Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.0

The Majorettes Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf November 6, 2016

Usually slasher entertainment enjoys being slasher entertainment. It wears its blood, guts, and misogyny like a badge, proudly entering the world as a violent diversion for fans who appreciate the art of the scare and the visual power of masked madmen. 1987’s “The Majorettes” almost seems embarrassed to be following slasher formula, eventually giving up the quest in the feature’s third act to become a different style of B-movie mayhem. Perhaps this is an attempt to experiment with genre expectation, finding “Night of the Living Dead” collaborators Bill Hinzman (who directs) and John A. Russo (who scripts, adapting his own novel) ready to disturb expectations after fulfilling them for a solid hour of stalking and stabbing. “The Majorettes” isn’t a trainwreck, but it’s a highly flawed chiller with confusing structure, which helps to apply the brakes on a picture that rarely appears interested in creating a snowballing sense of terror.

In a small town, the local high school deals with the news that two of its students, Nicole (Jacqueline Bowman) and Tommy (Colin Martin), have been killed by a madman. Nicole’s fellow majorettes can’t handle the brutal reality, and football hero Jeff (Kevin Kindlin) is especially unnerved by the deaths, witnessing Nicole connect with Mace (Tom E. Desrocher), the leader of a local biker gang who ends up a top suspect as Detective Martell (Carl Hetrick) and Sheriff Braden (Mark V. Jevicky) begin their investigation. Vicky (Terrie Godfrey) is distraught, but also has her own troubles at home, with live-in nurse Helga (Denise Huot) taking suspicious care of her wealthy grandmother, while Helga’s son, school groundskeeper and amateur peeper Harry (Harold K. Keller), photographs the majorettes in the shower. As the bodies begin to pile up without any progress in the case, Jeff gets fed-up, launching his own one-man-army to right a few wrongs around town, complicating the serial killer hysteria.

While “The Majorettes” eventually burns out in the third act, its opening scenes manage to conjure the proper mood of murder, introducing a cast of seemingly stable characters, including the high school baton-twirlers, who stumble through a half-hearted routine to reveal their unity to the audience, with Hinzman capturing as much stiff choreography delivered by “teenagers” in tight costumes as possible before he’s forced to return to telling a story. We also meet Nicole, who talks Tommy into a make-out trip in the woods before sharing her mean-spirited intention to blame a pregnancy already in progress on him. The characters are soon killed by a knife-wielding ghoul wearing head-to-toe camouflage, but there’s hope that Russo is able to do something substantial with this unusual revelation, while the rest of the opening surveys a local baptism service that Sherriff Braden attends, and follows Harry around the female locker room, where he plants himself behind an air vent and takes pictures of the young women in various stages of undress. Couple all this with the saga of Helga and her plans to secretly kill Vicky’s wheelchair-bound grandmother, and there’s far more to “The Majorettes” than a traditional slasher extravaganza would allow.

Hinzman knows what his audience wants, and he spends most of “The Majorettes” trying to give it to them, highlighting nudity and graphic violence, with Camo Man fond of slow throat-slittings and appearing out of nowhere to truly freak his victims out. What the production doesn’t quite understand is how to stuff multiple narratives into a single crime story. Russo works to translate his book to the big screen, but pieces are missing, including necessary transitions that tie together community frustration, religious fervor, and biker gang hostilities. Even worse, the Camo Killer mystery is solved at the end of the second act, letting the suspense leak out of “The Majorettes” with another 30 minutes to go. Suddenly, the effort is no longer about a demented murderer, but Jeff’s Charles Bronson impression, gearing up for a final fight with the biker gang, storming their trailer compound. It’s an eye-crossing turn of events, sloppily imagined and executed, awkwardly transforming the feature into a cheapie actioner.

The Majorettes Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The MPEG-2 encoded image (1.78:1 aspect ratio) presentation for "The Majorettes" is perhaps better than anyone might expect from Shriek Show, though the source still reveals plenty of wear and tear during the viewing experience. Scratches and debris periodically surge in intensity, while reel changes are rough, with jumpy frames and cigarette burns. It's not a restored image, but its as-is quality isn't unpleasant, preserving its low-budget appeal while retaining satisfactory colors, which bring out the production's focus on greenery, and bloodshed remains deep red. Costumes are also vibrant, with the blue majorette outfits a highlight in terms of stable, communicative hues. Skintones are acceptable. While sharpness isn't terrific, detail is still acquired, taking in set decoration and group activity, and the limits of the special effects are easily spotted. Delineation isn't problematic.

The Majorettes Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Leading with aggressive scoring cues, the 2.0 LPCM mix capably sets the mood with pleasant instrumentation that retains fullness without intruding on the performances. Dialogue exchanges are comfortable, noting urgency in voices, while gang and majorette gatherings maintain energy. Atmospherics are acceptable, providing a sense of position for outdoor action, and sound effects are expectedly aggressive.

The Majorettes Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• "One by One" (29:34, SD) gathers screenwriter John A. Russo, director Bill Hinzman, actor Russell Streiner, and make-up artist Jerry Gergely to discuss the making of "The Majorettes," which began life as a simple low-budget horror production that allowed Hinzman to make his helming debut. Casting stories are plentiful, and it should come as little surprise to viewers that the women set to portray the titular squad had no prior dance training, basically making up moves on the day. Gergely is the most interesting participant, sharing his grand education in the art of special effects after plans to hire Tom Savini fell through.

• "Yearbook" (1:12) shares BTS snaps and publicity stills.

• Soundtrack (26:12) presents Paul McCollough's score in one big lump.

• "'American Killer' Clips" (5:00, SD) share a few German-dubbed scenes from the European release of "The Majorettes."

• And a Trailer (1:41, SD) is included, with an intro from Russo.

The Majorettes Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Twists and turns are wonderful, but "The Majorettes" doesn't include the build-ups necessary to thrill in the art of misdirection. It's sloppy work that bites off more than chew, leaving characterization bewildering at times, and motivation iffy at best, especially when the killer is revealed. Hinzman's inexperience behind the camera is emphasized throughout the feature, resulting in a slack slasher odyssey that doesn't have a high enough intimidation factor to rattle viewers. What it does have is plenty of characters, distracting a production that really wants to provide a full feeling of community concern, but just doesn't have the juggling skills to keep everything in order.