Verdict
Summary
Séance isn’t exactly up to par with the benchmarks of the genre like the original House on Sorority Row, Black Christmas, and Scream, and it ends up feeling more like a CW pilot for a series like Riverdale or some such rather than a full-on cinematic experience, but it’s adequate thanks to a solid third act and a forceful performance by Waterhouse, who far outshines her co-stars.
Plot:
A new girl at a prestigious girls academy replaces a girl who recently committed suicide, and the academy may be haunted with the other girl’s tormented spirit.
Review:
After a girl seemingly commits suicide at a prestigious all-girls academy, another girl is allowed to enroll. When Camille (Suki Waterhouse) shows up, she’s immediately targeted for bullying, but she’s tough and can handle herself, which throws off the hierarchy of the academy’s students. When she is accepted, Camille agrees to join a séance to ask the spirit of the deceased girl who may have killed her or why, the ceremony kick starts a series of events that lead to another girl’s disappearance, and then another girl having an “accident” in the bathroom. Is the academy haunted, or is there a killer on the loose, picking girls off for some kind of end game? As Camille rallies the other girls, despite their suspicions of her, there are several big revelations about what is going on, and who Camille actually is.
A tight little slasher with a slight supernatural element, Séance isn’t exactly up to par with the benchmarks of the genre like the original House on Sorority Row, Black Christmas, and Scream, and it ends up feeling more like a CW pilot for a series like Riverdale or some such rather than a full-on cinematic experience, but it’s adequate thanks to a solid third act and a forceful performance by Waterhouse, who far outshines her co-stars. For something similar, try the far superior Bad Kids Go to Hell. From writer / director Simon Barrett, who wrote You’re Next and The Guest.
RLJE Films will be releasing Séance onto DVD and Blu-ray on August 3rd. The disc comes with a commentary by Barrett, a behind the scenes video, outtakes, deleted scenes, and more.
