Arriving rather late at the tail end of the whole slasher craze,
it's hard not to want to slap the tag "Damaged Goods" on The
Initiation. It offers little that we haven't seen before, with
predicable plotting, cheap production values, and few genuine scares.
Yet at the same time, it is far from the worst of the bunch, as the
concept is intriguing, the cast quite high-profile, and the few
moments of inspired loopiness well worth a chuckle.
Suffering
from traumatic amnesia since the age of eight, little Kelly (Daphne
Zuniga) continues to be plagued by a recurring, horrific nightmare
well into adulthood. Now entering college, she decides to join a
sorority, but the seemingly innocent pledge pranks and initiation
rituals soon turn deadly. Teaming up with an ambitious young Ph.D.
student (James Read) to solve the mystery, Kelly's parents (a slumming
Vera Miles and Clu Gulagher) seem to be hiding a deep, dark secret...
but how many more will have to die before the truth is revealed?
The Initiation is one of those almost movies that has enough
going for it that you really wish it would amount to more in the end.
I found the dream/reality concept intriguing (and which, incidentally,
predated the whole Nightmare on Elm Street craze), and was genuinely
curious to see where it would all lead. Also noteworthy is Zuniga, who
was clearly a fine young actress even when stuck in schlock such as
this, and just how Vera Miles got sucked into this one, I'll never
know! Both the script by Charles Pratt and Larry Stewart's uninspired
direction are sub par, and only the film's belated second half
delivers any real chills. I admit to liking the film's spunk, and
especially Zuniga, but it's just too bad she didn't have a better
script to work from. Whatever its plusses, The Initiation is for
slasher fanatics only.
Video: How Does The Disc
Look?
Presented in its first-ever 1.85:1 anamorphic
widescreen transfer, this is a very poorly shot film with little hope
for a resurrection. Anchor Bay has done their usual fine job with the
material, boasting a relatively clean print, solid blacks and decent
color reproduction, but this film suffers from an extremely soft look
throughout. It has that cheap, almost video-esque look, with plenty of
soft filters, blown-out whites and poor detail. It keeps from being
totally mediocre due to the fine compression work and only minor edge
enhancement, but don't expect a visual masterpiece with this one.
Audio: How Does The Disc Sound?
Presented in English
1.0 mono only, this is also a poorly recorded film, so there likely
wasn't much Anchor Bay could have done with the material. The sound is
very dated and reed-thin, dialogue frequently hard to make out, and
the poor dynamic range offering a less-than-pleasant aural experience.
There is little depth to this track, but for an 80's slasher flick, I
guess it all adds to the charm?
No alternate languages,
subtitles or Closed Captions are provided.
Supplements:
What Goodies Are There?
Nothing much here, just the film's
ludicrous theatrical trailer in anamorphic widescreen.
DVD-
ROM Exclusives: What do you get when you pop the disc in your
PC?
No ROM extras have been included.
Parting
Thoughts
It ain't a great film, but if you've read this
far, you obviously like bad slasher movies, and The Initiation is far
from the worst. I enjoyed many aspects of this hokum, even if I was
left ultimately unsatisfied with the climax. Not a bad disc at a
discount, so give it a look if you're a fan.
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