I first saw this film a number of years ago and was underwhelmed by it, but I've since revisited it several times, and have edited my review to reflect my feelings on it after repeated viewings.

"The Initiation" has Daphne Zuniga playing Kelly Fairchild, a coed pledging a sorority; meanwhile, she's also tackling the source of a bizarre recurring dream she's suffered since childhood, with the help of a grad student in her psychology seminar. For her initiation into the sorority, Kelly, along with the other girls, must break into a large multi-level department store owned by her father. Unfortunately, once inside, they find themselves stalked by a maniacal killer.

Though much less Gothic than "Hell Night" and considerably less graceful than "The House on Sorority Row", "The Initiation" is not exactly the throwaway Greek slasher I'd originally thought, and is a bit smarter than I was willing to accept upon my original viewing.

There is plenty for genre fans to like here: sassy sorority girls, ominous POV-shots of the killer stalking the campus, a weird synth score, considerably graphic murders, recurring nightmares and dream analysis in a coat-closet sleep lab--it's all remarkably fun. There is a "Halloween"-inspired sequence in the beginning of the film in which a group of psychiatric patients enact a mutiny at the hospital; the protagonist's stuffy, old-money parents (played by Vera Miles and Clu Gulager) receive a call about the incident, but we, the audience, have no idea why. We cut to the campus, where we get to know the central characters, and a murder or two occurs before the sorority pledges actually get to the main location. The "department store" setting really appears more like a corporate office building dressed up as a shopping mall (it was apparently filmed in the Dallas Market Center, a quasi-shopping center/showroom),but this idiosyncrasy lends the film an off-kilter atmosphere.

The hacking comes on quickly in the last thirty minutes, and the location is made skillful use of. There are a number of effective moments in which the camera cuts to a figure rising or receding out of the shadows in a fleeting manner; in one of them, the killer's silhouette emerges on one of the store's many balconies before quickly disappearing, and is observed from characters down below on the main level. In another sequence, a character flees a bathroom--the camera very briefly holds on the blank bathroom mirror, almost inexplicably. Moments later, another character enters the same bathroom; as she exits, she notices a blood-scrawled message on the mirror, signaling that someone was lurking there mere seconds before. It's subtle moments like this where the film truly impresses, and director Larry Stewart establishes an ominous sensibility of the characters being under constant surveillance.

In my previous review, I had criticized the awkward pacing and editing (especially in the final act)--a stance I still somewhat have--but, upon repeat viewings, I've found that the film offers more than enough to compensate for some of the clunkiness in the tail end of it. The singular sin the film commits is that its final chase scene is structured in a way that allows the killer to explain their motives whilst pursuing the protagonist. The result is clunky and leaves what should be the most suspenseful moment in the film feeling rather anemic.

In most other instances, however, "The Initiation" is more than worth its salt as far as slasher films go. The characters are actually memorable, and Zuniga makes for a likable protagonist despite some lopsided acting and line delivery; and while the film is not excessively violent, when the murders hit, they hit hard--but importantly, "The Initiation" indulges in subtle scares that function in a way that is almost unconscious to the viewer. Furthermore, there is a portentous atmosphere that permeates the entire film--a palpable danger always watching and waiting, which even the film's corniest of moments cannot entirely extinguish. 9/10.

Troubled Kelly Fairchild (Daphne Zuniga) is one of the new pledges at a college sorority. She is haunted by a recurring nightmare and Peter suggests participating in his sleep research. Her parents are hiding a secret. Meanwhile, seven inmates have escaped from an insane asylum. The sorority pledges' initiation has them breaking into a shopping mall during its off hours.

This is a real mishmash of a B-horror. First, the last half takes place in an empty shopping mall which looks more like the central lobby of a business building. It's a wholesale mall which reminds me of some places I saw in China. It's not a suburban mall. There is a make-do feel about everything. It's not quite right but it will have to do. It does have Zuniga as the lead early in her career although her nightmare sleep acting is a bit comical. It is still nice to have a good lead and a couple of other professional actors. The insane asylum is crappy. There is the T&P. It's a lot of differing elements all in one single movie. There is a better way to steer the whole movie towards the big reveal. It should have concentrated on the multiple personality rather than the multiple asylum inmates. One red herring is enough. The movie seems to throw everything and anything at this wall.

While trying to understand a frightening reoccurring nightmare, a pledge (Daphne Zuniga) is coaxed into breaking into her father (Clu Gulager)'s department store by her sorority sisters, where a deranged killer targets the girls and their boyfriends.

This film's genesis seems pretty standard. Fresh out of school, Charles Pratt (who has gone on to make a name for himself in soap operas) pitched a script to New World. They accepted it, and brought on actress Daphne Zuniga, who had recently had a smaller part in "Dorm That Dripped Blood". Peter Crane started as director, but was apparently replaced by Larry Stewart when the film could not stay on its brisk schedule. Because the movie was shot in order, this creates a bit of a style shift after the first 20 minutes or so (in my opinion, a shift towards the better).

By slasher standards, this one is pretty decent, though nothing special. The actual slashing does not even start until the third act, and none of the deaths are terribly inventive. The slow buildup does offer plenty of time to build up the characters and the mystery around some of them. There is also plenty of subplot concerning Kelly's nightmares and her forgotten childhood. Even without the slasher elements, it makes for a good horror mystery film. We know early on that her dreams are more than dreams, but they may not mean exactly what we expect.

Horror icon Clu Gulager does not get enough screen time, and Vera Miles (easily the biggest star attached) is not used to her fullest. It is a shame, as she deserves better. On the bright side, the movie really lets Zuniga shine, and she appears in almost every scene. From here, everything was coming up in her favor, from "The Sure Thing" (alongside John Cusack) to Mel Brooks' "Spaceballs" (where children of the 80s probably remember her best).

The Blu-ray from Arrow Video features an upgrade on the sound and picture, though given the original source, it is not mind-blowing. We also get a brand new audio commentary by the Hysteria Continues (a slasher-themed podcast),and new interviews with actors Christopher Bradley (who went on to "Waxwork" among many others) and Joy Jones (who has Heidi, the sleep study assistant, as her only credit). Screenwriter Charles Pratt has an interview that lasts over 20 minutes, telling tales of his scribbling. There is an extended scene, but amounts to little more than 3 or 4 seconds from a party and adds nothing to the plot. It could have been added back in and no one would have noticed.