Mon 7 Nov 2016
A Movie Review by Jonathan Lewis: THE INITIATION (1984).
Posted by Steve under Horror movies , Reviews[6] Comments
THE INITIATION. New World Pictures, 1984. Vera Miles, Clu Gulager, Daphne Zuniga, James Read, Marilyn Kagan, Robert Dowdell. Director: Larry Stewart.
First thing you need to know about the The Initiation is that there’s gratuitous violence and nudity. It’s a mid-1980s slasher film geared toward a teenage audience, so what do you expect? Second thing you need to know is that the plot, which includes too many standard horror film tropes to count, doesn’t end up making a whole lot of sense.
If you accept these two caveats and just go with it, you might find yourself as I did: surprisingly enthralled by a low-budget horror film that punches well above its weight and ends up being far memorable than it actually deserves to be.
Clu Culager and Vera Miles portray Dwight and Frances Fairchild, an upper middle class suburban Texan couple. They seemingly have it all. He’s well known in real estate and is the owner of a large department store. She’s a little high strung, but there’s a good reason for that. She’s constantly worried about her college age daughter, Kelly Fairchild (Daphne Zuniga) who suffers from repeated nightmares. Vivid ones in which she sees herself as a young girl stabbing a strange man who is subsequently consumed in a horrific fire.
Scary stuff made even scarier by the fact that this is a particularly stressful time for Kelly. You see, she’s pledged a sorority and this is Hell Week where new recruits have to run the proverbial gauntlet. Fortunately, she’s got a handsome psychology graduate student (James Read) by her side. And he’s not only a budding love interest! He’s also an expert in parapsychology who comes to suspect that Daphne’s bad dreams aren’t dreams at all, but rather are memories of something terrible that happened in her past.
But what? Could Kelly’s traumatic visions have something to do with an escaped inmate who has come back to exact bloody revenge on her father and all those rebellious and rambunctious teenagers who get in his way? And what’s the deal with Kelly and her mother looking at their reflections in the mirror all the time? By the time the film wraps up, all such questions will be resolved. Whether or not you consider the answer to the great mystery about who Kelly is to be a satisfactory one, however, will largely depend on your tolerance for gaping plot holes and – how should I put this – “inventive†screenwriting.
The Initiation isn’t a great movie, but it’s a good one for its genre. Plus it’s always a pleasure to see Clu Gulager in a horror movie. He steals every scene he’s in. That has to count for something.
November 8th, 2016 at 5:59 pm
Gulager was at his scene stealing best in the 1964 version of Hemingway’s The Killers. The screenplay by Gene L. Coon, bore little resemblance to the short story or the Burt Lancaster version. The cast included Lee Marvin, Ronald Reagan (his last feature film) Angie Dickinson and John Cassavetes. And directed by Don Siegel, so definitely worth a look. Gulager’s burbling over-the-top psychopath played off nicely with Marvin’s typical understated performance. Probably my imagination, but there were times during their scenes together when Marvin looked like he knew he was getting his pocket picked.
November 8th, 2016 at 6:08 pm
THE KILLERS is one of my favorite crime films. It has an exceptional cast as you mentioned. Also, Norman Fell later of THREE’S COMPANY fame had a great supporting role in that film.
Gulager also appeared in two 1980s horror cult classics: RETURN OF THE LIVING DEAD and NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET II
November 8th, 2016 at 7:24 pm
When I was 9 yrs. old, I thought Gulager was the coolest guy on TV when he played Billy the Kid in THE TALL MAN series.
November 8th, 2016 at 7:55 pm
There wasn’t the smallest iota of resemblance between Gulager’s portrayal and the real Billy the Kid, but you’re right, Gary. He was one cool guy.
November 9th, 2016 at 12:01 pm
Norman Fell brought the 87th Precinct character Meyer Meyer to life in the excellent short-lived TV series. His deadpan woebegone dry humor was a treat. We all freaked when the show was cancelled after only one season. I remember the stories being excellent and the exquisite Gena Rowlands appeared in too few episodes. As my Mom said at the time: “Too good for television”.
November 9th, 2016 at 4:27 pm
Agree with all the comments, but in all my years in Texas I never saw anyone wearing a bandanna like an ascot the way Clu is. Hollywood intruding a bit there.