Welcome to Knockout Horror. We have another Social Media Themed Horror movie for you today. We are taking a look at John Berardo’s slasher Initiation. Initiation follows a group of university students who are being stalked by a killer hell bent on ridding the university of jocks and frat bros. After a sexual assault takes place on campus and is shared on social media. A wave of brutal attacks kick off that it is down to the students themselves to solve.
A Socially Conscious…. Slasher?
Wanting to present itself as something of a more mature approach to the slasher genre. Initiation plays out in a slower manner than many similar movies. Choosing to build a plot that wants to be both traditional and socially conscious. Initiation reflects the social struggles that the youth of today face, both as a more connected group of people and as a terminally online generation. Interestingly, it fails at both this element and as a traditional slasher.
Based on a short movie developed as a class project on the theme of social change. Berardo wanted to turn his short Dembanger into a feature length slasher. Aiming to capitalise on the popularity of films like Unfriended. Berardo said he didn’t want to present his characters as tropes. He disliked the standard slasher presentation of women and said that he wanted to change that with Initiation.
This is something of a bizarre statement considering he almost completely fails at this task. Our characters here are a bunch of generic “every slasher” victims. Women run away screaming in almost pathetic levels of ineptitude and male characters valiantly fight back only to be overcome by a killer that doesn’t play by the rules. It really misses the mark when it comes to being a slasher with a difference. I really don’t feel like this is the genre to attempt to develop this idea, either. Slashers are supposed to be fun, mindless, killing. Do they really need morals and virtue? I don’t think so.
So Many Issues
This is a painfully boring horror flick. Decent cinematography hints at the potential for something worth watching. Despite this, the movie never manages to rise above painfully below average slasher. The social media element is hinted at.. And I mean hinted in the loosest sense of the word. But if you are thinking about watching this because you enjoy Social Media themed horror, you may want to give it a miss.
Once again, utilising genuine real world social issues as minor plot devices, only to discard them when keeping them as a central theme becomes inconvenient. Initiation always takes the easy way out when the story calls for nuance. The presentation of onscreen social media posts and messages may feel novel for some. For others who have played video games like Detroit: Become Human, it will feel overly familiar. Initiation has all been done before; it is tired and very worn out.
The slasher element plays out like every other middle of the road slasher you have ever seen. A character has a few moments alone and, in those moments, a masked figure appears with no explanation. The killer and the victim scuffle, the killer wins, rinse and repeat. It is so boringly familiar and hangs around far too long. Initiation does absolutely nothing new.
If the movie didn’t feature the half baked inclusion of real world hot button topics, there would be virtually nothing to talk about. Berardo tries hard to subvert expectation with the killer reveal but it is fairly ridiculous. Despite how dumb it is, I actually predicted it. Something my fiancee laughed at me about at the time because my prediction sounded so damn stupid and nonsensical. Turns out I was right.
How Old Are Some of These Actors?
This movie can be unintentionally hilarious. Aside from the convoluted plot, AI sounding text conversations between characters and poorly done social media aspects. Some of the acting is terrible. Many of the frat bros are pretty terrible and nobody really stands out. Mel Fair’s repeated, 1800’s ranch owner style, use of the phrase “bull shit” is frequently comical and often awful. Veteran actors Yancy Butler, who plays Detective Fitzgerald, and Lochlyn Munro are both okay. There is something about the actors that is rather glaring, however.
Aren’t these Fraternity brothers and sorority sisters supposed to be in their late teens and early 20s? Most of the actors here looked like they were, perhaps, in their late 20s and a few of them looked even older. This is one of the most egregious examples of older actors playing young people I have seen. Much of it is obvious nepotism at play; friends and family of the director have been placed into central roles.
Lindsay LaVanchy, who has producing and writing credits, thought it fine to take up the starring role of “hero sorority sister” Ellery. She looks, very clearly, like a woman in her mid 30s and feels wildly out of place running around a frat house in a bikini. Even worse than that is James Berardo. I am assuming this is director John Berardo’s brother or something?
He looks like is in his mid 30’s, at least. It’s so jarring seeing him sit among the other students at the party. He looks like he has sneaked in and the clothes they dress him in are ridiculous. As my fiancée so astutely remarked. They may as well have put a propeller hat on him for how much younger they were trying to make him look. I understand that you can cast whoever you want but why have your middle aged brother take a part from a young actor?
Should You Watch Initiation?
Initiation is a dull, Social Media Themed, Slasher movie with little to recommend. Aiming to be somewhat more socially conscious and mature than your average slasher. The result is a movie that is a painfully slow watch with very little to recommend. Fake reviews on Movie database sites hint at the lack of faith the production team had in Initiation. If you are a huge fan of slashers you might find something worth watching. Otherwise, you should give this one a miss.
