Powertool Cheerleaders vs the Boyband of the Screeching Dead

I was lucky enough the catch this indie gem at Frightfest London 2022 and it did not disappoint. A horror comedy musical filled with heart, gore and some really fun performances from a clearly passionate cast that put everything into the movie.

The movie follows a misfit cheerleading group called 'Power Cheer', the girls enter a reality TV contest and come up against the Starmen (whose intro harmony had me in stitches every time) and things soon veer into the supernatural territory with a cursed wishing necklace that brings a load of Zombie/Demons to the party, resulting in some great splattery gore. There's also a really fun love story involving a severed hand but I'll let you find out about that for yourself!

The writing is spot on with one-liners and jokes that land well, both in dialogue and the songs which had me tapping my feet quite a few times.

This film is a very pure example of micro budget indie filmmaking at its best and I had a fantastic time watching it. It can be scrappy around the edges in some places but all that is totally forgiven moments later when the next hilarious song kicks in. Check this out as soon as you can, you won't regret it.

This film is so funny, some brilliant one liners and also plenty of blood and guts. The plot is well thought out with some really rememberable scenes, the songs are catchy.

The characters in the cheerleaders and the boyband are great and you get to see their individual traits and the dynamics of each of the groups. Plenty of other characters that are well thought out and have their moment in the limelight before most of them meet their demise.

I seen it at the world premier and frightfest and it got a massive round of applause when the credits ran so it is a film well worth watching must be the No.1 film that crosses over the 3 genres of Comedy, Horror and Musical ;-)

Powertool Cheerleaders vs The Boyband of the Screeching Dead is an indie horror-comedy-musical that's as wild as its title suggests. It follows waitress Emily, who must overcome her fear of cheerleaders to lead a misfit squad in a TV talent show. Things go haywire when a cursed talisman turns their boyband rivals into zombies, forcing the girls to use friendship and power tools to survive. The film is packed with self-aware humor, catchy but campy songs, and practical effects that shine on a budget. It's chaotic, clever, and wonderfully trashy, with fourth-wall-breaking antics and meta references. A love letter to Troma-style horror and a fun, bloody romp for those who enjoy campy musicals with a twist.

I really enjoyed the film, another great showcase of Pat Higgins' directing talent! He manages to deliver all the gore and scares we've come to expect, but this time, he adds some musical numbers. I was skeptical about how a horror film could balance musical comedy with the intensity of gore, but Higgins nails it perfectly.

The film makes you genuinely care about what happens to the characters. It's refreshing to see that depth in a genre where that's not always the focus.

I have to give a special mention to Alan Ronald-his standout song midway through the film is an absolute highlight. It really captures the spirit of the film. Overall - a unique blend of horror and humor that's definitely worth a watch!

POWERTOOL CHEERLEADERS VS THE BOYBAND OF THE SCREECHING DEAD is the latest indie horror comedy from British filmmaker Pat Higgins, the man responsible for STRIPPERS VS WEREWOLVES (although don't hold that against him). I recently saw a talk given by Higgins about the art of filmmaking and I can report that he comes across as a likeable and charismatic individual, but my opinion of his films is far lower. This one's better than some of his earlier work, feeling more professional, with neat effects, solid transitions and a semi-decent script; even better, it has a series of musical numbers which aren't at all bad. Sadly, the horror content is too limited for this to work very well, and in the end it can't overcome the usual budgetary constraints of the genre.