The 5 Best Cheerleader Horror Movies

Cheerleaders have been present in cinema long before 2000’s Bring it On popularized the niche. In fact, some of the first cheerleading films were in the horror and thriller genres: Pretty Poison (1968), Satan’s Cheerleaders (1977), Pandemonium (1982). You’d never think that aspects like crime and gore would mix with pom poms, but think again.

Let’s examine the top 5 best movies from this subgenre.  

Pretty Poison (1968)

Think cult classic meets twisted teenage dream. Anthony Perkins (yeah, the Psycho guy) stars alongside Tuesday Weld in this dark psychological thriller that helped kick off the whole cheerleader horror thing. What happens when a parolee meets a seemingly innocent high school cheerleader? Murder and mayhem, obviously. This one’s got all the makings of a perfect storm: manipulation, dark obsession, and pom poms with a side of homicide.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)

Before Sarah Michelle Gellar staked her claim on the role (see what I did there?), Kristy Swanson was serving vampire-slaying realness. One minute she’s just living her best cheerleader life, and the next? BAM! She’s told she’s “The Slayer.” Like any normal teen, she’s totally not buying it at first. But when vampires start causing trouble in her town, our girl’s gotta trade in her pom poms for wooden stakes. Sometimes a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do!

Jennifer’s Body (2009)

Okay, can we talk about how this movie was TOTALLY misunderstood when it came out? Megan Fox plays Jennifer, your typical cheerleader who becomes… well, not so typical after a satanic sacrifice gone wrong. The marketing team tried selling this as just another hot-girl-kills-boys movie, but it’s SO much deeper. It’s about female friendship, objectification, and what happens when men mess with the wrong cheerleader. Plus, Amanda Seyfried kills it as Needy. Jennifer wasn’t the villain – she was the victim of men who thought they could use her body for their own gain. Talk about a revenge story that hits different!

All Cheerleaders Die (2013)

Lucky McKee and Chris Sivertson really said “Let’s make weird girl horror WEIRD” with this gem. When Alexis dies during a cheer stunt, her bestie Maddy joins the squad with revenge on her mind. But hold onto your pom poms, because this isn’t your typical revenge story. Add in some magical gemstones, undead cheerleaders, and a vengeful ex-girlfriend with witchy powers, and you’ve got yourself one wild ride. This movie is like if someone threw revenge horror, supernatural thrills, and cheer drama into a blender – and somehow it totally works!

Tragedy Girls (2017)

Picture this: what if Scream’s Billy and Stu were social media-obsessed cheerleaders? That’s basically Tragedy Girls in a nutshell. McKayla and Sadie aren’t just squad goals – they’re murder goals. These besties capture a serial killer hoping he’ll be their murder mentor (talk about extra credit), but when he refuses, they’re like “fine, we’ll do it ourselves!” They go on their own killing spree, frame him, and become true crime influencers in the process. It’s got one of the most epic final girl twists ever, and honestly? We’re kind of here for it.