Stuti Gokhale
Lifetime’s ‘Deadly Cheers’ is a riveting tale of murder, suspense, and thrill, directed by Jessica Janos. A part of the Fear the Cheer program by the network, the thriller movie revolves around Brianna and her teenage daughter Julie who move to a new town. Brianna joins the local high school as the Assistant Principal, while Julie becomes a part of the prestigious competitive cheer team under the mentorship of Coach Allison.
However, things turn awry when one of the cheerleaders suffers a mysterious accident, and Coach Allison goes to dangerous lengths to cover up the accident. She even begins to sacrifice her own students to conceal the mishap, thus leaving it up to Julie to save herself and her friends. Set against the backdrop of a mysterious high school, both the visuals and narrative of ‘Deadly Cheers’ keep the audience at the edge of their seats. In case you wonder where the movie was filmed, here’s everything you need to know.
Deadly Cheers Filming Locations
‘Deadly Cheers’ was filmed in various parts of California, particularly in Los Angeles, Santa Clarita, and Agua Dulce. Principal photography for the project happened in May 2021. Also known as the Golden State, California is one of the most sought-after filming locations due to its diverse and picturesque landscapes, numerous high-tech film studios, as well as the availability of the best production crew and artists.
The Golden Gate Bridge, Santa Monica Pier, Twin Peaks, and Yosemite Valley are some of the most iconic landmarks in California and serve as beautiful backdrops for filming. The movies ‘Gone Girl,’ ‘Tenet,’ and ‘Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood,’ and the TV series ‘The O.C.’ were also filmed in the state. Now, let’s look closer at the filming sites for ‘Deadly Cheers.’
Los Angeles, California
Several portions of ‘Deadly Cheers’ were filmed in Los Angeles, a sprawling city in California. Also known as the City of Angels, Los Angeles is the hotspot for film and TV production with some of the biggest film studios in the world. The city is also a center for arts, commerce, and culture, and has many of the most famous tourist destinations in the state like the Griffith Observatory, Disneyland Resort, Getty Center, and Venice Beach. Furthermore, movies like ‘Deadly Infidelity,’ ‘La La Land,’ and ‘The Prestige‘ were filmed in Los Angeles.
Santa Clarita, California
Santa Clarita served as one of the major filming locations for ‘Deadly Cheers.’ The production team filmed at the Agua Dulce Winery, a charming 400-acre vineyard. The city of Santa Clarita lies in the Santa Clarita Valley, along the Santa Clara River, and houses the renowned Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park and the Stevenson Ranch. The TV shows ‘Santa Clarita Diet‘ and ‘Criminal Minds‘ were also filmed in Santa Clarita.
Agua Dulce, California
A few scenes of the movie were filmed in Agua Dulce, a census-designated place that lies halfway between Santa Clarita and Palmdale. The Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park is situated in Agua Dulce, and the Pacific Crest Trail also passes through it. The movie ‘Ford v Ferrari‘ and the TV series ‘Westworld‘ were filmed there too.
Deadly Cheers Cast
Camille Calvin plays Brianna, who moves into a new town after being appointed as the Assistant Principal in a high school. Katherine Marsh portrays her teenage daughter Julie, who joins the cheer team, while Shannon Skiles plays Coach Allison, the mentor of the cheerleaders. Calvin is best known for the movies ‘Patrick Connolly’s Desire Lines’ and ‘Blood Sacrifice.’
The other cast members of ‘Deadly Cheers’ include Kym Wilson (Dr. Russo), Justin Berti (Vargas), Becki Hayes (Susan), Karla Ojeda (Kelly), Macy Minear (Vanessa), and April Clark (Lexi Riverford). The movie also features Ruby Chappelle Millstein as Lexi’s sister, Devon Daniels as Ricky, and Sienne Ribeiro as Tina.
Is Deadly Cheers Based on a True Story?
No, ‘Deadly Cheers’ is not based on a true story. However, it surely draws from several true incidents where a teacher has targeted students and also the suspicious death of high school cheerleader Emma Walker. The credit of the realistic storyline goes to the writer John F. Hayes, who has weaved a gripping narrative for the movie.
Similar movies include ‘Cheer Squad Secrets,’ which depicts a mother trying to find out who supplies dangerous supplements to her cheerleader daughter, and the ‘Secret Lives of Cheerleaders,’ where a new student tries for the cheerleading team upon her mother’s insistence. All three movies have common themes of mother-daughter relationships and the sinister secrets that lie in seemingly normal cheerleading squads. Another movie that explores the theme of a coach with bad intentions towards students is ‘The Wrong Cheerleader Coach.’
Hence, even though ‘Deadly Cheers’ is not based on real life, it does add to Lifetime’s plethora of exciting and mindbending thrillers, that make the viewers baffled between fiction and reality.
Read More: Best Thrillers of All Time
