Séance (2006) User Reviews

Reasonable Ghost Story

[claudio_carvalho · 5/10 · 6 June 2008]

In the Thanksgiving, five college students stay in their dormitory in the old Chelsea building alone with the security guard Syd (Jack Hunter) that locks the building for security reason. When Lauren (Kandis Erickson) tells to her roommates Melina (Tori White) and Alison (Chauntal Lewis) that their bathroom is haunted by the ghost of a little girl, they do not trust on her words. Lauren meets her neighbor of the same floor Grant (Joel Geist) and he tells that the girl was the Italian immigrant Cara Furia (Bridget Shergalis) that died when she felt down in the elevator shaft. He tells that another tragedy happened in the building with the janitor Jesse Spence (Adrian Paul). When Lauren tells the story to her friends, Alison's boyfriend Diego (A.J. Lamas) decides to hold a séance and summon the spirit of Cara Furia. However, they bring of the evil Spencer instead, and their night of fun becomes a nightmare.

"Séance" is a reasonable ghost story, with a creepy story that is not so bad. However, most of the characters are stupid and has the most imbecile and unreasonable attitude – specially considering that they are college students. But the movie entertains and I startled a couple of times. In the end, the policeman says to Lauren that so far they had found three bodies. Wait for the credits, because they find the fourth body with a surprise. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Quarto do Medo" ("Room of Fear")

Average, but ultimately forgettable, ghost story

[Shattered_Wake · 5/10 · 13 August 2008]

After a group of college kids attempt to rid their dormitory of the ghost of a mischievous little girl, they accidentally release the spirit of the man who killed her. The spirit then turns his murderous gaze upon the students, and begins to take them out one by one.

The writer of both Vacancy and its upcoming straight-to-video prequel started in the business, here, with Séance. Going in, for some reason, I had hope for this to be at least average & likable. I don't know why. The story's nothing special, the setting is overdone, I didn't know who Mark Smith was until I checked the IMDb credits after the film. . . there was just something that made me expect at least SOME good. And I wasn't really disappointed. It wasn't really all that bad. . . just exactly what I was expecting, which is almost worse because I would've liked to see something different. Unfortunately, this film just followed the lead of pretty much every other low-budget haunted 'house' flick that's come out over the past few years: flickering little girls, faint whistling, flashy editing, etc. The film did have a few really creepy moments, but none of them new or special. The acting wasn't too bad for the most part, nothing worthy of awards or anything, but it was pretty standard mid-level-horror quality. The dialogue was pretty well written. . . there were parts where I genuinely thought, "That IS how (fill in a friend who fills in stereotype here) would act in this situation." But, as the story progressed, the film became more and more ridiculous, taking new plot turns that tried to add a bit of complexity when it really should've just stuck with a straight up ghost-story-turned-slasher. If you're looking for an easy film, nothing special and ultimately forgettable, give this one a try.

Final verdict: 5/10.

Be careful of what you ask for.

[michaelRokeefe · 5/10 · 15 June 2008]

This movie is actually better than you might think. Several college students end up spending a rainy Thanksgiving holiday in the dorm and one, Lauren(Kandis Erickson)is certain she shares her room with the ghost of a little girl. Things get to be too creepy and there is a séance in an attempt to rid the room of the scary little girl. The group get more than they ask for...for they have summoned back the little girl's killer. Not much on scenery, but the atmosphere of an old building with electrical problems during a storm...duh. Some situational thrills, but SEANCE is no horror-fest. Pretty bland. Others in the cast: Joel Geist, Chauntal Lewis, A.J. Lamas and Adrian Paul.

Talk about wanting to be on the other side...

[lumocolor · 2/10 · 15 June 2007]

...because I was tempted to switch over when this was on my TV.

From the opening credits I was convinced this was a made-for-TV movie from the US. For a good 45 minutes in, it wouldn't have been out of place on Nick at Night. It has the look and feel of something filmed in one studio over the course of about 3 days.

The actors are serviceable, but nothing outstanding. The production design can barely be commented on other than "rooms and corridors". Special effects and any kind of gore appear for about 5 seconds and aren't very effective. I laughed when they probably intended me to go "Ew!" It was only when we saw a nipple and someone said 'F***' that I realised this may not be made for TV (HBO or Showtime wouldn't let something this cruddy be made). Something extremely rare happened - I actually fast-forwarded through some parts. Pointless dialogue mainly.

I don't think I've given such a low rating to a film on here yet, but this only gets a 2/10. I couldn't wait for it to be over.

Why did I bother?

[zvehn · 2/10 · 1 May 2008]

This was one of the worst movies I've seen in a long time. Aside from the technicality of the use of the word Seance to give a "point" to the movie, the rest of it was utter bull. From the way the actors "acted" to the more than lack luster (or is it less than lack lu.. nevermind) stage design, this movie had awful written all over it. A review? This movie isn't even worthy of such. This is more of a warning than anything else. You may enjoy this if you like cheap laughs and a few jumps (and that's only if you have a weak heart), but aside from that this really isn't worth it.

