Rent The Initiation (1984)

Pledging to Mediocrity - The Initiation review by griggs

The Initiation doesn’t waste time showing its hand. Within the first ten minutes there are nods to The Exorcist, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, The Omen and Halloween. A bold idea in theory, though less a clever homage than a patchwork pastiche. Still, for all its borrowed moves, it sets the stage for a passable campus slasher.

The set-up is fun enough: sorority pranks, creaky corridors, and the promise of something darker in the wings. But the kills are tame, the “students” look nearer 30 than 18, and most of the suspense comes from watching the characters inch towards a twist the audience clocked in the opening reel. Any hint of menace is dulled by sheer predictability.

And yet, there’s a certain charm in its mediocrity. The Initiation could have been a cheeky campus slasher with bite, but instead it’s a plodding reminder that not every horror relic deserves to be dug up. If you’ve a soft spot for mid-’80s horror curios, it scratches the itch. If not, it drifts by like a half-remembered nightmare.