The Initiation

Year: 1984

Director: Larry Stewart

Written by: Charles Pratt Jr.

Threat: Psychopath

Weapon of Choice: Gardening Fork

Based upon: Original

IMDb page: IMDb link

      The Initiation

Other movies in this series:
None

The tyranist's thoughts
So what happens when you combine the sorority pledge flick with a mall flick? Not much really.
Kelly, a pretty young college girl about to pledge (and played by Daphne Zuniga), keeps having nightmares about something that happened but she can't remember. Well, she can't remember because her "parents" have lied to her for a decade or so. Actually, I have no idea why they lied to her, it wasn't that bad. Anyway, people start to die, as is wont to happen in an '80s slasher, and it is all connected to her somehow. As part of her pledge they end up in a mall (okay, department store) and the mayhem really kicks up.
I so like Daphne Zuniga that the movie was much more tolerable than I think it would have been otherwise. Add to that two of my favourite settings, sorority and a mall, and I'm helpless. Unfortunately, even with all that going for it, I still found the movie pretty mediocre and the twist ending half out of nowhere and half just lame.
If you've seen any other '80s slasher then you don't have to see this one, but Vera Miles is here and if you like Ms. Zuniga like I do, you'll want to check it out.

Total Skulls: 18

Sequel
Sequel setup
Rips off earlier film
Horror film showing on TV/in theater in movie
Future celebrity appears skull Daphne Zuniga
Former celebrity appears
Bad title
Bad premise
Bad acting
Bad dialogue
Bad execution
MTV Editing
OTS skullskull
Girl unnecessarily gets naked skull
Wanton sex skull
Death associated with sex skull
Unfulfilled promise of nudity
Characters forget about threat
Secluded location
Power is cut skull
Phone lines are cut
Someone investigates a strange noise
Someone runs up stairs instead of going out front door
Camera is the killer skull
Victims cower in front of a window/door
Victim locks self in with killer
Victim running from killer inexplicably falls skull
Toilet stall scene skull
Shower/bath scene skullskull
Car stalls or won't start skull
Cat jumps out
Fake scare skull
Laughable scare
Stupid discovery of corpse skull
Dream sequence skull
Hallucination/Vision skull
No one believes only witness
Crazy, drunk, old man knows the truth
Warning goes unheeded
Music detracts from scene
Death in first five minutes
x years before/later
Flashback sequence
Dark and stormy night
Killer doesn't stay dead
Killer wears a mask
Killer is in closet
Killer is in car with victim skull
Villain is more sympathetic than heroes
Unscary villain/monster
Beheading
Blood fountain
Blood spatters - camera, wall, etc.
Poor death effect
Excessive gore
No one dies at all
Virgin survives
Geek/Nerd survives
Little kid lamely survives
Dog/Pet miraculously survives
Unresolved subplots
"It was all a dream" ending
Unbelievably happy ending
Unbelievably crappy ending
What the hell?