1/12/2024 0 Comments Seance 2021 produced byThere are only two or three hints throughout the movie of this secondary mystery. There is a “twist” in Séance But it’s explained only through maybe 15 seconds of dialogue in the final scenes of the film. Landry (Marine Stephenson Kerr) giving the girls terrible news. If the characters barely seem to notice the horrors around them, how can the audience do so as well? Mrs. The effect, a painfully dull story that moves along perfunctorily. The surviving friends speak in hushed monotone, discussing horrendous events as if they were a boring homework assignment. It’s business as usual, with dead teenage bodies piling up. Terrified parents don’t pound down the doors. Landry, played by Marina Stephenson Kerr, takes no action to protect her students. And yet, nobody panics or grieves their peers. The girls are being mysteriously murdered in rapid succession. The problem is that they lack originality. The beats are familiar, which isn’t the problem. We know these stereotypes in many teenage films. She’s the kind one who accepts the new girl but isn’t as strong as the rest of the gang. How many times has character tension been introduced with lunch table turf wars? And of course, Camille finds a sensitive ally in Helena, played by Ella-Rae Smith. Megan Best plays the doomed Kerrie.Įven the way characters are introduced is blasé. Thus, the plot has no clout over the audience and there is not a drop of excitement or anticipation. Thrills and emotional connection are missing. As a result, not much feels at stake and it’s hard to care who dies next. In place of character development, there is a painful vacuum. The writing and plot are so bland that the characters are interchangeable and lack distinct personality. This is the biggest weakness in the film. The script lacks any kind of sharpness or hook. The films uses tropes we’ve seen many times before and it’s easy to follow along. The girls must work together to find out who is picking them off, one by one. The film pivots and to becomes a slasher/murder mystery with supernatural elements. But they have little impact on the story, as it turns out. Camille encounters strange phenomena from her very first night. Séance starts as a haunted, boarding school film. The girls perform a séance in the school basement. Camille has her own agenda and secrets, although weakly developed in the film. She comes with a strong backbone and grit. In a familiar cliché of new girl versus popular girls, Camille becomes their newest target, The newcomer, however, proves to be a tougher target than expected. They prank and tease each other as an outlet for their boredom. Alice leads a gang of bored and over-privileged teenagers, stuck within the walls of a boarding school. She is the bitchy spokesperson for the group. Alice, performed by Inanna Sarkis, rudely bullies Camille for their favorite lunch table, along with the other main characters. On her first day, Camille crosses path with the snobby clique of girls who conducted the doomed séance. Upper left, Ella-Rae Smith and to the right, Suki Waterhouse. From lower left to right, Djouliet Amara, Madisen Beaty, Inanna Sarkis and Stephanie Sy. As a result, Camille takes the open slot and joins the elite female student body. The incident happened minutes after her school mates conducted a prank séance. This chance comes up when a previous student falls to her death from the dormitory window. Synopsis:Ĭamille, played by Suki Waterhouse ( The Bad Batch), nabs an opportunity to enroll in a very selective and prestigious boarding school, Fairfield Academy. It hits all the expected beats, but with little effect and just manages to lead you through the story adequately. In his first feature directorial project, Séance, Barrett takes on a boarding school horror film that doesn’t pan out as strongly as his previous projects. His most notable works include You’re Next (2011) and The Guest (2014). Simon Barrett became a favorite of the festival circuit as a screenwriter. This is Barrett’s feature length directorial debut. Cinema Scholars’ presents a reviews of Séance, the 2021 supernatural slasher by Simon Barrett.
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