Seance Synopsis & Review: Plot Summary

🎯 Quick Overview

😅 Plot Summary – Badly Explained

New girl at spooky boarding school joins a clique for a séance that accidentally summons a ghost, only for everyone to realize the real monsters were the friends they made (and a few secret ones too).

🍿 Seance: Detailed Plot Synopsis

Arrival at Fairfield Academy

Camille Meadows arrives at the prestigious Fairfield Academy, an elite all-girls boarding school. Her arrival follows the recent, mysterious death of student Kerrie, who reportedly fell from her dorm window after a prank gone wrong. Camille is assigned to Kerrie’s former room and quickly encounters the school’s reigning clique, led by the formidable Alice. Tensions rise immediately between Camille, the clique members, and another student, Helina, leading to shared detention.

The Seance and First Fatalities

During detention, Alice convinces the others, including Camille and Helina, to hold a seance to contact Kerrie. What starts as a potential prank takes a chilling turn when they seemingly make contact with a spirit who warns them they will all be murdered. Soon after, members of the group begin dying under increasingly suspicious circumstances. The deaths initially appear accidental or unexplained, fueling fears that the Edelvine Ghost, a legendary haunting tied to a past student’s suicide, might be real and active.

Investigating the Mystery

As the body count rises, the surviving students, particularly Camille and Helina, become determined to uncover the truth behind the escalating violence. Supernatural occurrences continue, but inconsistencies lead some to question if a human killer is responsible, possibly using the ghost legend as a cover. Suspicion shifts between the remaining students and even the school’s limited staff, including the headmistress and her handyman son. The investigation uncovers clues potentially linking the current events to the academy’s dark past and the original Edelvine Ghost legend.

⚠️ Spoilers and Ending Explained

🎬 Cast & Characters

• Camille Meadows (Suki Waterhouse): The mysterious new student who is secretly investigating her friend Kerrie’s death.
• Bethany (Madisen Beaty): A member of the clique revealed to be one of the ruthless killers motivated by a stolen essay.
• Alice (Inanna Sarkis): The dominant leader of the school clique who is eventually targeted by the real murderers.
• Helina (Ella-Rae Smith): Camille’s kind roommate and loyal friend who aids her in uncovering the school’s deadly secrets.
• Trevor Landry (Seamus Patterson): The quiet handyman and son of the headmistress, secretly involved as a killer.
• Kerrie (Megan Best): The student whose death triggers the supernatural events and whose ghost helps the protagonist.

💬 Memorable Quotes

• Bethany: “I stole her essay… It was perfect. It got me the scholarship.” – Bethany confesses to Camille and Alice that her motive for killing Kerrie was to hide the fact she plagiarized Kerrie’s college essay.
• Kerrie (Spirit via Seance): “You will be murdered.” – The spirit contacted during the seance delivers a chilling warning to the girls that their lives are in danger.
• Bethany: “There is no Edelvine Ghost. Not really. Just… me and Trevor.” – Bethany reveals to Camille and Alice that the supernatural occurrences were either faked or tied to their human killing spree, not a vengeful ghost.
• Camille: “I’m not Camille Meadows. Kerrie was my best friend.” – Camille reveals her true identity and motive, explaining that she assumed the identity of a new student to investigate Kerrie’s death.
• Camille: “I’m here for Kerrie.” – Camille states her ultimate purpose at the academy after revealing her true identity, emphasizing her desire to avenge her friend’s death.

💰Box Office

• Budget: Unknown
• Domestic Gross: $0
• Worldwide Gross: $269,372

💥 Seance Reviews

Personal Review

Okay, so I checked out Seance because the whole spooky boarding school vibe totally grabbed me. I love that setting for a horror movie! It really did start off giving me those classic ghost story feels, with the seance and creepy noises. But then it completely pulled the rug out from under me and turned into something else entirely, which I actually thought was pretty cool. I really liked Suki Waterhouse as the lead; she felt like a genuinely interesting character, not just typical scream queen fodder. The twist was wild and kind of hilarious in its over-the-topness by the end. It’s not perfect, definitely has some cheesy moments and parts felt slow, but I had fun guessing what was going on and the final girl showdown was pretty epic and surprisingly brutal!

