The Initiation of Sarah
1978
⏱️ 96 minutes
📅 Released
🌐 EN
HorrorTV Movie
Shy misfit Sarah Goodwin has a secret gift: the ability to control — and destroy — with her mind. When Sarah goes off to college with her more outgoing and popular sister, Patty, their plans to join the most prestigious sorority on campus are scuttled by snobby president, Jennifer Lawrence. Separated from her sister, Sarah is taken in by a rival, less popular sorority, whose mysterious house mother, Mrs. Hunter, is harboring a secret of her own: a scheme to harness Sarah's terrifying power for revenge. Betrayed by Patty, humiliated by Jennifer, it can only be a matter of time before Sorority Hell Week erupts in flame!
Where to Watch (US)
Stream
ScreenPix Apple TV Channel
ScreenPix Amazon Channel
Cast
User Reviews
Definitely has flavors of Carrie in this TV movie but still pretty entertaining though does lag some in the second act before redeeming itself with a satisfying finale. Solid performances including Kay Lenz as Sarah. **3.75/5**
June 17, 2022
_**A Tale of Two Sororities with telekinesis and a dab of the occult**_
Two loving sisters, one beautiful & popular and the other adopted & withdrawn (Morgan Brittany & Kay Lenz), start college in SoCal where the former is accepted by an uppity sorority while the latter joins a sorority of outcasts. Havoc ensues. Costars include: Morgan Fairchild, Shelley Winters, Tony Bill and Robert Hays.
"The Initiation of Sarah" (1978) is a television knockoff of “Carrie” (1976) mixed with “Satan’s School for Girls” (1973). While not on the level of the former, it’s superior to the latter because it’s dramatically weightier, plus you can’t beat the notable cast (this was before Fairchild and Brittany shot to fame).
It was remade in 2006 with Morgan Fairchild returning as the mother of the two sisters, Mrs. Goodwin.
The movie runs 1 hour, 36 minutes, and was shot at S. Lorraine Blvd, Los Angeles (the PED sorority house) and California Institute of Technology, Pasadena.
GRADE: B
March 6, 2022
Crew
Director
Robert Day
Writer
Carol Saraceno, Tom Holland
Producer
Jay Benson, Charles W. Fries
Production
Stonehenge Productions, Charles Fries Productions