The only reason I gave 2/10 is that I wanted to be "nice".

Frustratingly uneven!

[nekojiru67 · 5/10 · 15 August 2008]

During holiday break, girls in an empty dorm building hold a seance to contact the ghost of a little girl that haunts their room. Unfortunately, they also bring back a murderer who lived in the building, too.

For the most part you can forget any comments about this movie being creepy. (Reviews from someone involved in the production?)

It has a few lackluster moments, and it tries, but ultimately fails. Mostly because scenes that are supposed to be set in the dark seem to have as much ambient light as your average daytime soap opera. And the slow fade effects of the ghosts are more cheesy than spooky.

The actors playing the students all are very good, with A. J. Lamas a notable standout. Kandis Erickson is also a more than capable lead. Bridget Shergalis is a good silent ghost. Unfortunately the ghostly whistling maintenance man killer is about as scary as a carton of oatmeal. (i.e. not at all scary. Maybe partly due to the overstrong lighting and sometimes laughable fade effects.)

This film could have been so much more if only better choices had been made in respect to lighting and special effects.

Good start, wasted by a terrible last half-hour

[moonmonday · 2/10 · 26 April 2015]

Seance started out interesting enough, because it took the time to build up its characters and presented them as generally likable and realistic. The premise was uncomplicated and likewise believable enough, and of course the inevitable supernatural twist added more to the story.

Unfortunately, while it was able to build up a little bit of suspense, when things got to the 'gets real' moment, it fell apart with a hackneyed 'last girl' last act and an inexplicable need to up the body count. It didn't really work either, because this wasn't and shouldn't have been a gore-centred film or a high body count horror. It just ended up being something that made me embarrassed for the generally good actors in it, although the blonde 'last girl' got worse as it went on. The last half-hour didn't do her -- or anyone else -- any favours, but perhaps that's because it was so bad there just wasn't anything for the actors to work with.

It's a shame, because this could have been a really fantastic and not too intense haunting movie. If it had been able to keep the feel and pace of the first hour in that last half-hour, it would have been so much better. Once they decided to basically sacrifice the parrot, who really had no other reason for being in the film and was extremely conspicuous because of it, that was where it just dropped sharply downhill.

Give this one a miss. It could have been so much more, but whoever wrote it needs a course in resolution.

A good creepy horror movie

[baker_3434 · 7/10 · 16 June 2007]

I picked this up because Adrian Paul (The Highlander) was in it, and I'm glad I did. I thought the movie was scary and fun. I love horror films, but they often disappoint me because they go for gore instead of suspense and tension. But this one has a spookiness that builds right from the opening ( I hate creepy little girls) and as soon as they have that first séance it really gets scary, with Adrian and that little girl wandering around the halls. But if you're looking for loads of blood this isn't the movie for you. The characters were all fun and seemed like real students instead of 30 year-olds trying to act like teens. The acting was much, much better than most lower-budget films, especially the Diego guy. The special effects weren't the best, but it's the kind of movie where that doesn't matter so much. Just turn down the lights and enjoy the scares. Overall I give it a 7/10

Seance is very eerie.

[Horrorpro · 9/10 · 2 June 2008]

I really enjoyed this movie. I have been disappointed by horror films too many times either due to plot or just simply poor quality film making as well as non convincing B-movie actors.

Seance is very eerie.

No, it was not released as a big budget- blockbuster type of film, but it has continuity and was well worth my time. It was dark and suspenseful and the actors were convincing!!!

I do not understand the comment by "lumocolor(from the UK)" ..Your disappointment is baffling...but I guess everyone has a right to their own opinion.

...I often call myself "Horrorpro" due to my lifetime experience of viewing the horror film genre'. If you love scary movies (I have viewed well over a hundred films in the past decade)...trust me... This movie is for horror film lovers. If you enjoy supernatural horror you will definitely love Seance..

Better Than I Expected

[ariaaraya24 · 6/10 · 22 April 2008]

I watched the trailer first that comes in the special features on the DVD and I thought it didn't looked too great. So I didn't have any high expectations going into it. I actually didn't think I would watch past 5 minutes into it but I did. I'm a big horror fan so the beginning kept me wanting to watch more. Like previous reviews, there isn't much blood and gore, but it makes up for it with the suspense and very well acted characters. There's nothing new or outstanding about this movie, just your typical college kids battling it out with a ghost (that was brought back with, you guessed it, a séance). I liked it because it was a simple story that was made simple with no unexplained crap and difficult to understand, and of course with people that can act.

Better than it should be but still somewhat flawed

[kannibalcorpsegrinder · 7/10 · 9 December 2014]

Staying in their dorm over a weekend break, a group of students find that a ghostly girl haunting the area is only the start of their troubles when they inadvertently release a ghostly killer into the building.

