The Majorettes


The Majorettes is a 1986 American slasher film directed by S. William Hinzman, written and produced by John A. Russo, which he adapted from his own novel. Its plot follows a string of serial killings centered on the majorette squad of a small-town high school.

Plot

The movie is about a murderer who has been mysteriously killing the members of the school's majorette squad. The local sheriff and a federal agent investigate the killings.
The Majorettes is relatively noteworthy for its midway plot shift from a mystery/horror/slasher film to that of a vigilante/action film during which the protagonist, Jeff Halloway arms himself with an assault rifle and besieges a biker gang to avenge crimes that they, not the slasher, committed. Such a twist is atypical of slasher films, which tend to follow a strict plot pattern.

Production

The Majorettes was filmed between October and November 1985, with principal photography occurring at Cornell High School in the Pittsburgh suburb of Coraopolis, with additional filming at the Fox Chapel Yacht Club. Its production budget was estimated at $85,000. The football coach was played by then head-coach of the Cornell Raiders, Wilbert Roncone.

Release

The film was released theatrically in Europe in March 1987 under the title One by One, though as of February 1987, the film had not secured a theatrical distributor in the United States; at the time, Russo and Hinzman were in negotiation for a home video distribution deal with Vestron Video. Vestron released the film on VHS on August 17, 1988.

Critical response

Critic Jim Harper wrote of the film: "About halfway through... the film stops being a slasher movie and swings into action-thriller territory, with chase sequences explosions and gunfights. Not that it makes the film more interesting. The kills are mostly bloodless and the suspense non-existent. Bill Hinzman handles the direction pretty well but the script is pretty dumb."

Works cited