Film Club: The Initiation of Sarah

As I more than intimated when I announced The Initiation of Sarah as this month's Film Club pick, it's as if the film was made just for me. Seriously, this movie could have been borne from the Stacie Ponder Edition of Mad Libs. Let's fill in the blanks!

In this MADE FOR TV movie from 1978, a shy TELEKINETIC girl exacts revenge on bitches who tease her at a COLLEGE where the most important things in life are SHORTS, THE BRUSHING OF HAIR, and THE RUSHING OF SORORITIES. The film stars KAY LENZ and Morgan FAIRCHILD and Morgan BRITTANY (who was a total JERK on DALLAS and so Stacie was prepared to DISLIKE her immensely, but her character here was actually NICE), which is AMAZING enough...however, there's also ROBERT HAYS of AIRPLANE! (one of Stacie's favorite movies) and TISA FARROW, who is perhaps best known for her turn in LUCIO FULCI'S ZOMBIE, but she's also known for NOT BEING IN ENOUGH HORROR MOVIES ACCORDING TO STACIE. THE INITIATION OF SARAH also features SHELLEY GD WINTERS, who turns in one of her patented over-the-top IS SHE DRUNK? performances.

The best part of the film may very well be the recurring shots of a SCALE MODEL of a HEDGE MAZE that is supposed to be the REAL THING. It never fails to be completely EFFING AWESOME. NEVER. There's a bit of SATANISM thrown in and plenty of the requisite ROBES, DAGGERS of DESPAIR, and CANDLES, but then there's also this unexpected undercurrent of GAY. Seriously. There are enough LONGING glances between the GIRLS throughout the entire movie that it can totally be read as some sort of journey to SEXUAL AWAKENING if you're all, like, into SYMBOLISM AND SHIT. It's gay enough to be the lezzie version of A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 2: FREDDY'S REVENGE. Sure, it's a bit of a rip-off of CARRIE (just substitute MUD and EGGS for PIG'S BLOOD) and in the end there's not much CARNAGE (though the end is still a total downer- it's DEPRESSING in the way all these TELEKINETIC REVENGE movies are), but there's no denying that SARAH and company were initiated straight into my HEART.

Film Club Coolies, yo!
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Made for TV Mayhem
Kindertrauma
Betty Bloodletter
Film Shuffle
From Midnight, With Love
strange spanners
I Will Devour Your Content
Maynard Morrisey's Horror Movie Diary
Creature Cast
Cinema Gonzo