these cheerleaders going missing. But fans of TV movies will also be aware of the unwritten rule which when a movie is convoluted and keen to present us with many possible killers there is always the likelihood it is someone else, someone who is not focussed upon and for a reason which will only become apparent when someone explains it just before the movie ends.

Now for me "The Cheerleader Murders" is far too convoluted to work as a thriller but I have to give credit where it is due and the actors in this actually manage to make it watchable despite being ridiculous, did I mention that Ellie has visions of her dead dad! As such Samantha Boscarino manages to make an incredibly ordinary character quite entertaining and even manages to make some poor dialogue sound half decent.

What this all boils down to is that "The Cheerleader Murders" is far fetched even by TV movie standards yet somehow whilst the storyline isn't that entertaining it is still kind of watchable.


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