What Is The Initiation About?
The premise of The Initiation in 291 words, with nothing given away. The full story follows below.
In the dim corridors of a sprawling, long‑abandoned department store, a sorority’s senior ritual takes on a foreboding edge. Kelly Fairchild, a college student haunted by a childhood nightmare and a lingering loss of memory, volunteers to lead her pledge class through the clandestine initiation. The rite demands that the newcomers slip unseen through the vacant aisles after dark, a test that blurs the line between tradition and terror. As the night deepens, the familiar retail maze transforms into a labyrinth of shadows, each echo hinting that something far more sinister watches from the darkness.
Kelly’s personal quest intertwines with the ceremony. Still trying to piece together fragments of her past, she enlists the help of Peter, a graduate assistant in psychology, whose curiosity about her recurring dream fuels a joint investigation into the fire that once scarred her family. At home, Frances, Kelly’s mother, guards secrets that may hold the key to the girl’s fragmented identity, while Dwight, her father‑figure, remains a steady, if enigmatic, presence. Within the sorority circle, Kelly’s closest confidantes—Marcia, Alison, and Beth—each bring their own blend of loyalty, skepticism, and hidden anxieties to the night’s ordeal.
The atmosphere is thick with a retro‑cineramic dread, the empty storefront lit only by flickering fluorescents and the occasional flash of a security camera. The film balances the uneasy camaraderie of college friendships with a creeping, almost mythic sense of danger, suggesting that the building itself may harbor memories as volatile as Kelly’s. As the initiates delve deeper into the forsaken department store, they must confront not only the external menace hinted at by the “mysterious killer” lurking in the shadows, but also the unresolved fragments of Kelly’s own past, making the night a crucible for both survival and revelation.
What Happens in The Initiation?
The complete story of The Initiation, from the first scene to the last, in 706 words (about 3 minutes). Spoilers throughout. Names in the text link to 12 cast member pages.
Spoilers ahead
Kelly Fairchild is a college student who has carried a troubling, recurring nightmare since childhood—a dream in which a mysterious man is burned alive inside her family home. The nightmare began after a head injury left her with amnesia when she was nine. In an effort to understand the dream, she pitches a term-project idea to Peter, a graduate assistant in her psychology seminar, hoping to uncover its hidden meaning. [Peter] agrees to run a sleep study on Kelly, but her mother, Frances, quickly forbids it. Simultaneously, miles away at a psychiatric hospital, several patients escape and a nurse is murdered. [Frances] is alerted to the incident by phone and relays the news to Kelly’s father, Dwight.
As Kelly gears up for her sorority’s initiation ritual, she learns the stair-step path of hazing involves her and a small group of pledges breaking into her father’s vast department store after hours and stealing a night porter’s uniform. The four main pledges are [Kelly Fairchild], her friend Marcia, and roommates Alison and Beth. On the night of the initiation, [Dwight] departs on a business trip but is brutally stabbed outside his car with a hand rake and then decapitated, his killer taking his car and his body in the trunk with him. Before they arrive at the store, the night porter is murdered during rounds, hinting that danger lurks in the hollowed-out corridors of the familiar place.
Beth decides to quit, leaving Kelly, Marcia, and Alison to soldier on. The trio splits up, with Kelly heading upstairs to retrieve one of the spare uniforms from the lounge. In a parallel movement, head sorority sister Megan permits coeds Chad, Ralph, and Andy to break into the store to spook the pledges. The plan spirals into chaos as Andy is killed with a hatchet and Megan is shot with a bow and arrow. Ralph and Chad manage to terrify Kelly and Marcia by hiding in a dressing room, and the three friends regroup with Alison, only to discover they are locked inside the store.
Back at the university, [Peter] and his colleague, Heidi, dig into newspaper clippings about the fire Kelly described, discovering the identity of the burning man: Jason Randall, a floor manager at the Fairchild department store who was once married to Frances. Peter suspects that Jason may actually be Kelly’s biological father, and that her nightmare is a memory of him being set ablaze in a confrontation with Frances’ lover, Dwight, who later raised Kelly as his own daughter. A recent hospital revolt article confirms Jason had been a prisoner and a groundskeeper at the hospital, and he’d managed to escape during the breakout. Peter rushes to warn Frances at the Fairchild home.
