Simon Barrett, the writer of genre gems such as You’re Next, Blair Witch, and The Guest, turns director in soon to be released Seance. It’s not Barrett’s first foray into directing having previously created a few shorts as well as segments in the V/H/S franchise. The story, also devised by Barrett, is set within the dark halls of an all-girl boarding school. It opens at 3:13am as a group of friends play a variation of Bloody Mary in the bathroom. It’s part of a prank that most of the group are in on, but it results in disaster as one of the girls flees and has a fatal accident in her panic. A few months later, new student Camille (Suki Waterhouse) arrives, is assigned the recently deceased girl’s bedroom, and promptly makes enemies with the leader of the girl gang, Alice (Inanna Sarkis). After ending up in detention together, the girls chance upon a Ouija board and decide to reach out to their lost member. Their attempt contacts something, and soon after, the bodies start to build-up. Who and what is stalking the halls?
Where Seance missteps horribly is in its casting. The actors all play their parts well, but given that they are all in their late twenties to early thirties, it’s very hard to buy into them as a group of 16 – 18 year olds. This is especially true when we’ve seen both Waterhouse and Sarkis play older characters in the past. Seance isn’t the first film (or television series for that matter) to cast more mature actors, it’s actually quite common, but here it’s so obvious, especially with them all clad in school uniform, that it becomes a distraction for the viewer and pulls them out of the moment.
Once you decide to suspend belief regarding the cast’s age, you can start to enjoy Seance. Barrett works the school setting for all its worth, with almost the entire film playing out within the halls of the building. It’s an old, musty, and dusty building, complete with flickering lights and shadowy corners, making it the perfect playground for a supernatural slasher to inhabit. Boarding schools are their very own world, removed from the society around them, and that essence is perfectly exemplified here by Barrett opting to keep outside forces at bay. The camerawork, lighting, and editing all work well together to generate a creepy atmosphere that helps to cover up some of the weaker aspects of the story.
One of the most horrifying aspects of Seance is that the school’s rumoured ghost that is lurking around only died in 1998! A modern ghost for a modern cast; don’t expect to see anyone waltzing around in vintage white dresses. Tragically, the 1998 date will seem old and years ago to the younger audience Seance is clearly targeting. There’s potentially more than just a ghost to worry about here though; Barrett brings in a lot of slasher tropes to spice things up. Horror films, especially those aimed at the younger teen market, tend to stick to being either a slasher film or a ghost story. In Seance, Barrett tries to unite the two, keeping the viewer wondering which way it will finally go. It’s a different idea, but one that doesn’t have quite as much success as one would hope for. The Guest, You’re Next, and even the re-jigged Blair Witch film, all housed plenty of originality. Seance just isn’t as inventive or imaginative as Barrett’s prior written work.
Seance is available to watch on Shudder now. Seance arrives on DVD, Blu-ray and Digital Platforms on 17th January 2022.
Seance
Summary
Although not as inventive or imaginative as Simon Barrett’s written work, Seance still has enough components to make for a steady debut feature.
