The Initiation of Sarah (2006) (TV)

Director:

Stuart Gillard

Writers (WGA):

Daniel Berendsen (teleplay)
Tom Holland (story) ...

Release Date:

22 October 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Sisters. Sororities. Sacrifices.

Plot:

A college student uses her supernatural powers against a rival sorority house. A remake of the 1978 TV movie.

Plot Keywords:

Sisters | Supernatural | Sorority | Sacrifice | Remake

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Mika Boorem	...	Sarah Goodwin
Summer Glau	...	Lindsey Goodwin
Joanna Garcia	...	Corinne (as JoAnna Garcia)
Tessa Thompson	...	Esme
Ben Ziff	...	Finn
Morgan Fairchild	...	Trina Goodwin
Jennifer Tilly	...	Dr. Eugenia Hunter
Amber Wallace	...	Vita (as Amber Brooke Wallace)
Damon Lipari	...	Damien
Caitlin Wehrle	...	Alpha Nu #2
Jessica Luza	...	Girl #1
Caroline Jahna	...	Girl #2
Greer Howard	...	Young Woman
Abigail Leigh	...	Attendant
Rachael Lee Magill	...	P.E.D. #1 (as Rachael Magill)

Runtime:

90 min

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Certification:

Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Centenary College - 2911 Centenary Boulevard, Shreveport, Louisiana, USA

Company:

ABC Family

Quotes:

Sarah Goodwin: [to snobby rush girls] Apologize to my friend Veera.
Vita: Vita.
Sarah Goodwin: Whatever.

Movie Connections:

Remake of The Initiation of Sarah (1978) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Paralyzed

Decent as Far as Television Films Go...

"The Initiation of Sarah", a remake of the 1978 television film, is also a TV-movie that aired on ABC Family's "13 Nights of Halloween" special. The film is about two sisters, Sarah and Lindsay, who are off to college. Turns out, unfortunately, that the sorority that Lindsay plans on attending is run by a coven of evil witches who practice in the occult, and they have been rivals with Sarah's sorority for generations. As Lindsay's behavior becomes increasingly strange, Sarah begins to worry about her sister's well being. But these sorority witches will have to make some sacrifices to initiate Lindsay into their sorority, and Sarah plays a large part in their dark ceremony. Now it's up to Sarah to save both herself and her sister from the sorority sisters before they both become victims.

This is a made-for-television movie, so I wasn't expecting a whole lot from this film, but I was pleasantly surprised by the film's overall quality. The story is pretty interesting and well written, I have never seen the original television film so I can't compare the two, but as far as I'm concerned the plot was fairly well constructed. It's a little corny at times, but I was expecting that so it wasn't too big of a deal. The acting was pretty well done, extremely good for a TV movie. Mika Boorem is the leading lady playing Sarah, and she does quite well. Morgan Fairchild plays Sarah's mother (or whom she believes is her mother, who is actually an evil witch herself), which was rather interesting because she also had a role in the original film. And Jennifer Tilly (who played in "Bride of Chucky") plays her role also very well, as usual. There were a few really neat moments and sequences throughout it, and the special effects were decent enough, but nothing spectacular.

Overall, "The Initiation of Sarah" is an enjoyable, fun little horror movie. It's not really "scary" by any means and those who are immune to the horror genre won't find anything remotely startling, but it serves well as a good little movie to enjoy during the Halloween season. While "The Initiation of Sarah" is no masterpiece, you have to admit, it's pretty good for TV-movie. 7/10.