Inside the store, Alison and Chad move about, and Alison makes a grim discovery: the night porter’s body in one area, followed by Chad’s corpse in a bathroom stall. Traumatized, Alison hides at a security desk on the ground floor as Kelly confronts a blood-streaked bathroom, where she sees Chad’s corpse and a message written in blood on a mirror. The fear escalates as Alison is attacked and stabbed at the desk.
The tension peaks when Ralph and Marcia’s encounter turns deadly: Ralph is killed by a harpoon, while Marcia flees through the store, pursued by the killer. She is eventually dragged into an elevator shaft as Kelly escapes and hides in the boiler room. From there, Kelly confronts Jason, whom she assumes is the killer, and the two duel in a rooftop pursuit where she clubs him with a pipe, sending him to the ground in defeat.
Peter and Frances arrive again at the store and find Jason clinging to life. Peter embraces what he believes is Kelly, only to have her stab him in the stomach moments later. Kelly, shaken by the scene, is confronted with a vision of her own reflection: a disturbing twin, Terry, who has lived in an institution since childhood after Frances left their father and married Dwight—a memory Kelly never fully embraced. As Terry lunges forward, Frances shoots her, and law enforcement soon arrives. Peter is loaded into an ambulance, while Kelly’s gaze remains fixed on her mother, mourning the revelations that have just reshaped her world.
The Initiation Timeline: Every Key Event in Order
14 key events in the order they happen, from “Nightmare origin and amnesia” to “Final confrontation and aftermath”. 14 events name a place, across 12 locations.
- 1
Nightmare origin and amnesia
Kelly Fairchild has a recurring nightmare of a man being burned alive in her childhood home. The dream began after a head injury at age nine, which left her with memory gaps about her early life. The nightmare continues to haunt her, hinting at a buried truth she can’t access.
When:since age nine Where:Kelly's childhood home
- 2
Sleep study proposal
In a psychology class, Kelly pitches a term project about investigating her nightmare through a sleep study. Peter agrees to conduct the study to help unravel its meaning. Kelly hopes the science will reveal a buried memory.
When:before the sleep study Where:university psychology seminar room
- 3
Frances forbids sleep study
Frances, Kelly's mother, forbids Kelly from participating in the sleep study. The prohibition creates tension between mother and daughter. Kelly is left wondering about the dream's hidden truth.
When:around planning Where:Fairchild residence
- 4
Jason and the buried past emerge
Peter and Heidi review newspaper clippings about the burning man from Kelly's dream. They identify the man as Jason Randall, a former Fairchild department store employee and Frances' ex-husband. Peter suspects Jason might be Kelly’s biological father and notes Jason’s recent escape from an inmate revolt.
When:shortly after the dream Where:university and psychiatric hospital
- 5
Peter informs Frances
Peter drives to the Fairchild residence to report his findings to Frances. He warns that Jason may still be connected to Kelly and the nightmare. This revelation foreshadows danger linked to Kelly's past.
When:night after discoveries Where:Fairchild residence
- 6
Initiation night tragedy begins
On the night of the sorority initiation, Dwight departs for a business trip. He is attacked outside his car with a hand rake and is brutally decapitated. The killer escapes in Dwight’s car, leaving the corpse in the trunk.
When:initiation night Where:parking lot near the department store
- 7
Porter murder precedes the entry
Just before Kelly and the pledges reach the store, the night porter is murdered while on rounds. The killer’s presence is felt as the pledges prepare to infiltrate after hours. This grim event sets the tone for what follows inside.
When:before pledges arrive Where:department store
- 8
Pledges enter; Beth quits; planning widens
Kelly, Marcia, and Alison enter the department store after hours for the initiation. Beth decides to quit, leaving the trio to continue on their own. Megan, the senior, lets Chad, Ralph, and Andy break in to scare the pledges, expanding the danger inside.
When:after entry Where:department store; upstairs lounge
- 9
Infiltration turns deadly
Shortly after the intruders begin their scare, Andy is killed with a hatchet and Megan is shot with a bow and arrow. Ralph and Chad manage to scare Kelly and Marcia by hiding in a dressing room. The group eventually reunites with Alison and attempts to leave, only to discover they are locked inside.
When:during night Where:department store
- 10
Alison and Chad confront the horrors
Alison and Chad wander the store and discover the night porter’s body, followed by Chad’s corpse in a bathroom stall. Traumatized, Alison hides at a security desk on the ground floor while Kelly remains on the move, trying to evade the killer.
