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IMDbPro

Voeux sanglants

Original title: The Initiation
  • 1984
  • R
  • 1h 37m
IMDb RATING
5.6/10
4.8K
YOUR RATING
Voeux sanglants (1984)
Slasher HorrorHorrorMysteryThriller

An amnesiac sorority member who has been plagued by a recurring nightmare is stalked alongside other coeds by a killer in a deserted department store where they are completing a hazing ritua... Read allAn amnesiac sorority member who has been plagued by a recurring nightmare is stalked alongside other coeds by a killer in a deserted department store where they are completing a hazing ritual.An amnesiac sorority member who has been plagued by a recurring nightmare is stalked alongside other coeds by a killer in a deserted department store where they are completing a hazing ritual.

  • Directors
    • Larry Stewart
    • Peter Crane
  • Writer
    • Charles Pratt Jr.
  • Stars
    • Vera Miles
    • Clu Gulager
    • Daphne Zuniga
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    5.6/10
    4.8K
    YOUR RATING
    • Directors
      • Larry Stewart
      • Peter Crane
    • Writer
      • Charles Pratt Jr.
    • Stars
      • Vera Miles
      • Clu Gulager
      • Daphne Zuniga
    • 71User reviews
    • 75Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 1:11
    Official Trailer

    Photos64

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    Top cast28

    Edit
    Vera Miles
    Vera Miles
    • Frances Fairchild
    Clu Gulager
    Clu Gulager
    • Dwight Fairchild
    Daphne Zuniga
    Daphne Zuniga
    • Kelly Fairchild
    James Read
    James Read
    • Peter Adams
    Marilyn Kagan
    Marilyn Kagan
    • Marcia
    Robert Dowdell
    Robert Dowdell
    • Jason Randall
    Patti Heider
    • Nurse Gladys Higgins
    Frances Peterson
    • Megan
    Hunter Tylo
    Hunter Tylo
    • Alison
    • (as Deborah Morehart)
    Paula Knowles
    • Beth
    Trey Stroud
    • Ralph Bonner
    Peter Malof
    • Andy
    Christopher Bradley
    Christopher Bradley
    • Chad
    Joy Jones
    • Heidi
    Mary Davis Duncan
    • Gwen
    Rusty Meyers
    Rusty Meyers
    • Nightwatchman
    Christi Michelle Allen
    • Kelly - 9 Years Old
    Cheryl Foster
    • Sorority Girl
    • Directors
      • Larry Stewart
      • Peter Crane
    • Writer
      • Charles Pratt Jr.
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews71

    5.64.8K
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    Featured reviews

    BillyBC

    No sorority girl pillow fights or spanking parties, but it's not bad...

    (**1/2 out of *****) This okay slasher thriller tries to offer more than the standard slice-and-dice affair by having as its main character a young college student (Daphne Zuniga, a year after her cameo in the wretched "The Dorm That Dripped Blood") who is traumatized by an event in her past that caused her to forget everything up through age ten. From the opening scene, we already have a pretty good idea of the surprise involving the girl's secretive parents (played by Clu Gulager -- excellent in "Return of the Living Dead," but just mediocre here -- and Vera Miles from "Psycho"), but there's another twist at the very end that, in spite of some clunky hints here and there, is impossible to see coming (it's hardly fair, but it still provides a bit of a jolt.) With all the background and character development out of the way in the first half hour or so, we finally get to the more-familiar second half, where a group of sorority babes (including Zuniga) and frat boys break into a department building at night as part of an initiation stunt and are subsequently killed off by a maniac who uses a variety of gardening tools and other sharp objects. People are shot with arrows, shot with guns, shot with spears, stabbed, axed, and decapitated until the surprise killer is finally revealed (and it's probably not who you think.) Gaping plot holes abound, but, all in all, this one isn't too bad (and, besides, you're not supposed to pay attention to that kinda stuff in these kindsa movies anyway.)

    HIGHLIGHT: The pretty, blonde sorority girl happens to be holding the public address intercom microphone when she is attacked at the security guard's booth, and her shrieks echo throughout the entire building.
    Cujo108

    Dying to be initiated

    A group of sorority pledges sneak into a mall overnight to pull off a prank that will get them initiated. Tasked with stealing the security guard's uniform, it shouldn't be too hard since Kelly Fairchild's father owns the mall, and she's one of the pledges. She has keys to get in and knows where the spare uniforms are kept, so no problem. Someone else is in there with them though, and it isn't long before bloodshed ensues.

