DVD Review: The Initiation of Sarah (2006) has sisters, sororities, and sacrifices

The Initiation of Sarah (2006), directed by Stuart Gillard, is an ABC Family remake of the 1978 ABC TV movie of the same name. This teen horror drama is about twin sisters Sarah (Mika Boorem) and Lindsay (Summer Glau), who have always been at odds with each other. They hope to put the past behind them and start new lives at Temple Hill University. Sarah has mysterious supernatural powers and appears to be “the One”. She soon finds herself caught up in an ancient battle between good and evil involving two rival sororities—Pi Epsilon Delta (“P.E.D.”) and Alpha Nu Gamma (“Alpha Nu”). The movie is not scary or exciting, but it does have an interesting plot, pretty actresses, and good usage of CGI effects to complement the action.

The film opens with a dramatic scene in which a dark-haired young woman is brought to an altar to be sacrificed. She is surrounded by dangerous flames and ominous red-hooded figures. The knife stops short of stabbing the woman, as if controlled by a supernatural power. Cut to eighteen years later, where Trina Goodwin—played by Morgan Fairchild—is seen driving her Mercedes Benz while giving Sarah and Lindsay a tour of sorority row. Incidentally, Morgan Fairchild played a role in the original 1978 TV movie. Sarah and Lindsay are expected to join Alpha Nu, as their mother Trina was a previous member. However, while passing by the Pi Epsilon Delta house, Sarah notices a mysterious woman in the window and feels some sort of connection.

Once the sisters arrive at their dorm room, it becomes clear that Lindsay is very excited about the idea of starting a new life in college and joining a sorority. Sarah’s response to the situation is more lackluster, but she agrees to be supportive of Lindsay’s vision. As the two girls embrace, wilted flowers in the room miraculously come back to life. Later, Finn, the resident advisor, visits the two girls in their room to bring them invitations to the Pi Epsilon Delta rush week party. Sarah finds herself immediately attracted to Finn.

Since Alpha Nu is Lindsay’s favorite, the two sisters visit that sorority first. Sarah is introduced to the chapter president, Corrine (JoAnna Garcia), but leaves the party in tears after accidentally spilling a drink on Corrine. Lindsay feels humiliated in front of the Alpha Nu girls. She follows Sarah, and as the two are walking by the P.E.D. house, Lindsay breaks her ankle. They are brought into the P.E.D. house and meet Dr. Eugenia Hunter (Jennifer Tilly), who reveals that she was a friend of their mother.

Sarah gets accepted by both Alpha Nu and P.E.D., but she is not sure whether she is cut out for the whole sorority thing. Throughout the movie, Corrine and Dr. Hunter employ different strategies to attract Sarah. At one point, Dr. Hunter explains everything to Sarah—there is a battle going on and Sarah has to pick a side. The power they have comes from the earth, but the power of the Alpha Nus is manufactured through spells. The source of the Alpha Nus’ power is a flame that must be fed. She suggests that Sarah may be “the One” who could affect the balance of power between the Alpha Nus and the Pi Epsilon Deltas. If Sarah pledges P.E.D., she will be safe, but if she pledges Alpha Nu, she won’t live past Friday. The Alpha Nus don’t want Sarah as a member; they need her as a sacrifice.

As a tactic to attract Sarah, the Alpha Nus recruit Lindsay because they know she is more susceptible. Corinne invites Lindsay to join Alpha Nu in return for a beauty makeover in line with the sorority’s image. At the dormitory, there is an argument between the two sisters because Sarah wants to leave, but Lindsay wants to stay and pledge Alpha Nu. Things get more intense when the sisters end up staying at the P.E.D. house after a fire burns their dormitory. Sarah learns that the Alpha Nus will likely try to kill her so that the Pi Epsilons can’t have her. Dr. Hunter informs Sarah that her real mother is not Trina Goodwin, and that her real mother was killed after she was born. It turns out that the real mother was the dark-haired woman at the altar at the beginning of the film.

As the Friday night initiation rapidly approaches, the Alpha Nus kidnap Finn. This prompts Sarah to infiltrate the Alpha Nu house in an attempt to rescue her sister and Finn. Lindsay appears to agree to leave, but she actually betrays Sarah. Lindsay leads Sarah into the basement with the guise of freeing Finn who is tied up there, but it turns out to be a trap. Corrine appears with the other Alpha Nus, and they try to force Sarah to sacrifice herself willingly. A conflict unfolds, and a major plot twist is revealed during this scene. The dramatic climax of the story occurs during the Friday night initiation.

The film has good editing and creative transitions between scenes. There is also interesting use of CGI for the flames, the knife, and other nightmarish imagery. The score does not call attention to itself, but it does complement the dark mood and suspense. Besides witchcraft and the occult, the story has themes of sibling rivalry, social acceptance, and peer pressure. The “women in peril” element is present, but at the same time, the movie has many strong female characters. The acting—while not great—is as good as it can be considering the script. The quality of the DVD release from Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment is quite good, although there are no special features included. Overall, the movie is enjoyable enough to watch.