• Who would enjoy:
  • “Fans of teen horror and slasher films”
  • “Viewers who enjoy mystery thrillers with plot twists”
  • “Audiences interested in boarding school settings”
  • “Those who appreciate a blend of supernatural and human killer tropes”
• Content warnings ⚠:
  • “Violence and gore”
  • “Death and murder”
  • “Jump scares”
  • “Implied suicide (related to a prank outcome)”
  • “Some language”
  • “Disturbing themes (deception, bullying, revenge)”

Professional Reviews

• Reviewer 1: “Simon Barrett’s directorial debut is a surprisingly entertaining blend of supernatural horror and slasher. While not groundbreaking, it cleverly uses genre tropes, anchored by a strong performance from Suki Waterhouse. The atmosphere is solid, though some moments feel a bit predictable. It’s a fun ride that leans into its B-movie sensibilities.
• Reviewer 2: “Seance starts as a moody ghost story in a Gothic boarding school but smartly twists into a giallo-esque murder mystery. The film thrives on its mood and mystery, even if the pacing is a bit slow in the middle. The final act ramps up the tension and provides a satisfying, albeit gory, conclusion that makes the journey worthwhile.
• Reviewer 3: “While Seance offers a decent atmosphere and a few good kills, it struggles with character depth and a somewhat convoluted plot reveal. The acting is a mixed bag, and the decision to cast older actors as teenagers is distracting. It’s watchable, but doesn’t leave a lasting impression beyond its initial mystery.

Audience Reactions

Many viewers praised Suki Waterhouse’s performance and her character’s surprising toughness.: People enjoyed the film’s unexpected shift from supernatural horror to slasher/mystery, and the twist ending was a highlight for some.

Overall Consensus: A mixed bag; while some appreciated the genre twist and atmosphere, others found it predictable, slow, and marred by casting issues.

Awards

🛠️ Behind the Scenes

• “The Fairfield Academy campus featured in the movie was not a single location but a combination of 8 different shooting locations, including an abandoned bank building, a private residential home, and constructed sets, as no school would allow filming on their grounds.”
• “Seance marked the feature-length directorial debut for writer Simon Barrett, known for writing films like ‘You’re Next’ and ‘The Guest’.”

🖥️ How to Watch Seance?

Find ‘Seance’ (2021) available for rent or purchase on various digital platforms, including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Vudu, and Google Play. Availability on subscription streaming services may vary by region, but it has previously been featured on services like Shudder.

🎥 Similar Movies

If you enjoyed Seance, you might like these similar films:

• The Craft (1996): Features a group of teenage girls, school setting, supernatural elements (witchcraft/seance), and explores themes of clique dynamics and power struggles, though ‘Seance’ pivots away from the supernatural twist.
• Black Christmas (1974): A classic slasher film set in a sorority house (similar to a boarding school) during a holiday, featuring a mysterious killer picking off young women, predating many genre tropes ‘Seance’ plays with.
• Suspiria (1977): Known for its strong visual style, Giallo influences (mentioned in ‘Seance’ reviews), and setting within a mysterious European dance academy for girls where strange events and deaths occur.
• Scream (1996): Features a whodunit mystery with a masked killer among a group of young people, playing on horror tropes, and ultimately revealing human antagonists, mirroring the twist in ‘Seance’.
• There’s Someone Inside Your House (2021): A recent teen slasher set in a high school that involves a mysterious killer targeting students while wearing masks, incorporating a mix of jump scares and mystery elements.

🛒 Seance Related Products

• Dark Academia Aesthetic Notebooks: High-quality notebooks with vintage or Gothic designs, perfect for journaling secrets or writing mysterious stories like those happening at Fairfield Academy.
• Classic Slasher Film Collection Blu-ray: A collection featuring iconic slasher movies that influenced the genre elements seen in Seance, like ‘Scream’ or ‘Black Christmas’.
• Ouija Board Game: The classic spirit board game, allowing fans to recreate the film’s pivotal seance scene (at their own risk, of course!).
• Suki Waterhouse Music Album: Listen to music by the film’s lead actress, Suki Waterhouse, exploring her work beyond acting.

🎧 Soundtrack

Seance features a captivating soundtrack that enhances the movie’s atmosphere and emotional impact. Here are some notable tracks:

• “Friends of the Heroes” – performed by The Aislers Set

You can find the complete soundtrack on Amazon Music and Apple Music.

🤨 FAQ

🔥 Bonus Content

Horror Short Film “The Last Seance” | ALTER

If the seance in Late Night with the Devil freaked you out, get ready for another scare! This horror short film called ‘The Last Seance’ from the ALTER channel is super intense and definitely worth watching.

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