The Initiation (1984), Arrow Video

[drownsoda]

Couldn't find a thread on this one—it was one of the first Arrow releases I purchased and I have always loved this movie so much. It is one of my favorite slashers of its era. I happened to see that it's apparently now out of print(?) which surprised me. The Arrow store lists it as "out of stock" but Amazon no longer even has a listing for it. Do we think there's ever a chance of it getting a 4K release?

[balthazar_bee]

I'd certainly upgrade this one to 4K, but I haven't heard anything. Maybe I'm wrong, it's been a while, but I remember the blu-ray looking a bit coarse at times, almost like it was taken from a print, so possibly 4K-level source materials aren't extant?

[drownsoda]

Originally Posted by balthazar_bee

I'd certainly upgrade this one to 4K, but I haven't heard anything. Maybe I'm wrong, it's been a while, but I remember the blu-ray looking a bit coarse at times, almost like it was taken from a print, so possibly 4K-level source materials aren't extant?

The Blu-ray does have a little bit of coarseness to it. It's not a perfect transfer but it does look nice. The film itself has a hazy look to it at times that I think is simply because of how it was shot. I really would love a 4K but I'm not sure if it's possible or not. This isn't a super popular title from what I can tell, so I am not sure if Arrow will (or can) reissue it. The fact that it went out of print seemingly under the radar is kind of a bummer.

[drownsoda]

I popped in my Blu-ray and gave the film a watch this evening (perfect Halloweentime viewing)—and yeah, coarse is one way to put it. I didn't realize how rough some of it looked. There is a lot of noise, especially in the darker scenes. The end credits themselves almost have a television static effect going on. Weirdly, only certain parts have that rough texture, and they are mostly fleeting. I'm not sure what the deal is.

[Jorvic]

Originally Posted by drownsoda

Couldn't find a thread on this one—it was one of the first Arrow releases I purchased and I have always loved this movie so much. It is one of my favorite slashers of its era. I happened to see that it's apparently now out of print(?) which surprised me. The Arrow store lists it as "out of stock" but Amazon no longer even has a listing for it. Do we think there's ever a chance of it getting a 4K release?

Not sure about a 4K but the film is very entertaining all the way through and one of those slashers that has something a bit different from many others. I was wondering a while back why there wasn't a thread for it (until now) and why it doesn't get discussed more often.

Guess I'll have to stick with my Arrow Blu-ray for the moment but a UHD would be day one.

[DR Herbert West]

It's a fun little film.