Virgin Cheerleaders in Chains is a 2018 independent horror film directed by Paulo Biscaia Filho (13 Weird Stories, Morgue Story: Sangue, Baiacu e Quadrinhos, Nervo Craniano Zero, & Histórias Estranhas) & Gary McClain Gannaway (Crimson Matrimony). Gary McClain Gannaway also wrote & produced the feature. It was shot in three weeks. It made it’s premier at the Horror Hound film festival in 2017 where it won Best Feature. It played at 12 other festivals & won 3 other awards during it’s run. Virgin Cheerleaders in Chains was supposed to be a low-budget independent horror movie but it became much more than that. The inexperienced film makers which includes creator/writer Shane (played by: Ezekiel Z. Swinford from The Long Road Home), co-writer/producer Chloe (played by: Kelsey Pribilski from Last Girl Standing, Day 5, iGirlfriend, & Tag Team Truckers), special fx artist Akasha (played by: Kaci Beeler from Tumbleweed, Monday, My All-American, & Day 5), & director Brian (played by: Shane Gannaway) struggle to put together the independent production.
They find their lead Amber (played by: Elizabeth Maxwell from Star Trek Continues, A Perfect Getaway, From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series, & Dragon Ball Super) at a strip club & they convince known B-movie star Machete Mike (played by: Don Daro from Planet Terror, My Sucky Teen Romance, Fear the Walking Dead, & Sex Terrorists on Wheels) to be in the film plus they end up casting a repairman named Tom (played by: Larry Jack Dotson from Lost in the Sun, Bernie, Humans vs Zombies, & Prison Break) as the killer during their desperation. They struggle to raise the money to shoot & find the perfect location owned by the weird Albert (played by: stuntman Gary Kent from Bubba Ho-Tep, Color of Night, The Return of Count Yorga, & Hells Angels on Wheels), both projected goals somehow work out for the amateurs. They inadvertently run afoul of a twisted family of sadistic killers who want to rewrite the script & turn the group’s horror flick into a blood-soaked reality show!!!!
Virgin Cheerleaders in Chains is a fun low budget feature. It has a nice balance of horror & comedy. It’s full of twists & turns, it does keep your attention when it comes to that. You don’t know what’s going to happen next. It’s a enjoyable look at independent film making & what could go terribly wrong with it it. I will say, judging from the title you would expect it to be super sleazy & full of nudity. There’s none of that here which was very surprising considering the cast is loaded with beautiful women which includes Ariana Guerra (Marvel’s Helstrom), Dominique Davalos (Howard the Duck), Jasmin Carina (Lumberjack Man), Ammie Masterson (Better Call Saul), & Lindsey Lemke (Sin City: A Dame to Kill For). The acting is decent here, they all know exactly what kind of movie they are doing so it’s a little over the top. The true highlight here is the special fx provided by Andy Arrasmith (Cherokee Creek, Kreep, The Demon Inside, & Ouija 3). It has some nice brutal & bloody moments in this. They play homage to The Texas Chainsaw Massacre with some humor thrown in. This is a entertaining concept & I am shocked that it hasn’t been done more in this sub-genre. The only thing I hated about this was the ending, it kinda ruined the whole set up for me but besides that I thought it was one of the better independent films that I’ve reviewed in recent years. RECOMMENDED!!!!
Let’s talk about the high definition presentation & special features from Darkside Releasing! This 1080p (1.78:1) looks good for it’s smaller budget. The main house location added some nice visuals for the production. The English audio track has a killer boost to it. The dialogue is crystal clear, all the madness is elevated, & the music sounds great. Let’s discuss the extras for this BD-R disc. It has a “Machete Mike Introduction” from HorrorCon that’s 14 seconds where the actor gets into character & hypes up the movie. “ZombieLife TV: Season 1 Episode 8” hosted by Eddie Rotten featuring the cast & crew of ‘Virgin Cheerleaders in Chains is almost 26 minutes. It’s a low budget horror TV show & podcast. It’s listed as 8 but they say it’s only the 2nd episode. They were supposed to have a few other people on the show through Skype but had technical problems. It has actors Don Daro, Ammie Masterson, Lindsey Lemke, Ezekiel Z. Swinford, & producer Sandra Steele chatting up the feature. They promote the independent film on the show & tell various stories about it. “Brazilian Promotional Videos” is almost 20 minutes. It has a few promotional videos promoting the movie with actors Ezekiel Z. Swinford & Elizabeth Maxwell. It has press interviews with co-director Gary McClain Gannaway & actress Elizabeth Maxwell. They go into detail how they got involved & their career in the movie industry. “Behind-the-Scenes & Bloorhouse Tour” is a little over 10 minutes. It starts out with some behind the scenes footage from the set. It has a tour of the main location & house with Gary McClain Gannaway. He points out & shows locations for key scenes from the production. It has various Darkside Releasing “Trailers”. It also has a full color 16 page booklet. There’s a limited edition version for the first run with an exclusive slipcover but that’s only guaranteed through the site. It’s available everywhere right now, CHECK IT OUT!!!!
Was a good take on the “home movie” genre