Seance on a Wet Afternoon

Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964) is a British thriller directed by Bryan Forbes — watch it online on iFILM. Myra Savage runs psychic sessions out of her living room, her credibility propped up by her mild, asthmatic husband Billy who feeds her information from behind a curtain. She has no real gift, but she has convinced herself otherwise — and that gap between performance and belief is where the film does its damage.

Myra hatches a plan to kidnap a wealthy couple's young daughter and then "reveal" her location through a vision. The crime itself goes off. What follows is quieter and more unsettling than any chase sequence. Kim Stanley plays Myra with total commitment — the character's logic is airtight inside her own head. Richard Attenborough as Billy barely raises his voice and is more disturbing for it.

Stanley received an Academy Award nomination, and Attenborough won a BAFTA. Spare, grey, and built on two performances that never feel like acting. Stream Seance on a Wet Afternoon (1964) on iFILM.