Seance on a Wet Afternoon1964

Name: Seance on a Wet Afternoon
Genre: Psychological, Witchcraft & Occult
Released: 1964-06-19
Rating: 7.6

“Was it magic... Or murder they planned?”

Directed by Bryan Forbes

7.6

Crypt Score

Blended from 3 sources

IMDb 7.6Rotten Tomatoes 82%TMDB 7.2

✍ Review

On the charts

#8·Top Witchcraft & Occult Films #27·Top Classic Horror Movies (Pre-1970)

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Year

1964

Runtime

116 min

Box Office

🏆 Nominated for 1 Oscar. 7 wins & 6 nominations total

The premise

Working-class British housewife Myra Savage reinvents herself as a medium, holding seances in the sitting room of her home with the hidden assistance of her under-employed, asthmatic husband, Billy. In an attempt to enhance her credibility as a psychic, Myra hatches an elaborate, ill-conceived plot to kidnap a wealthy couple's young daughter so that she can then help the police "find" the missing girl.

Horror Vault's take

In grey postwar London, a driven and deeply troubled housewife fashions herself into a professional medium, enlisting her meek husband in a dangerous scheme designed to catapult her to fame. What begins as a cold-blooded kidnapping plot gradually reveals itself to be a portrait of a woman unravelling under the weight of obsession and unresolved grief. Kim Stanley's towering central performance makes Myra Savage one of British cinema's most chilling and pitiable figures. The film builds its dread not through violence but through psychological pressure, creeping dread, and an atmosphere of quiet domestic horror.

Content: Themes Of Child Kidnapping, Mental Illness Portrayed In A Distressing Context, Themes Of Stillbirth And Child Loss