Séance (2024) Movie Review: Gothic horror tackles desire, grief, and toxic masculinity but is low on thrills

After dealing with sibling dysfunctionality in her debut feature “Scrap”, director Vivian Kerr takes a 360-degree turn to dive head-first into the gothic horror genre with “Séance,” a low-on-thrills chamber piece that works more as a drama about desire, grief, and toxic masculinity than something that will scare the daylights out of you. Kerr, who used her interpersonal character dynamics to impressive lengths in her debut, opts for a more moody and eerie atmosphere for her sophomore feature. The result is both intriguing and frustrating.

The setup, which is in 1892 doesn’t necessarily provide the film any specific base other than allowing the isolation of the era to seep into the house that most of the movie is based in. The film, on the other hand, follows Emma Strang (Scottie Thompson) – one of the only few female novelists of the era vacationing in seaside California with her second husband Albert (Connor Paolo), a love-lorn painter who adores Emma but isn’t particularly forward about bedding her. The couple has a sexless marriage, which has slowly led Emma to reconnect with her ex-husband George (Jilon VanOver) over secretive letters.

So when the aforementioned couple stumbles into George and his new wife Lilian (Vivian herself playing a grieve-stricken, guilt-ridden woman who blames herself for the unceremonious drowning and death of their young girl Hazel) on the beach, we are aware that the meeting is not by chance. Emma’s desires have gotten the better of her and the vacation is, in a way, a chance at rebellion; a chance to fulfill her sexual wants and needs. She is in over her head with the temptation of infidelity in her mind. So, when George invites the two of them to their house, she promptly agrees, despite Albert’s reluctance.

The night at the house starts as a harmless dinner, but when Lilian proposes that the four of them do a seance to let her daughter’s ghost (which she claims to have been visiting her and blaming her constantly) into the house, it takes a distressing turn. With the storm ravaging outside, Emma decides to stay the night. This is where the skit-like aesthetic of this chamber piece comes into play. Hazel’s toys which are scattered all around the house for some reason serve as the background score. The house’s dimly lit interiors give it a mood-piece-like environment, which is only better for its low-budget restriction, and the characters often just talk in sermons that in the contemporary setting would feel dire, but within the context of the film feel creepy.

However, the film, which dips its toes in tackling desire, grief, and toxic masculinity in one go, fails to stand on its own as a horror film. The Seance, itself doesn’t last long and whatever breadcrumbs it leaves for the characters to get ruined by, are purposefully diverted into them trying to find some kind of sanity in the isolation that they all feel. While that isn’t a complete letdown, Vivia Kerr’s direction feels scattershot and half-hearted, especially considering how thorough her debut felt.

That said, there’s still enough here to make the film worth recommending. Scottie Thompson’s performance for one, is the heart of the film. Her screen presence as a woman who is completely aware of herself and yet can’t withdraw from the temptation of doing something that will make her feel morally corrupt is handled brilliantly. She is able to penetrate the fine line between being a problematic character and a character trapped in a hopeless existence beautifully. The other three players in the game are pretty serviceable with Kerr’s rendition of Lilian feeling hackneyed. As a grieving mother who is haunted by the idea that she might be responsible for her daughter’s death, she is unconvincing and is unable to uplift the material in any way.

For lovers of gothic horror, there are enough elements here that will make you giddy. A big, empty house that has more than one secret hiding in some corridor, characters who feel like monsters and vice-versa, a strange play on the moral dilemma that the characters face, and a moody chilling atmosphere that is leading you towards something sinister. These elements make Seance an interesting film, despite the flaws.