The Initiation (1984)

Directed by Larry Stewart [Other horror films: N/A] & Peter Crane [Other horror films: N/A]

This is one of those bigger 80’s slashers that I’ve long heard about but never took the time to watch until now. I didn’t know much going into this one, and come the finale, I did find The Initiation pretty close to top-notch.

Plot-wise, the movie is sort of interesting. A lot of films that deal with teenagers or college kids staying someplace overnight (be it One Dark Night, Chopping Mall, or Hide and Go Shriek) would have the individuals get there early on, and most of the movie would take place there. In this case, it’s not until halfway through the film, following character introductions and some plot set-up, that we even see the mall where this sorority prank will take place.

On this sidenote, I have to briefly pause from the movie and reiterate my distaste of fraternities and sororities. This film wasn’t near as bad as movies like Pledge Night or Final Exam, because the prank here was relatively harmless (though it was illegal, so here’s a case of a sorority pushing their pledges to actively break the law – great sisterhood rolls eyes), and there was one character who saw how foolish the whole thing was (kudos to Paula Knowles’ speech), so it’s still tolerable in The Initiation’s case, but boy, do I despise the concept of sororities and fraternities.

Back to the movie, though, I’ll admit that I didn’t see the finale coming. I was of two minds as to how the film could end, and one of my ideas was somewhat shot about halfway through the film. I’m not sure if I particularly love how they chose to end the film, but there were enough hints throughout, and as much as I might have preferred the way I would have concluded it, this ending makes more sense.

Daphne Zuniga (The Dorm That Dripped Blood and The Fly II) made for a pretty likable lead, and I thought she did well. Vera Miles (Psycho), who played her mother, was quite unlikable, and I couldn’t stand her for a single moment, possessing that ‘Karen’ vibe, so she did a good job with a detestable human. Clu Gulager (Hunter’s Blood, A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2: Freddy’s Revenge, and The Return of the Living Dead) didn’t appear all that often, but it is always nice to see a familiar face.

Others did pretty well also. James Read was my favorite character of the movie, though he did get testy with another of my favorites, played by Joy Jones (in her sole role). Patti Heider played one of the most ill-fitted characters I’ve ever seen to have a job involving the mentally ill, and the other two central sorority pledges, played by Hunter Tylo (credited as Deborah Morehart) and Marilyn Kagan, did well also, especially Kagen, who played another rather likable character.

None of the kills are absolutely amazing, but we did get some fun ones, such as an archery kill, a throat-slitting, an off-screen decapitation (but the silhouettes were nice), some cultivator action (it’s that garden tool with claws – you learn some new things every day), and lastly, a surprise appearance by a harpoon gun. None of these deaths are overly gruesome, but all are of decent quality.

If I’m being honest, I didn’t expect to enjoy The Initiation as much as I did. It’s a pretty fun slasher, and though I have some minor qualms regarding the finale, it’s certainly a movie that slasher fans may want to check out.

8/10