Seance

In 1892 California, a woman contemplating adultery is forced to take refuge from a storm at the home of her first husband and his unstable wife, who claims to be haunted by their dead child.

Score: 7.5/10

Director / Writer: Vivian Kerr

Starring: Vivian Kerr, Scottie Thompson, Connor Paolo, Jilon VanOver

Genre: indie, thriller, horror

Runtime: 85

Release: 10/02/2026

Excerpt

A mark of a great film vs. a good film can be whether or not the people in your film are characters or caricatures. There are some roles where period pieces are played with tongue firmly in cheek. Each actor truly put in the work from sentence structure and cadence to understanding the relationship dynamics of the day. Kerr sought out to deliver a thriller and she worked hard to that goal and I think she succeeded.

Patriarchy is Projecting

There’s a quote that says, “Patriarchy is projecting” and it’s the perfect description of Vivian Kerr’s Seance. The idea of men experiencing some facet of life that doesn’t fit into the hyper masculine boxes they’ve designed for themselves, so they blame women – specifically the influence of women – while eschewing any responsibility. It’s wildly interesting to me the horrors that have been lain on the backs of women to absorb and endure. There are long held myths about witches who lived in the woods in hemlock covered cottages, brewing demonic potions meant to bring malady to the general public. Come to find out, it was just lovely ladies running apothecaries trying to care for their loved ones. Is a witch truly the devil’s mistress or is she just an enthusiastic gardener?