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ACTOR
Kay LenzShelley WintersTony BillKathryn Grant
DIRECTOR
Robert Day
SYNOPSICS
The Initiation of Sarah (1978) is a English movie. Robert Day has directed this movie. Kay Lenz,Shelley Winters,Tony Bill,Kathryn Grant are the starring of this movie. It was released in 1978. The Initiation of Sarah (1978) is considered one of the best Horror,Thriller movie in India and around the world.
A withdrawn young girl joins an unpopular sorority in college. It turns out she has psychic and telekinetic powers, and she uses them against a rival sorority.
Same Actors
Same Director
The Initiation of Sarah (1978) Reviews
Carrie who?
Timid Sarah and her popular stepsister, Patty, are pledging sororities at their new college. Patty gets into the most celebrated sorority on campus, but Sarah is only accepted by the least prominent. It doesn't help that Patty's new sorority sisters are elitist scum who do all that they can to make Sarah and her sorority mates miserable. Sarah has a power, though, which takes hold when she's angry. Her eccentric housemother, Ms. Hunter, is intent on helping her harness this power to use against their rival sorority. I actually like this made for TV 'Carrie' cash-in more than De Palma's horror classic. A large part of that is due to the likability of Kay Lenz in the titular role and the connection I feel to her. I also love the storyline centered around sororities, hazing and campus rivalry. Throw in Shelley Winters as Ms. Hunter, who views her sorority as more of a cult, Morgan Fairchild as the queen bitch and Mia Farrow's sister, Tisa, and you've got quite the cast. Honestly, this doesn't even feel like a TV film. It had been a while since my last viewing, but as I sat watching it again for the first time in years, I was taken with how it never once struck me as something made for television. There was even an absence of the typical fade-outs for commercials. This is much more than just a 'Carrie' copycat. The characters have real depth and there's a solid message about one's own self-image. The story leaning toward the occult makes for a unique take which I am all for. The addition of this aspect and Shelley Winters as someone who wants to use Sarah's abilities for her own personal vendetta makes for a very interesting climax. While the direction isn't anything out of the norm and there are no De Palma style flourishes, the lush photography is terrific. Even though it may always be seen as nothing but a copycat by certain people, I firmly believe that 'The Initiation of Sarah' is more than capable of standing on it's own as something special. I do love De Palma's film, but I also love that it inspired something like this. 'The Spell', on the other hand, not so much.
Never p... off Kay Lenz.....
OK, I never saw this in 1978 or in any reruns but because I grew up in the seventies, I have a weird affinity for liking these made for TV movies of the week. This one turned out to be a lot of fun to watch. The acting is pretty good by all involved, Kay Lenz in the title role makes it believable and Morgan Fairchild is good as the queen b....., Morgan Brittany is lovely as ever and Shelly Winters is completely over the top in her scenes especially towards the end of the movie. (SPOLIERS) Story wise it's not strong, the movie itself is a little slow at the beginning of the movie and there are some things left unresolved at the end of the movie such as what happened to all involved but that does not distract from a fun movie. My copy was on an older tape and it was quite granny but it reminded me of the quality of the made for TV movies of the week back in the 70's. I say if your a fan of the TV movie's of the week you'll enjoy this one. OH, and buy the way if you ever meet Kay Lenz be nice to her you just never know what may happen.
One of the most entertainingly ridiculous TV movies ever made
This is one of the most entertainingly ridiculous TV movies ever made. It has often been written off by many smug critics as "Carrie Goes to College", but that's not entirely accurate. It has a bit more of an occult angle for one thing (Why not "To the Devil, a Coed"?). Mostly though, unlike "Carrie" it's pretty hard to take seriously, and I think most of the people involved in it were perfectly aware they were making a cheap TV movie and were in on the joke. The casting is pretty ridiculous. There is ugly and then there is "Hollywood ugly", but Kay Lenz wasn't even "Hollywood ugly", and it's pretty hard to buy her as a socially shunned girl who has to join the loser sorority. Lenz (who was married to 70's heart-throb David Cassidy at the time) was actually a lot prettier than walking, talking Barbie dolls like Morgan Brittany, who plays her much more popular sister, or Morgan Fairchild, who heads the popular sorority. Anyway, it is testament to her acting ability that Lenz is at all believable in this role. Tisa Farrow who plays a put-upon character named "Mouse" is highly annoying but not exactly ugly either. (She is famous for three things: she is Mia Farrow's sister,she was the female lead in Lucio Fulci's "Zombie",and she was involved in a famous falling out the Beatles had with the Maharishi in the 60's after the transcendental mystic couldn't transcend the urge to pinch the butts of her and the other young starlets in their entourage). Of course, the best thing as usual is Shelley Winters as a house mother with an interest in the occult who encourages "Sarah" to use her latent telekinetic powers against their popular rivals. Winters was derided by some for gaining a lot of weight late in her career, but given all the scenery she typically chewed (or simply swallowed whole), I thought she stayed remarkably svelte. (Around the same time as this movie, Winter squared off with a giant octopus in Italian "Jaws" knock-off "Tentacles", and frankly she was far, far scarier than the octopus). The handsome but rather bland Robert Hays ("Airplane"), on the other hand, has an especially bland role as the Morgan Fairchild character's boyfriend and mostly just fades into the 70's wood paneling. This doesn't really compare to "Carrie", but I would definitely recommend it highly to fans of cheesy 70's TV horror flicks.
I've loved this movie since it first came out!
I always felt that this movie was chopped to pieces and that there was so much more to the story than what we got to see. I wish I could have read the original script for it. This is such a classic Carrie-type story, sort of a Revenge of the Nerds meets Carrie. But for some reason I just love the story. Maybe because both Morgan Brittany and Morgan Fairchild are in it. If you want a college horror story with a twist, this is it. It's creepy and fun.
First rate flick
I, too, have always loved this movie. Morgan Fairchild really camps it up as the stuck-up sorority princess. Shelly Winters is suitably creepy. Kay Lenz is somehow a sympathetic yet frightening character. (Ever since I first saw this movie at the age of ten, I have considered Kay Lenz one of my favorite actresses!) I don't know the name of the actress who portrayed Mouse, but I found her performance very authentic as well. What I really wanted to comment on is my indignation over the fact that ABCFamily has a remake out now but is billing it as a new original ABCFamily movie! How can they get away with that? Anyway, this really is a great flick for this time of year.