The Initiation Blu-ray Review

The opening prologue of the film is very effective and arguably the best part of the film. Until relatively recently it is acknowledged that the most effective way to open a film is with imagery and limited dialogue. These days it is more likely that a speech by the protagonist of a film is more likely to be an opening prologue. What we see is shot in soft focus and a fish eyed lens in which we see a young girl wake up from a bad dream. She walks down to her parents room where we see what looks like her mother and father making love in bed. Suddenly an unknown person walks in and a fight ensues between the two men with the latter man falling into the lit fireplace. Within seconds the man is engulfed in flames. Student Kelly Fairchild (Daphne Zuniga) wakes from the dream and relates to her dorm mates that she had ‘that’ dream again. That evening Kelly takes part in the ritualistic cult activity of the dorm in which the students of a sorority house swear allegiance to the house. In order to be accepted she must take part in a dare that involves her along with others breaking into a large local mall and department store after hours. Kelly’s dreams get worse and she seeks help from a psychiatrist and his assistant much to her parents (Vera Miles and Clu Gulager) concern. Meanwhile, there has also been a reported breakout from the local mental hospital. When the night arrives for the girls to break into the department store and mall they are soon killed off one by one by an unknown person.

The Initiation, like so many other films of this ilk is badly acted. It does have some effective moments though, the most effective being the opening scene, although some of the finale chase and murders scenes work well. The middle part of the film works less well. Filmed in Dallas, Texas, the films director, Larry Stewart was a last minute replacement from the intended director. He was a director more familiar for his work on TV having directed episodes of such shows as ‘Fantasy Island’, ‘The Waltons’ and ‘The Bionic Woman’. This would be his only feature film. What is all the more surprising is that the likes of Vera Miles and Clu Gulager appearing in such a film. Then again horror films have always been the graveyard of old stars. While Gulager was more of a familiar face in westerns and on TV, Miles, having also in her latter career appeared in numerous TV shows and TV movies and had at one time been a favourite of Alfred Hitchcock, having appeared in several of his films. Here she is most definitely slumming it and only appeared for a couple of days shooting, but is never the less in a central role in the film. Meanwhile, for Zuniga this was her second film (her previous one having also been another cheap horror film, The Dorm That Dripped Blood, 1972). Later Zuniga would go on to star in the successful TV show, ‘Melrose Place’.

There are aspects of the film that works well while some of the acting is very poor, particularly from the younger male members of the cast. Miles and Zuniga are the only two who really stand out in any small way in the film. The finale is filmed in the spacious Dallas Market Center, standing in for the Fairview  Department Store that Kelly would be the heir to. For most on this film this was an early experience, including for the recently graduated screenwriter, Charles Pratt Jr., who cobbled the story together. He was keen on making the most of the Dallas Market Center and seemed to have done a decent job with it. Extras on the disc include a Pratt Jr. talking about how the film came together was made, an interview with one of the lesser male characters, Christopher Bradley as well as with Joy Jones who played the nerdy Marcia. Also included, as is so often with Arrow releases is the interesting original poster artwork included on the reversible sleeve.