11/22/2023 0 Comments Seance movie stills![]() ![]() It was included on Time magazine's 2020 list of the "17 Great Movies You May Have Missed This Summer". It received positive reviews from critics, who praised its themes of social anxiety, its jump scares, and the chemistry of its acting ensemble. The cast and crew set up their own cameras, lighting, and stunts.Īn independent film, Host was released exclusively through Shudder on July 30, 2020. Starring Haley Bishop, Jemma Moore, Emma Louise Webb, Radina Drandova and Caroline Ward, it features a group of friends who attempt to escape a deadly supernatural force inadvertently spawned during a séance.Īfter a short prank skit by Savage which featured a handful of the Host cast went viral across social media, he developed the concept into a feature-length film, which was shot over 12 weeks directly on the Zoom software during the COVID-19 pandemic. Host takes place on a screencast of a video call on Zoom, and is presented as a computer screen film. Seance arrives on DVD, Blu-ray and Digital Platforms on 17th January 2022.Host is a 2020 British screenlife supernatural horror film directed by Rob Savage. Seance is available to watch on Shudder now. Seance just isn’t as inventive or imaginative as Barrett’s prior written work. The Guest, You’re Next, and even the re-jigged Blair Witch film, all housed plenty of originality. It’s a different idea, but one that doesn’t have quite as much success as one would hope for. In Seance, Barrett tries to unite the two, keeping the viewer wondering which way it will finally go. Horror films, especially those aimed at the younger teen market, tend to stick to being either a slasher film or a ghost story. 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. Tragically, the 1998 date will seem old and years ago to the younger audience Seance is clearly targeting. 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. 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.įirst clip from British crime film ‘Rise of the Footsoldier: Vengeance’ 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. 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. Barrett works the school setting for all its worth, with almost the entire film playing out within the halls of the building. Once you decide to suspend belief regarding the cast’s age, you can start to enjoy Seance. 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. This is especially true when we’ve seen both Waterhouse and Sarkis play older characters in the past. 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. Where Seance missteps horribly is in its casting. Their attempt contacts something, and soon after, the bodies start to build-up. After ending up in detention together, the girls chance upon a Ouija board and decide to reach out to their lost member. 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). 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. It opens at 3:13am as a group of friends play a variation of Bloody Mary in the bathroom. The story, also devised by Barrett, is set within the dark halls of an all-girl boarding school. 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. ![]() 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.
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