When:during the long night Where:department store; bathroom; security desk
Show the other 4 events of The Initiation Hide the last 4 events
- 11
Ralph and Marcia diverge fatefully
Ralph and Marcia share a fleeting moment in a retail display bed, then Ralph is shot dead by a harpoon gun. Marcia flees through the store and is pursued by the killer, who drags her into the elevator shaft, sealing her fate inside.
When:late night Where:department store; display bed; elevator shaft
- 12
Kelly's escape and Jason's pursuit
Kelly escapes into the boiler room, where she encounters Jason Randall. He pursues her toward the roof, and she bludgeons him with a pipe, sending him falling away from her pursuit. With Jason seemingly out of the picture, the path for escape remains uncertain.
When:late night Where:department store; boiler room; roof
- 13
Peter and Frances encounter a dying Jason
Peter and Frances arrive at the store and find Jason lying on the ground, clinging to life. Peter mistakes a figure that looks like Kelly for his daughter and embraces her, only to be stabbed by Kelly in the stomach. The reunion devolves into a lethal confrontation.
When:final confrontation Where:store foyer
- 14
Final confrontation and aftermath
Kelly confronts a mirror image of herself in Terry, her disturbed twin sister. Frances shoots Terry to prevent further bloodshed. Law enforcement arrives as Peter is taken away in an ambulance, and Kelly stares at her mother in disbelief amid the chaos.
When:aftermath Where:department store interior
Who Are the Main Characters in The Initiation?
12 characters, among them Kelly Fairchild (Daphne Zuniga), Frances Fairchild (Vera Miles) and Peter (James Read): who each one is and the part they play in the story. Every profile links to the actor’s page.
- KF
Kelly Fairchild (Daphne Zuniga)
Played by Daphne Zuniga
A college student plagued by a recurring nightmare of a man being burned alive, with amnesia from a childhood head injury. Kelly becomes the focal point of a deadly chain of events tied to her family’s past. She navigates fragmented memories and a nightmarish reality during the initiation and the store nightmare.
- 🎯 Protagonist
- 🌀 Trauma
-
Frances Fairchild (Vera Miles)
Played by Vera Miles
Kelly's mother, whose past with Jason and her decision to leave the family haunt the present. She is central to unraveling family secrets and ultimately confronts the truth behind Kelly and her sister Terry. Her actions drive the emotional core of the film and culminate in a shocking moment that redefines Kelly's world.
- 👩👧 Family
- 🧠 Mystery
- P(
Peter (James Read)
Played by James Read
A psychology graduate assistant who investigates Kelly's nightmare and its possible links to the department store murders. He helps piece together clues from articles about Jason and Frances and guides the inquiry into Kelly's past. He becomes deeply involved in the investigation, risking personal danger as the truth unfolds.
- 🧠 Investigator
- 🔎 Research
-
Dwight Fairchild (Clu Gulager)
Played by Clu Gulager
Kelly's father, a business figure whose brutal murder outside his car triggers a cascade of violence and exposes buried family tensions. His death marks a turning point that intensifies the drive to uncover long-suppressed secrets. Dwight's role as patriarch, though brief, sets the stage for the revelations to come.
- 💔 Tragedy
- 🗝️ Patriarch
- JR
Jason Randall (Robert Dowdell)
Played by Robert Dowdell
A floor manager at the Fairchild department store and a figure from Kelly's past, connected to Frances and the burning nightmare. He escapes from a psychiatric setting and becomes a focal point of the investigation into Kelly's origins. His past association with the family adds layers of motive and kinship to the mystery.
- 🧩 Past
- 🕵️♂️ Suspect
- M(
Marcia (Marilyn Kagan)
Played by Marilyn Kagan
One of Kelly's sorority pledges who shares a moment of intimacy with Ralph before becoming entangled in the store's deadly night. She is caught up in the escalating violence that erupts during the initiation. Her fate underscores the vulnerability of the pledges during the ritual.
- 🎭 Pledge
- 💀 Violence
- A(
Alison (Hunter Tylo)
Played by Hunter Tylo
A pledge who sticks with Kelly during the initiation. She discovers the night porter’s body and is drawn into the killer's pursuit, meeting a fatal end as danger closes in. Her presence highlights the peril faced by those who venture into the store after hours.