    This is actually one of my favorite slashers, a large reason for that being the creepy atmosphere of the mall at night. It has multiple levels and is unlike any mall I've ever been to. We also get a few instances of characters catching a glimpse of the killer lurking about, something that I'm a sucker for. Getting that eerie look at something out of the corner of your eye, not sure if you really saw anything at all. The killer's POV shots were extremely well-done, especially the very creepy bit of the killer observing Dwight Fairchild as he's loading his car. The score certainly helps the mood, as does some of the dreary photography in certain scenes.

    Daphne Zuniga plays the lead, and I've always found her appealing even if she's not the greatest actress. Vera Miles and Clu Gulager are also on hand to add some class to the proceedings. As for the kills, they're not the bloodiest, but they get the job done just fine. The most notable death sees one of the pledges stabbed repeatedly as she holds the PA systems microphone, her screams echoing throughout the mall. On my initial viewing, I didn't see the ending coming, though there are some blatant clues when re-watching.
    6udar55

    Decent slasher with a great final location

    Finally caught this sorority themed slasher. Kelly (Daphne Zuniga, who gets an "introducing..." credit despite having been in films - including THE DORM THAT DRIPPED BLOOD (1982) - prior to this) is pledging a college sorority and part of her initiation is to break into the upscale shopping mall owned by her father (Clu Gulager) and mother (Vera Miles). The bad news is that someone has escaped from a local insane asylum and is stalking her every move. This is a decent slasher that benefits from an unusual location (the Dallas International Market). Unfortunately, they don't get to the mall until the 50 minute mark and a lot of the time leading up to that is spent with a university teacher delving into Kelly's nightmarish past (she has a recurring dream where a man is burned and can't remember anything before age 6). Director Larry Stewart was a TV vet and never really gets too much suspense from the proceedings.
    8Nightman85

    a fun slasher film with a little class

    Sorority girl Kelly Fairchild is troubled about some unanswered questions from her past. But that's the least of her worries now that she and her friends are pledging to a college sorority. The initiation involves the girls breaking into a shopping mall, but having a homicidal escaped murderer locked in with them wasn't part of the plan!

    The Initiation is a slasher flick that delivers the "goods" for horror fans. Plus, there's some plot twists, a few veteran actors, and a higher-than-average budget to boot!

    With a fairly solid cast, fiendishly good murder scenes, some tight suspense (especially in the climax), and a bit of style The Initiation is one of the stronger slasher films of its time. Along with Hell Night (1981) and House on Sorority Row (1983), Initiation also remains one of the more memorable college-themed splatter flicks of the 80's.

    An entertaining treat for slasher fans.

    *** out of ****
    7HumanoidOfFlesh

    Okay slasher flick.

    Oh yeah,this one is similar to "Happy Birthday to Me"(I'm talking here especially about the ending),which I reviewed some months ago,but definitely not better.The acting is rather lame,the disco/party scene is cheesy and amusing(one of the guests is dressed in a giant penis costume-woah!),and the film is quite suspenseful at times.Only a little bit of gore,so gore-hounds will certainly be disappointed.However if you consider yourself a rabid slasher fan give this one a look!Love that axe in the head scene!

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Some of the early scenes at the mental hospital were not actually shot by director Larry Stewart. Peter Crane was originally attached to the film but the production got off to a rough start as shooting fell behind schedule and the budget started to be exceeded. Producers subsequently brought in Stewart to replace Crane.
    • Goofs
      Kelly's mother runs outside to give her husband his glasses. Just after she mentions him "forgetting his head if it wasn't attached" the scene cuts to the car driving away. On the left, there is a crew member standing with his arms crossed.
    • Quotes

      Peter: I suggest you take two aspirin and go right to bed.

      Alison: With whom?

    • Alternate versions
      The UK video version was pre-cut by 59 secs with edits to a man on fire during a nightmare scene, shots of a man being stabbed with a rake, and a sequence which intercuts the stabbing of a woman with a sex scene. The 2003 Pegasus DVD is fully uncut.
    • Connections
      Featured in Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film (2006)
    • Soundtracks
      Not Me
      Written by Terrence Murphy and Kenny Griffin

      Redbud Music (B.M.I.)

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    FAQ

    • How long is The Initiation?Powered by Alexa

    Details

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    • Release date
      • December 7, 1984 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • The Initiation
    • Filming locations
      • Dallas, Texas, USA
    • Production companies
      • Georgian Bay Productions
      • Bruce Lansbury Productions
      • Jock Gaynor Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 37 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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