The only real question here is whether in the final analysis "Cheerleader Massacre" is a worse example of slasher flick or a soft-core film. There has always been a connection between sex and death in splatter flicks, something we have understood ever since good girl Laurie Strode was the only one of her peer group to get out alive in "Halloween." Even when "Scream" made a point of the heroine not being a virgin, it only reinforced the idea that the subtext for such movies was that bad things happen to young people who have sex. If you think sexually transmitted diseases are bad, then you just wait until some guy with a knife, machette, chainsaw, or whatever comes after you.

But here the sex is way out in front. The only bit of gratuitous cheerleading comes at the start of the film, and even then there are no outfits. From then on there is little wearing of much clothing by these cheerleaders. In the end I have to write this film off more as porn that slasher because the acting is closer to the nadir represented by skin flicks than the wooden and unprofessional performances you often find in splatter flicks, especailly of the direct to video variety. In fact, one of the actresses has made dozens of hard core films. You should be able to pick her out, at which point you will realize that her acting really puts the rest of this cast to shame (which is not a good thing).

If you check this out for blood, guts, and gory, then you are definitely in the wrong aisle. If you are looking for a film with multiple shower scenes, then you may well end up being content with this tacky little film. I guess they could not work "Shower" and "Massacre" into the title, although you would think you would not need a lot of imagination to do that. Finally, if you are really looking for a slasher film with cheerleaders, then you are forced to go check out "Cheerleader Camp."