THE INITIATION

Rich kid Kelly (Daphne Zuniga) just wants to fit in. Now at college, she's happy to be accepted into the coolest sorority house. This is where we first meet her, being sworn in to Delta Ro Kai along with four of her comely pals.

As part of her initiation into this group of horny female teens, Kelly is told by chief frat girl Megan (Frances Peterson) that she must break in - along with her fellow newbies - to her father's department store. Hmm, she's not happy about this ... but a bout of goading about her privileged background soon bestows upon her the required resolve.

Before she gets round to doing this, though, there are a few things the viewer is invited to take in for consideration:

Kelly suffers from a recurring nightmare about waking in the night as a young girl and walking through to her parents' bedroom, only to witness a violent altercation between her father Dwight (Clu Gulager) and an intruder, which results in the latter getting hideously burned; Kelly suffers from amnesia - she can't anything from her life prior to being aged 7.

Ooh, then there's the fact that a sanatorium 300 miles away is home to a man with a charred face, who may or may not have been one of 7 inmates who have recently escaped from it. And Kelly's parents know something about this - behind her back, they're positively quaking in their boots about it...

In a bid to better understand her own predicament, Kelly is studying "dreams and nightmares" at college. Suave professor Peter (James Read) is the encouraging academic with a naughty twinkle his eye, who wants to help her overcome her nightmares and remember her dubious past.

Meanwhile, as the murders start on oblivious Kelly’s own doorstep, she busies herself with the task at hand: breaking in to Daddy’s store. With the help of her best mate and fellow sorority wannabe Marcia (Marilyn Kagan), they set about getting themselves and their mates inside the local mall.

But there’ll be Hell to pay when they discover a murderous lunatic has made their way in there too …

Can Kelly save her own skin while uncovering the killer’s identity and recall her elusive childhood memories while she’s at it?

Vaguely gory murders that rely on satisfyingly old-school special effects, hairy full-frontal female nudity scenes, a hackneyed whodunit slasher plot: THE INITIATION has the 80s written all over it - replete with big hair, bad fashions and the odd annoying electronic pop tune on the soundtrack. It looks at times like the sets and costume design have been poached from the production of "Falcon’s Crest", while Charles Pratt Jr’s script remains typical of the decade by commenting loosely on class divides and peer pressure while delivering its regular stalk ‘n’ slash tropes.

Director Larry Stewart keeps the pace brisk and ensures his horror set-piece scenes are dished out in deadpan style, ensuring that satisfying aura of 1980s slasher nastiness is retained despite a relatively low blood count.

The whodunit aspect becomes a bit silly (wait for the twist ending!), but the wide-eyed performances of the largely female cast and their occasional, gratuitous bouts of disrobing should help even the most cynical viewer overcome this fact.

Boasting nice production values and some interesting casting choices too (Gulager, Read, Very Miles as Kelly’s mother), THE INITIATION may not scream "classic" but it is fun.

THE INITIATION is presented uncut in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio, as part of Arrow Films Video's DVD-only "Arrowdrome" series.

The picture quality isn't stellar by any means - blacks are a little drained of impact, there's an occasional softness to the presentation that appears to be not entirely intentional, and detail is never greater than average. Hey, it's a low-budget film from 30 years ago (1984), I understand that expectations should be kept in check ... but I still couldn't help being a tad underwhelmed.

English 2.0 audio was decent throughout. Dialogue is clear, and those typically droning 80s synth sounds of the main score come across well.

Arrow's Region 2 DVD opens to a static main menu page. From there, a static scene-selection menu is split across 3 pages and proffers access to the film via 12 chapters.

The film's original 62-second trailer is presented here in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio. It comes with VHS quality video and tinny mono audio, but is an enjoyable slice of throwback entertainment regardless.

That's the only bonus feature on the actual DVD. I understand this release also comes with a booklet and reversible cover artwork. Alas, neither was made available for review purposes.

It is perhaps worth noting that there is an English-friendly German DVD available from HDMV which contains the film’s trailer, a stills gallery and – most significantly – the film FROZEN SCREAM as a feature bonus.

THE INITIATION is an also-ran in the pantheon of 80s slasher films. Not gory enough to stand alongside the likes of THE BURNING or THE PROWLER, missing a villain imaginative enough to instigate a franchise along the lines of HALLOWEEN or FRIDAY THE 13TH. Even so, for all its 80s stylistic trappings and silly plot developments, it’s an entertaining prospect if you’re in the mood for some retro slasher hi-jinks.

Review by Stuart Willis