Satan's Cheerleaders is a 1977 American comedy horror film directed by Greydon Clark and starring John Ireland, Yvonne De Carlo, and John Carradine.
The janitor at a local high school is actually the scout for a coven of Satanists on the lookout for a virgin to sacrifice. One day he kidnaps the cheerleading squad to use for their rituals. However, unbeknownst to the devil-worshipers, one of the cheerleaders is actually a witch, and has plans of her own for the Satanists.
Tropes:
- Angry Guard Dog: Sheriff Bubb has a pair of vicious guard dogs named Diablo and Lucifer who he uses to guard the cheerleaders he is hold prisoner for sacrifice. His wife later sends them to kill the cheerleaders.
- The Bad Guys Are Cops: The cheer squad go to Sheriff Bubb after they are attacked by Billy, only to discover—too late—that the Sheriff is the High Priest of the Satanic cult Billy belonged to.
- The Bad Guy Wins: Or at least the Satanic Cheerleader ends the movie using the power of the infernal one to make sure her team wins the big football game.
- Bathroom Breakout: Chris, Debbie and Sharon escape from the sheriff's house by going upstairs to go to the bathroom, and then climbing out the window and dropping off the porch. However, Ms. Johnson gets caught when she tries it.
- Big-Breast Pride: When Sheriff Bubb orders his followers to drag "the large one" to the altar, Sharon demands to know if he was implying she is fat. She does, however, proudly admit to having the biggest boobs of any of the cheerleaders.
- Calling Me a Logarithm: When Sheriff Bubb orders his followers to drag "the large one" to the altar, Sharon demands to know if he was implying she is fat. She does, however, proudly admit to having the biggest boobs of any of the cheerleaders.
- Carload of Cool Kids: The rich kids from Baker High travel about in Robyn's new Cadillac convertible: packed full and with three people sitting on the top of the backseat with the top down. Billy uses magic to cause the convertible to run Ms. Johnson's station wagon off the road.
- Cruel Cheerleader: The cheerleaders may be the protagonists, but they still manage to embody many of the cheerleader stereotypes: from the Alpha Bitch (Chris) to Really Gets Around (Debbie) to the The Ditz (Sharon).
- Crusty Caretaker: Billy is the grumpy high school janitor. He is also a pervert who spies on the cheer squad while they are showering. He is also a Satanist who kidnaps the cheerleaders intending to rape them and them hand them over to the cult for Human Sacrifice.
- Cutting the Electronic Leash: After escaping from the Sheriff's house, Chris makes it to a phone booth and attempts to phone for help, but winds up trapped there when the booth is surrounded by Satanists who cut the phone line.
- Cut Phone Lines: Chris trying to phone for help from a phone booth when the Satanists cut the phone lines.
- Dirty Old Monk: Monk, who gets very excited about the upcoming Virgin Sacrifice. Granted, he is a Satanist monk, but it is implied that he was a Christian monk before he converted to Satanism, and has been celibate his entire life. When an annoyed Sheriff Bubb asks what makes him such an expert on women, Monk replies that he as had a lot of dreams about women.
- The Ditz: Sharon, who has to have explained to her what an 'unsoiled maiden' is.
- Erotic Dream: When an annoyed Sheriff Bubb asks the Dirty Old Monk what makes him such an expert on women, Monk replies that he has had a lot of dreams about women.
- Everybody Calls Him "Barkeep": Sheriff Bubb keeps adressing the monk as 'Monk', and it is not clear if he is addressing him by title or if his surname actually is 'Monk'.
- Gardening-Variety Weapon: Sharon gets captured by one the local Satanist hicks who corners her with a gardening fork.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Patti mockingly explains to Sheriff Bubb that he ruined his own Virgin Sacrifice when he raped the cheer coach Ms. Johnson, as she was the only 'unsoiled maiden' on the team. His demonic masters are not happy with this.
- Hollywood Satanism: The Satanists practice Human Sacrifice (or, at least, would like to) and can perform actual black magic.
- Just Keep Driving: After running the cheerleaders off the road, the Cadillac from Baker High just drives off with stopping (although it is possible this is an effect of the magic Billy used to cause the accident in the first place).
- Kneel, Push, Trip: The girls pull this trick on the boys during their game of touch football on the beach.
- Louis Cypher: The Sheriff's name is 'B.L. Bubb'.
- Make-Out Kids: Debbie and her boyfriend Stevie keep disappearing to make-out and don't care who walks in on them.
- Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Patti mockingly explains to Sheriff Bubb that he ruined his own Virgin Sacrifice when he raped the cheer coach Ms. Johnson, as she was the only 'unsoiled maiden' on the team. His demonic masters are not happy with this.
- Religion of Evil: A Satanist cult kidnaps a cheerleading team and intends to use them for a Virgin Sacrifice.
- Road-Sign Reversal: Stevie swaps the signs on the locker room doors resulting in Coach leading the University Dean into the girls locker room instead of the boys.
- "Scooby-Doo" Hoax: The Sheriff is revealed to not really be a High Priest of Satanism, but actually conning the people of Nether for reasons that are never made clear: using trickery and a tape recorder to fake demonic responses to their ceremonies. He gets his comeuppance when he discovers that Satanic magic is Real After All. Which shouldn't have come as a surprise to him given some of his followers have been performing actual magic throughout the movie.
- Sexy Soaked Shirt: The cheerleaders get in a water balloon fight with the girls from the rival Baker high and everyone ends up in soaking, clingy clothing.
- Shout-Out: When Stevie disappears into the bushes with Debbie for some hanky-panky, Coach yells after him to "remember your precious bodily fluids!"
- Shower Scene: There is a scene of the cheerleaders showering while the Crusty Caretaker Billy spies on them.
- Super Window Jump: When Patti turs Emmy's spell against her, the two Angry Guard Dogs Lucifer and Diablo leap through closed windows to attack her.
- Toilet Paper Prank: After being forced off the beach by the cheerleaders and jocks from Benedict High, the kids from Baker High go to Benedict and toilet paper the school. Which does not please the Crusty Caretaker Billy, who has to clean it up.
- Town with a Dark Secret: Everybody in the town of Nether is a member of a Satanic cult led by the Sheriff.
- Virgin Sacrifice: Sheriff Bubb receives infernal inspiration that he is to sacrifice the 'unsoiled maiden' among the cheerleaders to be Satan's bride.
- Water Guns and Balloons: The cheerleaders get in a water balloon fight with the girls from the rival Baker High and everyone ends up in soaking, clingy clothing.
- Wrong Bathroom Incident: Stevie swaps the signs on the locker room doors resulting in Coach leading the University Dean into the girls' locker room instead of the boys while giving him a tour. The locker room is, of course, full of mostly naked cheerleaders.
- You Have Failed Me: After learning that Billy attempted to rape Patti instead of delivering the girls to the cult for the Virgin Sacrifice, Sheriff Bubb kills him, and plans to make him him the fall guy and frame him for the murder of all of the girls.
