Sis, boom, blood. You’re dead!’
The Majorettes – aka One by One – is a 1986 (released 1987) American exploitation slasher horror film directed by Bill Hinzman (FleshEater), best known for playing the cemetery ghoul in the opening scenes of George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (1968).
The film was written and produced by Night of the Living Dead co-scripter John A. Russo (Midnight), from his own novel.
Plot:
In a small western Pennsylvania town, a hooded army uniform-clothed maniac is killing the members of a high school cheerleading squad. While the local sheriff and a federal officer investigate the murders, a greedy care nurse is plotting to kill her aged female employer and daughter to gain an inheritance.
Meanwhile, the nurse’s creepy son stumbles upon a clue in the killings. The various red herrings include a local biker gang that is suspected in the killings…
Reviews:
“The film is part standard issue slasher, another part melodramatic inheritance scheme thriller, and a big fat dollop of Rambo action revenge at the back end … It’s a disorienting but always entertaining ride because– luckily– the film handles each of its unique genres with enough aplomb and no-budget enthusiasm to earn it a pass despite all of its narrative’s logical shortfalls.” Jeffrey C., Nessun Timore
“What we have here is a slasher who looks like G.I. Joe as he peeps on naked teens. That should be enough for a B-movie. But Hinzman takes Russo’s novel ideas and splatters them all over the screen (don’t edit your own movie, Bill). Plot twist after plot twist, mood change into mood change, this movie is a clusterfuck at times but it’s damned fun throughout.” Tavern of Terror
“The killings are mostly bloodless and the suspense non-existent. Bill Hinzman (the first zombie in Night of the Living Dead) handles the direction fairly well but the script is pretty dumb.” Jim Harper, Legacy of Blood: A Comprehensive Guide to Slasher Movies
Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk
“Like Russo’s Midnight (1981), this independent exploitation movie benefits from a twisted plot, marked by an especially disillusioned attitude to the police, but suffers from makeshift characterisation, amateurish performances, and inept horror action.” The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror
“The Majorettes is one of the odder more scatterbrained titles I have come across to date. Oddly enough, it wasn’t that bad as a whole and turned out better than it should be. There’s a lot going on here though, too much in fact. It’s pretty damn cheesy too, especially with the bad action scenes.” Ronnie Angel, Slashed Dreams: The Ultimate Guide to Slasher Films
Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.ca
Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk
Buy novel: Amazon.com
Choice dialogue:
Federal investigator: “You know, the killer’s not only satisfying his own warped ego. He’s punishing the girls for being young and desirable enough to turn him on. And underneath it all sex is probably ugly to him. We’re looking for a man turned insane by guilt and his own repressed sexual desires.”
Buy: Amazon.com | Amazon.co.uk | Amazon.ca
Filming locations:
Cornell High School, Coraopolis, Pittsburgh, USA
