Movies Like The Initiation (1984)

The Initiation is a 1984 horror, mystery, thriller film from Larry Stewart with a MovieMagicScore of 5.4/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The Cat o' Nine Tails and Don't Answer the Phone!.

Horror Mystery Thriller

The Cat o' Nine Tails

1971

A newsman works with a blind puzzle-solver to uncover a deadly conspiracy linked to a genetic research facility.

6.7

MagicScore

Don't Answer the Phone!

1980

A Vietnam veteran that spends his days photographing pretty girls, and his nights strangling them, sets sights on the patients of a radio psychiatrist.

4.5

MagicScore

Splatter University

1984

A sociology instructor finds her new teaching duties at a private college interrupted by the presence of a killer.

4.2

MagicScore

Torso

1973

A masked serial killer with psychosexual issues strangles female coeds with scarves before dismembering them. When a wealthy student identifies one of the scarves and thinks she has a lead on a suspect, she becomes the killer's next target, retreating to her family's remote cliffside villa with three of her girlfriends.

6.6

MagicScore

Nightmare at Shadow Woods

1987

Twins Todd and Terry seem like sweet boys -- that is, until one of them takes an axe to the face of a fellow patron at the local drive-in.

5.8

MagicScore

Orphan: First Kill

2022

After escaping from an Estonian psychiatric facility, Leena Klammer travels to America by impersonating Esther, the missing daughter of a wealthy family. But when her mask starts to slip, she is put against a mother who will protect her family from the murderous “child” at any cost.

6.6

MagicScore

A Bay of Blood

1971

An elderly heiress is killed by her husband who wants control of her fortunes. What ensues is an all-out murder spree as relatives and friends attempt to reduce the inheritance playing field, complicated by some teenagers who decide to camp out in a dilapidated building on the estate.

6.6

MagicScore

New Year's Evil

1980

During a live punk-rock New Year's Eve TV programme, the presenter gets a phone call from a psycho calling himself "Evil" saying that when New Year's strikes in each US time zone, he will murder someone.

4.8

MagicScore

The House Bunny

2008

Shelley is living a carefree life until a rival gets her tossed out of the Playboy Mansion. With nowhere to go, fate delivers her to the sorority girls from Zeta Alpha Zeta. Unless they can sign a new pledge class, the seven socially clueless women will lose their house to the scheming girls of Phi Iota Mu. In order to accomplish their goal, they need Shelley to teach them the ways of makeup and men; at the same time, Shelley needs some of what the Zetas have - a sense of individuality. The combination leads all the girls to learn how to stop pretending and start being themselves.

5.7

MagicScore

#10

Sorority Boys

2002

After being falsely accused of stealing the budget for their annual cocktail cruise, three very different fraternity brothers are kicked out of their dorm. In order to clear their name and to secure their future careers, the three dress up in drag and pledge the sorority next door where they learn a few valuable - and hilarious - lessons about themselves and the female species.

5.6

MagicScore

#11

Alone in the Dark

1982

A quartet of murderous psychopaths break out of a mental hospital during a power blackout and lay siege to their doctor's house.

5.8

MagicScore

#12

Init!ation

2021

During a Whiton University's pledge week, the carefree partying turns deadly when brutal murders start befalling the students, sending Ellery into a race against time to uncover the truth behind the school's dark secrets and the horrifying meaning of a recurring symbol: a single exclamation mark.

5.1

MagicScore

#13

Black Christmas

2006

As the residents of sorority house Pi Kappa Sigma prepare for the festive season, a stranger begins a series of obscene phone calls with dubious intentions...

5.2

MagicScore

#14

Sleepless

2001

An elderly and retired police detective and a young amateur sleuth team up to find a serial killer whom has resumed a killing spree in Turin, Italy after a 17-year hiatus.

6.1

MagicScore

#15

Night of the Creeps

1986

In 1959, an alien experiment crashes to earth and infects a fraternity member. They freeze the body, but in the modern day, two geeks pledging a fraternity accidentally thaw the corpse, which proceeds to infect the campus with parasites that transform their hosts into killer zombies.

6.7

MagicScore

#16

Stepfather 2

1989

"Stepfather" Jerry Blake escapes an insane asylum and winds up in another town, this time impersonating a marriage counselor. With a future wife and new stepson who love him, Blake eliminates anyone who stands in his way to building the perfect family.

5.5

MagicScore

#17

The Burning

1981

A caretaker at a summer camp is burned when a prank goes tragically wrong. After several years of intensive treatment at hospital, he is released back into society, albeit missing some social skills. What follows is a bloody killing spree with the caretaker making his way back to his old stomping ground to confront one of the youths that accidentally burned him.

6.2

MagicScore

#18

The House on Sorority Row

1982

When the senior sorority sisters of Theta Pi decide to do in their demented house mother, someone seeks revenge, and begins a night of terror and madness.

5.8

MagicScore

#19

He Knows You're Alone

1980

A reluctant bride-to-be is stalked by a serial killer who only kills brides and the people around them. While her friends get whacked one by one, a hard-boiled renegade cop whose bride had been killed years before tries to hunt the killer down before it is too late.

5.0

MagicScore

#20

Sorority House Massacre

1986

Upon joining a sorority, Beth is plagued by nightmares of a knife-wielding killer, when her past comes back to haunt her.

4.7

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like The Initiation?

The top films similar to The Initiation by MovieMagicScore are The Cat o' Nine Tails (6.7), Don't Answer the Phone! (4.5), Splatter University (4.2). Each shares horror/mystery/thriller themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is The Initiation worth watching?

The Initiation holds a MovieMagicScore of 5.4/10 from 106 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is The Initiation?

The Initiation (1984) is a horror, mystery, thriller film directed by Larry Stewart, starring Vera Miles, Clu Gulager, Daphne Zuniga.

Where can I find more recommendations like The Initiation?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more horror recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like The Cat o' Nine Tails Movies like Don't Answer the Phone!Movies like Splatter University Movies like Torso Movies like Nightmare at Shadow Woods Movies like Orphan: First Kill

About movies like The Initiation

This ranked list pairs The Initiation (1984), a horror and mystery and thriller film from Larry Stewart, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Vera Miles take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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