Pep Squad (1998)

Director:

Steve Balderson

Writer:

Steve Balderson (writer)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror

Tagline:

Is this what it takes to be heard in Amerika?

Plot:

Set in and around a small town high school in Kansas, Beth is a naive senior student who asks her two new friends...

Plot Keywords:

High School | Black Comedy | Murder | Surrealism | Violence

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Brooke Balderson	...	Cherry
Amy Kelly	...	Terra Simpson
Jennifer Dreiling	...	Beth Violet
Summer Makovkin	...	Julie Thurman
Adrian Pujol	...	Scott Mendota
Eric Sherman	...	Lester 'The Molester' Anderson
Betti O	...	Miss Nelson
Meghan McDonald	...	Suicide Chick
Tricia Johnson	...	LaTaqwa
Miriam Climenhaga	...	Kelly
Richard McCauley	...	Tommy
Nancy Pujal	...	Barbara Violet
Mike Rogers	...	Carl Violet
Francile Albright	...	Wanda Clark (as Fran Albright)
Molly McPeak	...	Thelma Melvins

Also Known As:

I've Been Watching You 2: Prom Night (UK) (video title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, language, and sexuality, and for teen substance abuse.

Runtime:

94 min | UK:90 min (DVD)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:R | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Manhattan, Kansas, USA

Company:

Dikenga Films

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: The 'Premiere Edition' DVD packaging credits 'The Aslum' as the production company instead of 'The Asylum'.

nicely done.

Chanced across this indie gem and it was pretty good. The 'thing' i liked the most was the cinematography and the style of the action. There's definitely a vision here. And a lot was done with the found locations and the normal locations used for good effect (the laundromat). The acting was somewhat stilted in places, but I liked that people looked like real people. I had rented 'mean girls' at the same time, and i have to say i liked this one better. Darker and with more bite. And the 'pool' performance art scene- priceless!

The characters were waayyy to over the top and melodramatic in places. But they had their own styles, and was really nicely done. Scriptwise this was good in parts, but the broader themes of having something to say, and trying to be heard and understood by adults in high school- and the title of prom queen being really hotly contested? This was more effective than a parody. I really like 'Jawbreaker', but this was considerably better.

Great use of Kansas locations- where the people correctly say 'Pop', not 'Soda'.

This film wasn't perfect, but the vision behind, the direction, and the shooting style raises it above normal.