Seance (2021)
Listen to my interview with writer/director Simon Barrett:
https://directorsclubpodcast.libsyn.com/website/bonus-episode-simon-barrett-seance
First and foremost, when making a roller coaster ride in the horror genre, it should be fun. When I saw Simon Barrett’s name attached to the film Seance, I had no doubt that a lot of fun would be had due to his work as a screenwriter collaborating with Adam Wingard on favorites like You’re Next & The Guest. At first I was a little concerned that this would be another straightforward ghost story mixed with The Craft due to the ensemble of young women looking like they were ready to take on supernatural forces. That turns out not to be the case in this welcome surprise that definitely becomes even more of a hoot by the time the last act sticks the landing in a way that’ll elicit laughs mixed with screams from any audience on board for the ride.
Seance opens in the dead of night with a group of students at Edelvine Academy for Girls conducting a ritual to summon the specter that supposedly haunts the surroundings. When one of them, Kerrie (Megan Best), dies shortly after, it creates an opening for another young woman named Camille (Suki Waterhouse) to take her place. Things escalate quite quickly especially between Camille and Kerrie's old clique of mean girls, but she discovers a new friend -- and, in time, more than that -- in the kindly Helina (Ella-Rae Smith). Before long, though, they all find themselves being hunted by something whether it be Edelvine ghost, Kerrie's spirit, or something far more sinister. And that’s where the mystery kicks into high gear. There comes a certain point where you wonder, we still have a ways to go and a twist appears in a way that is satisfying.
The whole film harkens back to a time when slasher movies did mash themselves up with other genres but this one has a lot of stylistic flourish courtesy of Barrett’s inventive direction and an eerie, unexpected score by independent songwriter/composer Sicker Man. Karim Hussein’s rather smooth, intimate, carefully precise cinematography really serves as an antithesis to the shaky cam chaos of something like Wingard’s You’re Next, both of which make you feel the intended effects of the circumstances involved. I’m a sucker for stories that play out in libraries as well so the production design is pretty tip-top too. One of the reasons you’ll get on board with the proceedings and the sudden shift is the palpable talent of one Suki Waterhouse who is bound to be a breakthrough star any day now. There are very few qualms outside of the initial setup being a bit too familiar yet at the same time, there’s a sense that Barrett wanted to capture the feeling of a giallo mixed with the world of James Wan in the beginning until it becomes something entirely engaging in a way that sneaks up and creeps up. Seance is a solid, satisfying, spooky little tale that proves Barrett is as capable and confident behind the camera as he is penning screenplays. He is bound to evolve from here and this is a great place for him to start as a showcase for his many strengths as a master storyteller in the horror genre.
