The Initiation (1984) was a film I FINALLY reviewed for the blog September 2020. I had meant to review the film as early as 2012, and again 2014 for "Slasher Summer" series I used to have back in the early days of the blog.
 |
| I kept wondering what this drink was |
 |
| Just because Zuniga was gorgeous in black or... |
 |
| ...purple |
 |
| Although at the very end, Zuniga was also a sicko sister |
 |
| Professor begging for mother's help |
 |
| Well, friends of Zuniga's won't fair well in a slasher movie |
I was sort of debating what 80s horror film to kick off my weekend, another similar to last weekend. I settled on starting with The Initiation (1984) first. This is definitely a film I think works better much later in the evening, or especially late at night. I realized this as I was watching the film at around 5:30 in the afternoon. A slasher in a mall late at night as an initiation for a sorority, college girls have no idea -- their sorority "boss", her boyfriend, and the boyfriend's friends have no idea, either -- a killer is in their midst. The mall (a real mall in Dallas in 1983) has multiple floors, feeling similar in ways to Wynorski's Chopping Mall (1986). The multiple levels really are emphasized, too. You can really see how the killer could easily hide and move about, with her victims just lambs to the slaughter unknowingly. It was funny, because prior to The Initiation, I had watched Girl's Nite Out (1982) several months earlier in 2020 (January), and the similarities aren't necessarily significant but there were certain aspects that just popped out to me. Like a sorority, the big party, and all those early 80s vibes...but something was missing in Girl's Nite Out. I think the characters are just more relatable and likable in The Initiation. Zuniga's friends were just likable...I liked them and hated they were killed. And Zuniga is just so beautiful. I know, I know. Hunter Tylo, as the nymphomaniac never has sex in the film...I thought that was fascinating. Typically, the beauty who is fully nude or partially nude and genuinely likes sex, eventually making out with a guy, dies horribly. But Tylo is full of charm and personality, so lovable. So her death, with all those stabs to her body, is hard to watch for me. I've written about the synopsis aplenty last year, with two posts, so treading familiar ground isn't necessary. But the mall setting really adds to this film, and the angle with the memories and twin sister (and burned father, with additional back story involving adultery) were interesting to me.
This is not a slasher favorite. It was critically maligned and a lot of my peers were unkind to it with their own writeups and reviews. But it is really a personal favorite of my own. I just really enjoy watching it.
Comments
Post a Comment