Initiation

I'm not exactly sure what some people were expecting from this movie but it is a great slasher flick. It's very similar to the Scream movies. I found it very enjoyable.

This isn't the typical Screamfest flick. The story offers plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing. The killer wears an ultra cool metal reflective mask and murders with multiple weapons, including a drill. There's a lot of social media so I don't recommend watching at a drive in, I couldn't see some of the messages. As fun and bloody as the movie is, the characters act like they're in a drama, which was refreshing.

Initiation is a very strange movie. On one hand it seems like it is just another stupid teen, social media slasher. But when you watch it you realize that the movie is taking time to develop it's characters, and to give them real issues in life. All of these things combined to make a film that was very surprising. The performances are pretty good, mainly from the lead actress. The gore is also very good. My issues with the film is that it takes a little to long for something to happen, and I would've loved there to be some more tension, but the movies final 15 minutes delivers some great chase scenes, gore, and tension. Overall this movie has some pacing issues, and some missed opportunities, but it had some good characters, good acting, good tension, and great gore.

Give it a bit of a chance and it has an okay payoff. It is not spectacular, but is a decent Friday evening watch with the wife.

Initiation tries to blend social commentary with decently gory kills in a somewhat ambitious slasher flick. Director John Berardo (co-writing with Brian Frager and Lindsay LaVanchy, who plays the protagonist) doesn't have a complete hold over his material, however, there's just about enough for slasher fanatics to give it a viewing. The elements in favour of Initiation include its progressive storytelling approach (in the #MeToo era), the neat inculcation of social media to disclose important plot points, and at least a couple of intriguing kills. The aspects that didn't work so well include the lack of depth in the characterization of the murder victims, a not-so-effective twist, and leaving more questions open than answered in the end. Nonetheless, Initiation falls in that zone between totally forgettable and cult classic - it's a relatively safe zone as a slasher - but as a piece of cinema, its shelf life may be much less.