morrison-dylan-fan Over X-Mas 2017 I got a list from a family friend on films that he was after. Finding easily that Arrow had put this title out,me and this friend were disappointed the dual format version to remain pricey. Recently going on Amazon UK for other items,I stumbled on a cheap DVD only version Arrow had put out,which led to both of us finally taking part in the initiation.View on the film:Getting his lone shot in film after original director Peter Crane got booted for falling behind schedule and going over budget to turn the flick into a more arty Euro Horror, director Larry Stewart & cinematographer George Tirl take a streamline approach, with the Slasher set-pieces springing candle wax red gore,and a stylish use of shadows to give the killings a suggestive visceral edge. Using some of the footage Crane shot, Stewart and editor Ronald LaVine bring out a psychological chill to the psycho-thriller by linking the killings to scrambled glimpses of Fairchild's repressed memory.Reuniting later with the final girl as a writer/director/ producer on Melrose Place, the screenplay by Charles Pratt Jr appears more interested off-beat in the psycho-analyse of Fairchild,than the traditional Slasher body count. Referencing Jung and Freud, Pratt powers the unmasking of the killer with nightmare/ repressed memories of Fairchild that take the killings to the family home,and leads to a fittingly wacky reveal. Whilst the rest of the cast, (including Hunter Tylo making her debut) play sexy, but flat, Daphne Zuniga stands out by making the twist work thanks to a glint in the eye of madness,and by placing the vulnerabilities shown in the repressed memories of Fairchild into her unease of being the final girl of the initiation.

lukandkilt The premise is promising for a slasher, but this film is a bore.

jet66 An undemanding 80's slasher, The Initiation features plenty of mediocre acting, clumsy and unintentionally hilarious violence, and gratuitous, pulchritudinous shower nudity. Despite several red-herrings tossed in, and a lame twist at the end, the mystery central to the plot is not terribly cryptic, with the story arc telegraphed within the first 30 minutes or so. Daphne Zuniga's range blossoms from horrible to passable, while Deborah Morehart shows as almost as much verisimilitude as nipple. Through extremely limited screen time, Clu Gulager and Vera Miles give this movie undeserved credibility. Never straying from the patented formula for blood-drenched success, The Initiation would definitely be at home as a DVD wedged under an unbalanced table leg, if not stuffed into a slasher-completist's collection of Greek organization serial killer movies.

Cujo108 A group of sorority pledges sneak into a mall overnight to pull off a prank that will get them initiated. Tasked with stealing the security guard's uniform, it shouldn't be too hard since Kelly Fairchild's father owns the mall, and she's one of the pledges. She has keys to get in and knows where the spare uniforms are kept, so no problem. Someone else is in there with them though, and it isn't long before bloodshed ensues.This is actually one of my favorite slashers, a large reason for that being the creepy atmosphere of the mall at night. It has multiple levels and is unlike any mall I've ever been to. We also get a few instances of characters catching a glimpse of the killer lurking about, something that I'm a sucker for. Getting that eerie look at something out of the corner of your eye, not sure if you really saw anything at all. The killer's POV shots were extremely well-done, especially the very creepy bit of the killer observing Dwight Fairchild as he's loading his car. The score certainly helps the mood, as does some of the dreary photography in certain scenes.Daphne Zuniga plays the lead, and I've always found her appealing even if she's not the greatest actress. Vera Miles and Clu Gulager are also on hand to add some class to the proceedings. As for the kills, they're not the bloodiest, but they get the job done just fine. The most notable death sees one of the pledges stabbed repeatedly as she holds the PA systems microphone, her screams echoing throughout the mall. On my initial viewing, I didn't see the ending coming, though there are some blatant clues when re-watching.