Customer Reviews

Seance

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I'm surprised there hasn't been more interest in this film, considering it does a nice job in maintaining some suspense and has a few chills thrown in for good measure. The story is an intriguing one, involving an old apartment building being renovated for a college dorm. The building's history involves a sordid past that left restless spirits revisiting the scenes of their shared history. The few college kids (of course) left behind over break make the mistake of holding a seance, unleashing unforseen horror that they spend most of the movie trying to explain and escape. The story is an interesting one, the pace more than reasonable, and the mood is worthy of a late night ghost story with the lights out.

I don't want to overrate the film, but for a straight to DVD release, it is a worthy rental. There are only a few characters, and their development is virtually nonexistent, but that is not what the film is about. The real concern is the story of the haunting and the history of the building, and it is fairly well executed. You'll want to avoid injecting too much logic into it, or you'll ruin the fun. This is nothing more than a little ghost story to go along with the popcorn, and it is satisfying at that level. Don't expect too much blood or special effects, as the budget obviously doesn't allow for it. And the acting is less than stellar, but it never reaches the laughable stage that horror fans sometimes have to endure. But it is good fun, and at least you'll not be in a hurry to finish the film.

I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. The cast thankfully, even if mostly unknown was quite believable. Theres nothing I hate more than a horror movie with cheesy actors and this was definitely not one of those. Adrian Paul plays creepy perfectly without saying much at all. The little girl ghost gave chills every time she came on the screen. Well written and very well acted for a horror movie that didn't rely heavily on cheap effects or otherwise. Definitely worth the watch.

I have no idea how this movie got 4 stars- it's a stinker! Cliche' and dull. Don't bother!

Wow. I just watched this film because of the other reviewers' positive comments. It really is well done. The acting is very good and the story hung together. That old building turned dorm was such a great creepy setting !! I was very pleasantly surprised (and scared haha!!). Definitely worth seeing ! And thanks to everyone for taking the time to write those reviews. I too am surprised this film hasn't gotten more attention.

Seance has a few plot twists and was cast well. Adrian Paul (from Highlander) gives much needed depth to the film. The rest of the Cast plays off eachother to get you involved with the plot and were directed / edited to keep plot moving. Great film to watch in the dark.... I bought this used through Amazon.com.

Half the reviewers of the movie don't seem to know who Adrian Paul is, but for those of us who do, his
appearance alone is worth the price of this film.
He may not have very many lines, but he doesn't need them! He still gives off a very, very creepy vibe as
a disturbing psychotic pedophile.
The only ridiculous part of the movie is when the four friends seem to decide that they're experts in spiritual
matters because one of them wrote a C- paper on it, and try to make the spirit of the killer jump into a
parrot.
In spite of that, the movie still had some pretty good scares. Adrian Paul's spooky whistling is not something
you want to hear on a dark, stormy night!
This is a great party movie, not oscar-worthy obviously, but still good for a midnight get-together with
friends.

So a group of college students perform a séance to communicate with the ghost of a young girl and accidentally open a spectral door for a malevolent spirit to come in. Doesn't sound like much, does it? Imagine my happy surprise when Séance turned out to be a creepy and compelling horror film. I'm not saying Séance hits all the right buttons or earns itself a spot in the horror hall of fame, but this is by no means a bad or disappointing viewing experience. There's obviously no pleasing the critics who described this movie as dull, unimaginative, and/or cheesy. Painful to watch? These critics couldn't be talking about the film I just saw. I'll grant you that there are some clichés in play here - the peeping tom security guy, the nerdy loner at the end of the hall, even the whole scenario of the ghostly little girl and the goofy séance. On the other hand, not one of these horny coeds dies having sex, there is only the barest modicum of nudity, the plot never devolves into a brainless slasher film, and the story colors far outside the lines of any paint-by-numbers script I'm aware of. They say the little ghost girl isn't creepy enough. I suppose they would rather have a Japanese kid with layers of mascara around her eyes or horns on her head or something. Don't most ghosts look like they looked before they died? Just because the body's rotting in some grave doesn't mean the dead person's spirit has to have maggots crawling out of her eyes.

Okay, let me stop defending this film long enough to briefly describe it. Cute coed Lauren (Kandis Erickson) believes that her dorm room is haunted by the ghost of a little girl, but the fact that the bathroom sink turns on by itself and tubes of toothpaste tend to arrange themselves in a circle on the bathroom floor three times a week doesn't seem to bother her roommates Alison (Chauntal Lewis) and Melina (Tori White). However, Lauren soon learns that Grant (Joel Geist), the weird and reclusive guy down the hall, has also seen the little girl - he has even identified her as a little girl that fell down the elevator shaft of the building forty years earlier. Just for a lark, Alison's boyfriend Diego (A. J. Lamas) suggests they perform a séance to try and communicate with the alleged ghost. That turns out to be a very bad idea, as the spirit they succeed in calling is not the little girl.

This all takes place over the Thanksgiving holidays, when there are only six people in a 20+ story dorm locked up tighter than Jack Benny's wallet. I think this virtually empty behemoth of a building adds much to the atmosphere, as does the periodic appearance of the ghost child. Unfortunately, the special effects for the other ghost's appearances and disappearances are rather amateurish. Another problem is the fact that the gang basically make up their own spirit-invoking rules as they go along. The ending isn't exactly unpredictable, either, but the path the story took to that ending did pick up some tension and suspense along the way. Séance isn't going to make you jump out of your seat by any means, but it does sustain a level of disquiet in the background and is capable of invoking a few moments of creepiness. The acting is much better than you'll find in most low-budget horror movies, and the few gory scenes are presented quite well indeed. I hope horror fans will ignore the critics and give this film a chance.

Four college students (three girls and one lucky guy) spend their break in the student apartment building. Of course, the place is haunted by a little girl's ghost. The group decides to hold a seance in order to communicate w/ the tiny spectre and find out what it wants. Baaaad idea, as this causes another spirit to emerge! A darker, far more dangerous spook! SEANCE isn't a terrible movie, it just isn't very frightening. The story is OK, the characters are fine, and the ending is alright. I guess I was expecting a bit more in the way of ghostly goings-on. Worth a peek on a rainy night...

Obviously shot on a low-budget. However, this film is decently acted and builds plenty of suspense. The ghost story hinges on the main characters inadvertently conjuring up an evil spirit during a seance. Taking place in a mostly-vacant college dorm over Thanksgiving, this film is creepy and ominous. The actor portraying the ghost stalker is chilling and the young actress portraying the innocent girl ghost does a convincing job.

Check this out if you like slasher elements along with a ghost story.

this movie was so bad I couldn't even finish it.bad acting, bad picture quality, don't waste your money on buying it!