This was quite an enjoyable if somewhat flawed effort that gets held down somewhat. One of the biggest issues with this one is the fact that there's never any real indication given that the killer is all that scary, as he's quite lame-looking and never does anything that can really be called creepy. The only remotely chilling option here is the flickering ability generated when he appears and disappears, yet none of those scenes are competently pulled off to make the scenes worthwhile, and when the killer here is completely non-scary it doesn't bode well for the film as a whole since the central figure required to generate the scares in your chilling film doesn't meet those standards. That also ties in with the film being so slow-paced and generally unwilling to really showcase the killer which leaves this one to spend a large portion of time not really doing much of anything. We get a particularly long period of time between the titular event and the first appearance of the killer to them, which makes this one feel like an eternity before it gets good. The good stuff does come here in the final half when the gang finally learns the truth about what they're up against and how to finally stop it which soon devolves into a series of chases, confrontations and body-hopping which is all sorts of fun as the action is pretty enjoyable and the kills are pretty bloody. The other effort that really helps this one out is the rather clever ideology this one has regarding the paranormal nature of what goes on here. The central idea to use a séance to contact the individual around them is all quite fine, but then to go around and introduce the idea of using the Quija board and how erroneous their thinking was in using it is the best since they eventually learn how wrong they were and how it impacts the resulting massacre throughout here. That's one of the best qualities here and really helps this one out from it's flaws.

Rated R: Graphic Violence, Graphic Language, Brief Nudity, drug use and themes of child abuse.

Comedy Goldmine

[rossperobot · 10/10 · 30 August 2010]

If you're in the mood for a bad horror movie to openly mock with your closest, wittiest friends, this is an excellent choice. It's got it all: terrible acting, terrible dialogue, confounding rules (the ghost is supposedly only visible in the dark, but that's not always the case), and, of course, rape ghosts. I'm sorry, spoiler alert: this movie is about a rape ghost.

And lest you think that rape is the only sensitive topic handled with all the care of some people making an awful horror movie, the film also touches on suicide. Each character is given one (1) identifying characteristic. For instance, this one girl shows her breasts, another is sometimes skeptical, and one loner student takes a myriad of pills to stave off the demons of depression that have hatched forth from his overclocked genius. The movie demonstrates his genius most memorably through his hacking prowess. He is actually able to hack into a newspaper's database or archives or whatever digital whathaveyouse and print out an article! As for his suicidal depression, he mentions it a couple times and generally looks glum.

All that, plus A.J. Lamas (son of THE Lorenzo Lamas) as everydouche Diego, hilariously accented officers (security and police), and much, much more awful, awful movie making. Fingers crossed for a sequel!

Well, I liked it!

[AlabamaWorley1971 · 7/10 · 11 February 2011]

Found this on FearNet and decided to take a chance. I was pleasantly surprised by a cast who I kinda liked and thought were cute, some genuinely creepy atmosphere, actual suspense, and some real chills. Maybe you have to have the right mood & setting for this movie to work: late at night, home alone, seems to really help! It's not a hugely original movie, but what it does it does well. (Jesus, I really need a minimum of 10 lines? What a pain in the ass. Okay...) AJ Lamas is very cute and has a lot of personality. I liked our heroine Lauren and her friend Malina; Alison didn't really get a whole lot to do. I always wondered what happened to Adrian Paul. He seems to be aging nicely, and shows real menace as Spence. The little girl tries hard to be spooky without directly copying from THE RING, and she mostly succeeds. I love when she brings back the Ouija board planchette. All in all, a cheaply made movie that doesn't break new ground story-wise, but delivers a few chills satisfyingly.

I appreciate the creativity and that it would have been better had the movie had a higher budget

[jordondave-28085 · 6/10 · 17 August 2023]

(2006) Séance HORROR

Written and directed by Mark L. Smith directing a straight to rental but interesting idea about blond teenage girl, Lauren (Kandis Erickson) who decides not to visit her folks for the long holidays, decides to seance (waking up ghosts) with her friends in the student dorm instead, for the purpose of getting rid of a repeated dream of a little girl whose always haunting this particular person, we don't know how or why this little girl is haunting her. Upon the seance, also brought to life in ghost form, the person who killed the little girl, who eventually set out to kill remaining people still hanging around in the building! There's some interesting stuff said about myths about ghosts, but with higher production values this film could've been decent.

The Horrors Of Student Housing...

[azathothpwiggins · 12 January 2022]

Four college students spend their break in the student apartment building. They're soon being haunted by the ghost of a little girl. Wanting to communicate with the tiny specter, the group holds a SEANCE.

Oh no!

This inadvertently causes another spirit to arise, and he's not happy!

SEANCE isn't a terrible movie. It's just not all that frightening. The story is okay, the characters are fine, and the ending is alright. It just seems to be lacking in the "ghostly goings-on" department...