Blu-Ray Review: Simon Barrett’s ‘Seance’ (2021) Wicked, Mysterious, and Bloody!

After watching Seance for a second time, I’m still highly impressed with this film. It’s one of those films that are far deeper than what appears on the surface. Seance was directed and written by Simon Barrett. It stars Suki Waterhouse, Madisen Beaty, Ella-Rae Smith, Inanna Sarkis, Seamus Patterson, and Marina Stephenson-Kerr.

Synopsis for Seance

Camille Meadows is the new girl at the prestigious Edelvine Academy for Girls. Soon after her arrival, six girls invite her to join them in a late-night ritual, calling forth the spirit of a dead former student who reportedly haunts their halls. But before morning, one of the girls is dead, leaving the others wondering what they may have awakened.

As I’ve mentioned before, this film reminded me of 1986’s Sorority House Massacre meets 1996’s The Craft. In general, it had a very 90s edge to it, which I appreciated and loved. Sometimes trying to create that vibe doesn’t work, but for this film it did. Like most mystery horror thrillers, Seance, keeps the audience at the edge of their seat, wondering who the killer is and why they’re doing it. What’s awesome about this film, it’s much like Clue, because we don’t know the characters well and it could be anyone. But why?

An almost all-female cast dominated this film and that’s just another reason to love this film. There was a perfect mix of cattiness and strong bonds between all characters as one would expect with a story like this. Suki Waterhouse proved once again how much of a badass she is. This was the perfect role for her and her character development is what made this film all that much better. I think we can continue to expect phenomenal performances from her in the future, this is just the beginning.

I didn’t expect to see many bloody or gory scenes, but oh boy was I wrong and pleasantly surprised. Seance not only delivered several jump-scares, but it also didn’t hold back from the good stuff either: blood, gore, or gruesome kills. Speaking of which, this is one of the reasons you should buy the DVD or Blu-ray because the special features are awesome including details being a decapitation. It’s a must-watch!

For me, this film has several different horror sub-genres and themes, resulting in a film that any horror fan can appreciate and enjoy. Seance is now available on DVD for an SRP of $27.97 and Blu-ray for an SRP of $28.96 from RLJE Films. I highly recommend checking it out and letting us know what you think.