SnoopyStyle
Corinne (JoAnna Garcia) leads a ritual sacrifice but the girl turns out not to be 'The One'. Eighteen years later, twins Sarah (Mika Boorem) and Lindsey Goodwin (Summer Glau) are freshmen at Temple Hill University. Sarah has supernatural powers. Lindsey is desperate to be popular by joining the best sorority Alpha Nu Gamma. Corinne is the big sister and still looks exactly the same as 18 years ago. The secretive sorority Pi Epsilon Delta led by professor Eugenia Hunter (Jennifer Tilly) is in a timeless fight against Alpha Nu. Sarah befriends outcast Vita (Amber Wallace) while dorm RA Finn (Ben Ziff) falls for her.The movie is trying to do a lot of things and ends up rather bland. It's definitely not scary especially on ABC Family. It has the looks of a TV movie. There is no tension as a thriller. The movie spills its various secrets in unexciting ways. It's also rather blasé about dangers. She's told that they're trying to kill her and she's simply chatting it up with the boy in the library. Jennifer Tilly really plays down her character. Lindsey is a really dumb character. She is somehow mentally defective. There seems to be some good story material but it's not put to good use here.
VinnieRattolle
My long-standing opinion about remakes is that they should simultaneously pay homage to the original and bring something new to the table -- the latter is why the 1998 PSYCHO remake sucked so badly. THE INITIATION OF SARAH remake fit the criteria, though it's no better or worse than the original. It is, however, quite different. The 1978 version was CARRIE meets the original SATAN'S SCHOOL FOR GIRLS; this version is the THE CRAFT meets the remake of SATAN'S SCHOOL FOR GIRLS by way of CHARMED.Twins Sarah and Lindsay Goodwin are now 18 and headed for college. Soon they find themselves pitted against each other when they're coerced into joining different sororities... initially unaware that the two sororities are run by rival covens of witches. Morgan Fairchild (who essentially played Joanna Garcia's role in the original) hams it up as the mother of the Goodwin girls and Jennifer Tilly brings a new dimension to the character originated by Shelley Winters, the creepy house mother at P.E.D.Like the original, the film suffers from being made for TV. The hip, witty one-liners are corny, many of the low-budget CGI effects are hokey, and some of the acting borders on camp. That aside, there are some unforeseen twists, it's well structured and the characters are likable... though Fairchild and Tilly's characters should have been fleshed out a bit more. And as it ended, I couldn't help but think it was a pilot for a TV series. Certainly has that sort of vibe.Each version of the film is reflective of the era in which it was made, so I can't denounce this one for being so different from the Kay Lenz version. Unfortunately, the remake had the potential to be so much better, if only it were made for theaters instead of television. It certainly has its moments and its charms, so take it for what it is: a derivative made for TV horror movie aimed at teenage girls.
shinini86
I realize I'm gonna sound extremely spacey but i want this movie so much its not even funny.But don't assume that because I'm gushing you'll like it to. Some entertainment just takes certain people to like. Others probably will hate this movie, but i love it.I love the chemistry between the characters, Jennifer Tily's oddness, the typical but sweet/sincere protagonist boy.I really want this to go to movie or Im gonna have to stalk ABC Fam till its on air again and tape it !eww!I don't think there is anything spoiler like in here, but just in case.oh and by the way does anybody agree?
Mr_Ectoplasma
"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.
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