- 🎭 Pledge
- 🩸 Danger
- C(
Chad (Christopher Bradley)
Played by Christopher Bradley
A pledge who helps orchestrate a scare inside the store and becomes a casualty in the ensuing carnage. His death, found in a bathroom stall, adds to the mounting bloodshed that defines the night. Chad's fate illustrates the lethal consequences of the initiation plan.
- 🎭 Pledge
- 🔪 Death
- R(
Ralph (Trey Stroud)
Played by Trey Stroud
A pledges who engages in reckless behavior during the night and is killed by a harpoon gun, marking one of the early brutal outcomes. His death signals the killer's ruthlessness and the high stakes of the initiation. Ralph's arc emphasizes the danger of crossing lines in pursuit of belonging.
- 🎭 Pledge
- 🗡️ Violence
- M(
Megan (Frances Peterson)
Played by Frances Peterson
Head sorority sister who orchestrates the initiation break-in and becomes a casualty in the store's night of terror. Her leadership role is overturned by the killer's assault, illustrating how ambition and ritual can intersect with danger. Megan's fate underscores the price of seeking dominance within the sorority.
- 🎀 Leader
- 🗡️ Violence
- A(
Andy (Peter Malof)
Played by Peter Malof
A pledges who participates in the break-in and meets a brutal end during the chaotic night. His death adds to the mounting casualties as the store becomes a weaponized space. Andy's arc shows the irreversible consequences of the risky initiation.
- 🎭 Pledge
- 🪓 Death
- N(
Nightwatchman (Rusty Meyers)
Played by Rusty Meyers
The store's night porter who patrols after hours and becomes a victim of the killer. His death reinforces the theme of vulnerability within the seemingly safe, familiar space of the department store. He embodies the loneliness and danger of the after-hours environment.
- 🌙 Nightshift
- 🩸 Violence
Where and When Is The Initiation Set?
The Initiation is set in Fairchild Department Store, Fairchild Family Home, University Campus and…. Here is why the place matters to the story.
Where
Fairchild Department Store, Fairchild Family Home, University Campus, Psychiatric Hospital
The story centers on the Fairchild multilevel department store, a sprawling retail space that becomes a claustrophobic hunting ground after hours. The Fairchild residence and a nearby university campus frame the investigation into Kelly's memories and the mystery surrounding her past. A distant psychiatric hospital, from which inmates escape, adds a looming threat and ties to the killers' history.
- 🏬 Department store
- 🏠 Family home
- 🎓 University
- 🏥 Psychiatric hospital
What Are the Themes of The Initiation?
3 ideas the story keeps returning to, among them Identity, Memory and Violence.
-
01
Identity
Two identities collide as Kelly confronts a traumatic past embodied by a disturbing twin and a haunting memory. The nightmare blurs lines between victim and aggressor, suggesting hidden family secrets shape who she is. The memory drives the action and reveals the true nature of danger facing the group. The motif of the mirror reinforces the idea that who we are can be split or hidden.
-
02
Memory
Memory and amnesia propel the mystery, with Kelly's childhood head injury and fragmented recall guiding the plot. Peter's investigation connects newspaper clippings to Jason and Frances, complicating what Kelly remembers. The past intrudes on the present as buried motives and loyalties come to light. The narrative hinges on separating remembered fact from concealed truth.
-
03
Violence
Violence disrupts the initiation ritual, turning a rite of belonging into a deadly ordeal. The department store becomes a maze of danger, with victims scattered through floors, stairwells, and a boiler room. Each killing exposes latent anger and secrets within the Fairchild family. The escalating brutality amplifies the horror of the memory-driven mystery.
What Kind of Film Is The Initiation?
Tense in tone, with fast pacing and a moderate story, going by the plot summary.
- Tone
- Tense
- Pacing
- Fast
- Story
- Moderate
- Intensity
- High
- Ending
- Mixed
A tense and claustrophobic slasher that traps its characters in an abandoned store, escalating into a violent nightmare fueled by repressed memories and a shocking family revelation.
- claustrophobic
- anxious
- paranoid
- violent
- disturbing
- suspenseful
- childhood trauma
- psychological horror
- family secrets
- slasher
Content notes: decapitation, stabbing, person on fire, multiple murders, psychological trauma, childhood trauma.
Quiz
How well do you remember The Initiation? Test yourself on the story.
