Film Review: THE INITIATION (1984)

You will be forgiven if you’ve never heard of the ‘80s horror film The Initiation (1984) as it borrows a lot from many other films including  Alone in the Dark (1982) and Hell Night (1981), to name a few not to mention the fact that elements were better utilized in Chopping Mall (1986) which be released a few years later and become a huge cult classic with horror fans.  This being said, The Initiation is the story of Kelly Fairchild (Daphne Zuniga) a college student in the middle of pledge week who gets tasked with getting the keys for her father’s department store in order for her Sorority sisters to get in for a prank.  Everything goes as planned except that Kelly and her friends get trapped in the store with a deranged killer that has also found his way into the store.  Now Kelly must find a way out of the department store before she becomes the next victim of the night.

Written by Charles Pratt Jr. the film comes off as a product of the ‘80s horror film craze and does a great job of it.  Directed by Larry Stewart the film looks great and horror fans will enjoy all the gore on display.  It’s also a great introduction for audiences to actress Zuniga who would go on to star in such films as Spaceballs (1987),  The Fly II (1989), Gross Anatomy (1989),  and star in Melrose Place (which Pratt was a writer for).

The Initiation is not one of the best ‘80s horror films but it does hold up fairly well.  There just so happened to be too many ‘80s slasher films and this is one of the ones that was over looked and forgotten over time but it’s worth a look for the curious.

Film Review: A BLOOD PLEDGE (2009)

When you’re a teenager, life can be hard especially for four young girls who decide to make a suicide pact that goes horrible wrong in the South Korean thriller A Blood Pledge (2009).  Jeong-eon’s sister Yoo-jin’s (Yoo Shi-ae and Oh Yeon-seo, respectfully) suicide is anything but normal.  As she investigates further into the death of her sister she realizes that Yoo-jin and her friends Soy, Eon-joo, and Eun-yeong (Son Eun-seo, Jang Kyeong-ah, and Song Min-jeong, respectfully) entered into a suicide pact the night of Yoo-jin’s death but only she ended up going through with it.  As Jeong-eon gets closer to discovering the truth each of three remaining women are hunted down by Yoo-jin’s ghost who want them all to finish fulfilling their pact.  The closer Jeong-eon gets to the truth, the more she discovers about her sister and of the nature of the pact itself. 

Written and directed by Jong-yong Lee the film is an atmospheric thriller that follows the trend of other revenge ghost stories.  This is but one of several Korean ghost stories that takes place in a school in the series that started with ‘98s Whispering Corridors and includes Memento Mori (1999), Wishing Stairs (2003), and Voice (2005).  These are all films that delve into haunted schools or people haunted by other people yet take place in and around schools.  This film is very much in line with those films and if you’re a fan of this series then you’ll at least enjoy this one.

This is not one of the stronger films in the series as it doesn’t provide anything different than what came before it but it is a well done film with high production values and an interesting story that entertains and never drags despite containing the typical ghost story clichés.  Most fans of Korean horror films will immediately take a liking to the film but casual watchers will be turned off by how mundane everything is presented especially in terms of the fact that this film deals with the real life tragedy of suicide.