We all believe in different things. Spirituality is a rather ambiguous subject. Some of us believe in God in name alone. With these sets of beliefs, we tend to believe in a version of god; not necessarily a specific god, like the God of the Bible. This belief system allows for the individual to believe in god without believing in any form of hell or a devil. I’m not sure if there is a technical term for this or not. Usually with this beliefset, the individual looks at a Ouija board or seances as nothing more than something fun to do with friends.
Ouija boards, or variations thereof, have been in existence since the 1890s. They have yielded many different thoughts on such boards. Some believe that they are a gateway into a darker dimension. Some believe that it is a straight forward portal to hell with demons and the Devil included. Some people believe that it can be used for positive transformation. I am under the belief of the former: ouija boards are calling cards for demons. I know that there are some people reading this right now who don’t believe what I believe: that’s cool, I respect that. I’m just letting you know where I stand. Again, ouija boards fall under that ambivalent umbrella of spirituality. It is another of the issues that are divided among a plethora of people’s beliefs.
Ouija boards, in particular, seem to be geared towards adults. It’s rather odd that Hasbro currently holds the trademark for the name, since they are a company geared towards kids. If you’ve seen The Exorcist, you know that scene between Chris and Reagan where they discuss how they both used the board at young ages. On the flip side, there is also the ritual of the seance, incidentally a practice that I know nothing about. That's the beauty of film: the practice of stepping into another world to learn about things from different cultures. The latest film from writer Simon Barrett, of You’re Next fame, allows viewers to step into such a world. Seance tells the story of a new student (Suki Waterhouse) who gets accepted at a prestigious private school. Once there, she is invited to partake in a ritual that opens a door to ghosts and dead students.
Seance is an interesting film to consider, given its tone and twist ending. Tonally the film vibes with the DNA of the cult classic The Craft. As the film progresses into its final act it completely throws the audience for a twist. This final act really saves the majority of the film. Barrett creates a fairly straightforward ghost story of naive teenagers dabbling in the occult. The first two acts feel like a carbon copy of The Craft: new girl comes to school, new girl is slightly bullied until she connects with the social group the school deems weird, said group dabbles in the occult. If Barrett is making Seance his love letter to The Craft; it works. Unfortunately, this approach makes nearly every one of the characters feel one dimensional. The performances by Inanna Sarkis, Stephanie Sy, Jade Michael, and Megan Best are unnecessarily bad. They just feel cut short of their potential.
Due to the lack of character development, these characters feel flat and forgettable. There is a decent amount of the film that falls under these parameters. Barrett does a great job at pacing this rather large cast. There are some characters who have their own asides. This feels like it should be an emotional connection to these characters. Unfortunately due to the lack of development with these characters, their emotional scenes feel like throwaway moments. Despite this fact, Barrett does do a great job at taking these less than desirable moments and advancing the narrative forward. These girls aren’t experiencing death in vain. At least Barrett designates purpose for their demise.
The final act might turn off some people. I’m not going to spoil it here but it does redeem a lot of the characters, most notably Waterhouse. They don’t feel like one dimensional Catholic school girls any more. The film’s final act allows redemption for a lot of the narrative decisions made in the first two acts. Even in spite of the flaws found in these two acts, Barrett does a tremendous job foreshadowing in them. It’s a subtle “blink-and-you-miss-it” touch but he does a terrific job at establishing these moments. They make the performance of Waterhouse and the film’s finale that incredibly effective. What started out as your typical supernatural movie a la The Craft ends with a twist you didn’t see coming. Barrett is a terrific storyteller for that aspect.
Overall, Seance isn’t quite your typical supernatural curiosity film. It lacks a bit of heart and depth in certain places but Barrett’s use of foreshadowing and the film’s third act make up for its lackluster parts. The performances aren’t bad but fail to leave an impression; Suki Waterhouse is among the only shining exceptions in the movie. An homage to the cult classic The Craft growing up to be something else entirely - Seance falls flat in some areas but rises to the occasion in others.
RORSCHACH RATING:
Mental Health Moment: As I’ve previously mentioned Waterhouse is the new girl in school. There is a scene where she is confronted by two of the six girls we meet later in the film. The two girls instantly make Waterhouse feel unwelcome and instantly begin to bully her. For some, this might just seem like a pretty straight forward cinematic scene. For others, there is probably some jarring familiarity. When you move, especially during your teenage years, depression can be your biggest ally. If unconfronted that depression can manifest itself into self-harm, addiction, alcoholism, or even suicide.
These two girls have no context for how Waterhouse is feeling. Chances are their confrontation could make that depression grow. Sometimes we never consider the context of the other person. You never know the power of your words or actions. You don’t know where your actions meet an individual on any particular day. Consider your actions and words prior to doing them - it may end up saving someone’s life. Who knows, you could get a good friend out of it.
If you or someone you know is reading this right now and struggling with suicide, depression, addiction, or self-harm - please reach out. Comment, message, or tweet at us. Go to victimsandvillains.net/hope for more resources. Call the suicide lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Text "HELP" to 741-741. There is hope & you DO have so much value and worth!
Victims and Villains is written (and produced) by Josh "Captain Nostalgia" Burkey and others, and edited by Cam Smith. Music by Mallory Johnson and others. Seance is property of RLJE Films and Shudder. We do not own nor claim any rights.
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