A group of cheerleaders head to cheerleader camp to strengthen their skills for a shot at nationals. Unfortunately for them, there's also a crazy coverall-clad killer in the woods intent on picking the ladies off one by one. Sound familiar? Probably yes, since we've seen it all before. Spirit Camp borrows heavily from its predecessors and doesn't really bring much new to the table. The gore starts off well but drops to mostly offscreen deaths as things go on, and the acting is uneven - some of the cast seem to be playing it straight while others ratchet up the camp. Roxy Vandiver is a standout as bad girl Nikki, whose past is not what it seems. Spirit Camp works when it's moving along on retro slasher mode or when Nikki is on screen. The lame attempts at humor are mostly painful and the last act could have used some tightening, but you could do worse if you are looking to scratch your slasher itch.

Loomis Lake. A serial killer in a blue jump suit and white gloves, ax in hand (or shiny butcher knife when the moment presents itself), loves to attack cheerleaders, sexually assaulting them mostly after death. A new group of girls arrive to Loomis Lake two years after a psychopath was sent to prison, supposedly locked up tight maximum security, but he escapes and could be on the hunt for more cheerleaders to hack and slice. Julin is the stuck-up biatch who has plenty of insults for those she considers inferior, like Nikki (Roxy Vandiver), on parole and given a chance to escape further sentence if she cooperates with the whole "spirit squad" ordeal.Here's the thing: at Loomis Lake, a supposed superstar cheerleader (in this movie's case, Amy Morris as Lindsay, who uses her *status* as a weapon to penalize the girls whenever they break one of her "rules") teaches teenage girls to be part of the "spirit squad", a cherished tradition, it seems. One by one, the girls are picked off by a maniac who moves through the woods where their cabin is located, using an ax, knife, his own hands (like when he lifts one little teenage suburban bitch off her feet with one stranglehold), whatever weapon he so chooses. Katy Rowe, as Amber (who has an overweight boyfriend, which is actually surprising considering she acts like Rachel (Julin), in regards to her appearance as a spoiled suburban princess. Megan Moser is the obnoxious girl who really "gets into the spirit" of being a cheerleader, knowing the fundamentals of what it takes as if cheerleading was a religion.Vandiver is obvious from the get-go the "final girl" who will take the necessary steps to protect herself against the crazed killer on the rampage. Nikki is considered a tattooed outcast, a "freak", a "skank" by Rachel and Amber since she comes from "the trailer park" and has a past. Nikki, however, isn't necessarily the misfit they make her out to be, and, is in fact, the reasonable, more decent member of this group of girls. The film barely strays from the slasher formula, but I must admit is rather funny at times.I like the way Vandiver is allowed to evolve and has, to me anyway, a sympathetic character with appeal. She could easily remain the stereotype the film initially presents, but the fact that she is not some fake Valley girl who objectifies people allows her Nikki to become a character we can accept and appreciate. And, the girl is hot—the tattoos and "white trash" image projected at first glimpse cannot mask her sexy figure, often brought to our attention by the camera which often ogles her body, legs to face. The fact that Vandiver is the heroine is thankfully another difference in how slashers often work. Vandiver is even shown taking her shirt off, exposing her breasts as the nearby groundskeeper looks on from the outside window of the cabin. Of course, because the other girls are so mean or vapid or self-absorbed, Vandiver is the only real pick of the litter we can root for.Where "Spirit Camp" suffers is the lack of gore shown on screen; the director often shows the ax blade lifted up in front of a massive moon in the sky, swinging out of screen and into a victim. The film pretty much follows the slasher formula besides the few exceptions I mentioned. I will say that the end has a surprising violation as the killer has subdued poor Vandiver, using his knife to cut away her panties after it slides down her quivering body, raping her until the heroine can find a weapon to free herself from his clutches. The ending has the usual "is the killer really dead?" kind of climax you expect from these kinds of movies.Funny supporting part for Brandon Smith as a sheriff who has his share of problems with Nikki (and sniffs panties he finds on the ground near where a dead cheerleader can be found, but he is too inept to find if he had properly investigated). Smith's sheriff has this absurd scene where he informs the woman in charge of the spirit camp about the escaped killer yet doesn't properly evacuate the girls whose lives were in danger. Emma MacInnes has an amusing scene as Amber's cute sister who has some of the film's best lines and threatens to tattle-tale if not paid (Amber's naughtiness is often held against her). Kerry Beyer (who wrote and directed the movie) is a gas station attendant Nikki becomes enamored with; he gives her a lift to the camp when the girls ditch her).The girls are definite eye candy (only Vandiver shows her breasts, while the others are shown in bras and skimpy cheerleading outfits), even though their personalities are lacking.

This movie is listed as a Horror/Comedy and it is a perfect blend of both. The comedic parts are actually really funny and the horror side of the film is a perfect slasher flick. The ads for the film describe it as "Friday THE 13th meets BRING IT ON" which is a pretty good comparison. Although there were actually more similarities and nods to the film HALLOWEEN than there was to Friday THE 13th (the action takes place at Loomis Lake and the camp director is named Mrs. Haddenfield). You will also see some more subtle nods to HALLOWEEN if you watch close enough...I won't ruin them all for you here. The acting is the movie is superb. There is not one bad performance in the group. A few performances that really stuck out as really great were the part of Sheriff Todd played by veteran actor Brandon Smith, the part of Rachel played by Julin, and the character of Missy played by Megan Moser. These were great performances, but really all the actors did a great job. The gore scenes is the film are great too. One thing this Horror/Comedy didn't do was skimp on the blood. There are plenty of great kills to satisfy even the most die hard slasher fans. This film is definitely one to watch again and is going on my list of favorite slasher flicks!Be sure to watch the behind the scenes documentary on the special features. Beyer talks about making this movie with such passion, you can tell he really loves the genre and film making in general, and it shows in his final product. Also, during this behind the scenes look, we get a very personal glimpse of a tragedy that struck his family, as during shooting his mother had to undergo brain surgery to remove a brain tumor. Mrs. Beyer was did all the catering for the film and was very involved and supportive of her son and this project. There is a very touching interview with Beyer's mother and even footage of her right after having been through the surgery. This was a very interesting behind the scene featurette with a lot more substance than most of the making of documentaries we are used to on every other Horror DVD. I hope Beyer sticks with the Horror genre and I look forward to seeing future projects from this amazing filmmaker.

I have been a fan of low budget horror my whole life and as a longtime fan of the genre, you really don't expect much when you hear "low budget horror film." Things are different now. If you weren't aware that Spirit Camp was a low budget horror film, you'd never know it when viewing the movie. It easily looks like a multimillion dollar effort.Technically, the film looked perfect. The cinematography, sound, shot composition, direction all first rate. And when I learned the history of this project, that not only did Kerry Beyer write, produce, direct and perform in Spirit Camp, but he was also the cinematographer, editor, sound editor and did the digital effects himself, it almost redefines "indie" -- he almost did everything himself.The acting is a lot better than it needed to be as well. The leads and co-stars are great, and there are some great actors in bit parts.If you are a horror fan, especially fan of classic slasher films, you should catch Spirit Camp if it comes to your city.