Exclusive Interview: Pop Culturalist Chats with Initiation’s Lindsay LaVanchy

A new scream queen has emerged in Hollywood and her name is Lindsay LaVanchy. The actress, writer, and producer is pulling triple duty for her must-see new horror film, Initiation.

After a star athlete is murdered on campus, the students at Whiton University must uncover the truth behind their school’s hidden secrets and the horrifying meaning of an exclamation point.

Pop Culturalist had the pleasure of speaking with Lindsay about the film, bringing it to life, and what she hopes audiences take away.

PC: Tell us about Initiation, your character, and the inspiration behind this film.
Lindsay: Our original title for Initiation was Dembanger; it’s the title that went to SXSW and Sitka. It’s also the title of the short film that I did with John Berardo in 2013, which was birthed from his brain when he was at USC for film. After we made the short, people responded to it so well. He was like, “I really want to make it a feature.”

He spent years working with other writers, and I would come to table reads, and he would ask all of us for feedback. Eventually, as the story morphed, he asked me to come on board as a writer.

We thought about the social climate of the day and a lot about the conversations that were happening, but also what conversations we might still be having. We filmed it in 2019. It’s astounding how much has changed, but it takes so long for policies to reflect what the people are asking for today.

Our story takes place on a university campus and has some really dynamic characters. It involves an incident that happens in a fraternity and what spins out of that specific incident. We go on a rollercoaster ride with these characters.

PC: We’re seeing another golden age for the horror genre as another medium to tell really cool stories. This film is the latest addition to that movement. Did that bring a different weight/pressure to this project?
Lindsay: John has such an incredible knowledge of the horror genre, slasher films, and thrillers. If there was any pressure, it was to represent the genre and to continue to put one foot in front of the other in terms of progress and expanding this genre.

We wanted to give a nod to the slasher films we love and be part of the growth of the genre. We tackle a lot of social issues that are part of the climate today. We wanted to approach it like: “We have a bunch of questions and here they are.” We’re not trying to say that we need to do this or do that, because that’s what policymakers and people who are experts in that field do.

PC: You starred in the short. As you were adapting this for a full-length feature, did you also know that you were going to star in it? How challenging is it to wear all those different hats?
Lindsay: I’m so blessed that John and I have worked together countless times—we really enjoy working together. I was very blessed that he wanted to continue to work with me as an actor in this and that I was coming on board as a writer. I was at the table read and was reading the Ellery role. This film and John’s vision for it—it was so incredible that I understood that it could expand and that there could be someone that would help the project more. I’m so grateful that John was like, “Nope. You’re Ellery.” I really loved this character. If anything, it felt natural to work with John and Brian in a larger capacity.

PC: Do you think that being a part of the writing process helped your onscreen performance?
Lindsay: I normally spend so much time preparing as an actor, but I was wearing multiple hats. I was trying to be of service to get this project off the ground as much as I could. In indie filmmaking, you don’t have a lot of time, and what I was comforted by was I realized that a lot of the work that I would do as an actor, it was done during the writing process.

I just had to click delete on all the other characters’ lines and what was important to them and focus on Ellery. John’s an incredible leader. I felt so comfortable walking onto set and saying, “Let’s do this.”

PC: This is your first feature film. Did anything surprise you about the process? What was the biggest takeaway?
Lindsay: Oh, wow. That’s a great question. This is my first feature film. My first thought was, “This is what I’ve been missing! Can we do this one more time?” I’ve done a lot of guest spots for TV shows, and it’s so wonderful when the other actors embrace you. You can see that casts become family. I’ve witnessed that in theater, too. It’s so wonderful to become a family through working on your play together, your project. One of the biggest takeaways was that everyone on our indie film really brought their whole self to it.

We all wanted each other to do their best work. We wanted each other to not only grow as people, but also as artists. That’s the type of environment you want for every single project that you’re a part of. What I’ll take with me on future project is that this is a safe space; we’re all here to do our best work and to support each other.

What was I most surprised by? Maybe that we all survived all the night shoots. [laughs] We were all going to bed at six in the morning. Then having to wake up six hours later and find your way back to set. [laughs] We had to cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time, like all indies.

PC: With the film out now, what do you hope audiences take away?
Lindsay: Horror fans are the best. I hope this film brings even more people to the genre—that would be incredible. There are so many incredible filmmakers, writers, artists that are doing incredible work in this genre. I hope it brings new fans. I hope it shows them that this is a film in which you can talk about hard topics in a safe space. What I love about this is the fact that it is not just coming out in theaters, but you can also enjoy it in the comfort of your own home.

I hope all of our filmmakers’ and everyone’s hard work gets them more work because they all deserve it.

To keep up with Lindsay, follow her on Twitter and Instagram. Initiation is out in theaters, On Demand, and Digital.