Seance (Movie Review)

While Adam Wingard went off to make a movie about a couple of big lugs duking it out on the world stage, his longtime collaborator, Simon Barrett, has been relatively quiet since the pair’s last outing. In Seance,  Barrett’s feature length directorial debut, the filmmaker returns his focus to low budget genre efforts that brought the collaborators’ notoriety. Similar to those early so-called “mumblegore” films, Seance offers a mix of genre tastes audience’s familiar with You’re Next, the V/H/S films, or The Guest may expect. The result, however, is a confounding cinematic experience that’s deceptive in its simplicity and familiarity.

Barrett’s numerous sources of inspiration for Seance were shared via his Twitter account leading up to Seance's release. The filmmaker cites feature titles such as The Initiation, What Have You Done to Solange, The House on Sorority Row (and it’s 2009 remake) just to name a few. So it might not be surprising to learn that Seance plays out like a teen slasher with a ghost story looming over its dimly lit, flickering hallways. The film begins with a prank gone awry at a prestigious boarding school that leads to the death of Kerrie (Megan Best). Kerrie’s death is eventually ruled a suicide and a short time later Camille (Suki Waterhouse) is invited to take her place at the school. Camille quickly finds herself at odds with Kerri’s clique--especially with their leader, Alice (Inanna Sarkis). Camille befriends Helina (Ella-Rae Smith), who was once very close with Kerrie and the two begrudgingly partake in a seance with hopes to communicate with Kerrie’s spirit to ask what happened to her. Soon after, members of Alice’s group begin to die and it’s up to the rest to unravel who’s behind the deaths before they meet the same fate.

Seance’s opening prank features Kerrie, Alice and the rest of the entourage attempting to summon the spirit of a former classmate who is rumored to haunt the Edelvine Academy. The summoning is actually just a joke Alice concocted to scare her friends. But Kerrie runs to her dorm before the jest is revealed and, once there, alone, we see that something or someone is in the room with her. Cut to Kerrie’s friends running toward the sounds of her screams only to discover her dead body on the ground appearing to have committed suicide. As Camille and party perform their own seance, the specter of both Kerrie and another potentially vengeful spirit looms over the remainder of the film. Add in the gothic atmosphere and healthy doses of sketchy electrical systems and the ghostly foundation of Seance is effectively planted. Barrett doesn’t stop there. The ‘ghosts’ have a flair for the dramatic, donning horrifying masks initially introduced by Alice as a prop made in a class. The costuming addition gives the film a new set of genre tools, as Seance begins to look and move like a slasher with a ghostly nature.

In spite of the complicated plot gymnastics on display, Seance flirts with being tragically formulaic. However, even when Barrett's feature feels a bit paint-by-numbers, he gleefully diverts from the suggested colors while still obediently staying within the lines. Barrett’s charm as a writer is evident throughout, keeping the film's momentum from flagging even in its most rote moments. It’s only in the final act that he begins to brush a smidge more recklessly, introducing a duo of twists that aren’t exactly surprises. Barrett’s tinkering with the storytelling mechanisms has its pleasures, but the direction often leaves inaccessible a deeper connection between audience and character, leaving the viewer indifferent to their fates. There's an unshakeable sense that the characters are components in the plot and little more. 

Seance may often be a little too generic at face value, but those willing to give the film the benefit of the doubt will find the pieces do justify the whole and Barrett proves himself as capable behind the camera as he is on the paper.

Seance is availble now on VOD as well as DVD and Blu-ray with a slew of spooky special features, including: 

• Director Commentary
• Behind the Scenes of Seance
• Outtakes 
• Deleted Scenes
• Decapitation Pre-Viz
• Behind the Scenes Photo Gallery