It Came From The Tube: THE INITIATION OF SARAH (1978)

Brian DePalma’s Carrie (1976) has cast a very wide shadow since it hit theatres. Many horror films have used the trope of telekinesis for the greater bad following its release, including Jennifer, The Fury, Patrick, The Medusa Touch (all ’78), Scanners (’81), and several more. (You can’t make me mention  Friday the 13^th Part VII. Oh. Dammit.) Of course, television is anything if not inclusive, and the networks scrambled to come up with their own takes on teenage angst. However, ABC’s The Initiation of Sarah (1978) took a slightly different tact and sent the girl off to college – and ended up serving a strong dose of female empowerment.

First broadcast on Monday, February 6^th, Sarah had her work cut out, not so much from NBC, who provided their own Monday Night at the Movies, but from CBS’ juggernaut of M*A*S*H/One Day at a Time. Regardless of ratings, Sarah still stands as an enjoyable, if derivative riff on the blood soaked prom queen.

A quick flip through our TV Guide:

THE INITIATION OF SARAH (Monday, 9:00 PM, ABC)

 A withdrawn young woman with telekinetic powers, and her outgoing sister, enroll in competing sororities upon entering college. Before long the shy, retiring sister is using her abilities to extract revenge against her oppressors. Shelley Winters, Kay Lenz star.

Sure, its Carrie Goes to College, and why not? Television has just as much right to goldmine as any other media, and TV provides a platform for some of the same themes, albeit in a more subdued form. In this case, much more subdued. Sarah’s main claim to fame is great performances by Kay Lenz as the titular character, Morgan Fairchild as the main antagonist, and hard to believe, but yes Tisa Farrow as Sarah’s confidant and sorority sister. The telefilm doesn’t go for big scares, but tries to invoke the spirit of Carrie in certain scenes and actually pulls it off.

An expansion of the story: The Goodwin sister, Patty (Morgan Brittany – Sundown) and her adopted sister Sarah (Kay Lenz – Stripped to Kill), are enjoying themselves at the beach before their first day of college. We first get a taste of Sarah’s powers when an amorous male tries to make a move on Patty and is promptly flung back violently in the waters with a nod of Sarah’s head. Soon thereafter the sisters are on campus, going to open houses in the hopes of getting into a sorority. First stop is Alpha Sigma Nu, the most popular house and home to all the mean girls, including head baddie Jennifer (Fairchild – The Seduction). ASN takes an instant shine to Patty, as they should since her mom is a legacy. However, they’re not too keen on frumpy, awkward Sarah, so the sisters head over to Pie Epsilon Delta (or Pigs, Elephants, and Dogs, as ASN calls them) to see if they can find a better fit. Sarah instantly feels a connection with PED, a group of societal wallflowers (and where the heart of the movie lies) bonded by a distrust of the outside world. Of course, ASN chooses Patty and PED opts for Sarah; this sets up the main conflict between the ins and outs, the haves and want nots.

Enter Mrs. Hunter (Winters – Tentacles), the PED housemistress with a penchant for witchcraft, and a longstanding hatred of ASN. Before long, Mrs. Hunter is using Sarah to settle the score against their rivals. But at what cost?

If you’re intrigued by the witchcraft angle, calm yourself right now. Not only is it intrusive to the main story, it’s so poorly fleshed out that its only result is showcasing Winters. (And it’s not like she needs the spotlight to be noticed.) But this was the ‘70s after all; Witchcraft, Satanism et al was often woven into the very fabric of the decade’s horror, but is completely superfluous to the simple tale presented here.

Apart from the cast there is another factor that makes Sarah different from others of its ilk. Carrie and similar ventures focus on the plight of the individual; one poor soul who lashes back against an injustice, perceived or earned. This is what makes them revenge films. Sarah, however, has a built in support system with her sorority sisters – a safety net that diminishes the danger, yet provides an interesting group dynamic peculiar to this type of film. Sisters are doing it for each other.

“Psychic” movies are perfect for television’s limited budgets; a head tilt here, a lamp flying there, not to mention bodies flung everywhere, are easy and inexpensive ways to get your point across. Director Robert Day (The Green Man, She) uses the quick – cut – close ups from DePalma’s film so much he should have paid royalties. But dammit if it doesn’t work – it clearly evokes that film and I’d like to think with a wink and a nod as well. Day’s greatest strength is drawing out stellar work from a superior cast.

For real though – besides Lenz, Fairchild, Farrow, Winters we also get: Robert Hays (Airplane!) as Fairchild’s boyfriend, Tony Bill as a potential paramour for Sarah (and who gets an instant lifetime pass from me for directing the wonderful My Bodyguard), and the terrific Talia Balsam (Crawlspace) as a PED sister. It’s a deep bench, and anchoring it all is Lenz. Sarah has a sadness to her that couldn’t possibly be fleshed out in the allotted time (from an early story by Tom Holland!), but through tentative body movements and forlorn eyes, Lenz manages to convey a lifetime of pain. A great turn.

The Initiation of Sarah certainly never had the impact of its high school predecessor, but in its own modest way, with a slightly different approach and an elevated cast, manages to come across as Carrie’s cute little sister dragged through an ABC Afterschool Special. Maybe not enough to come out from its shadow, but sometimes it’s nice to be cool in the shade.

The Initiation of Sarah is available on DVD from Scream Factory.