Top 10 Scariest Movie Seance Scenes
#10: The Amityville House
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“The Conjuring 2” (2016) While Ed and Lorraine Warren did indeed investigate the Amityville house in real life, this franchise only briefly covers it at the beginning of this sequel. But boy, what an opener it is. Lorraine leads a séance whereby she tries to get to the bottom of the Lutz family haunting. Her spirit enters the shoes of the factual Ronald DeFeo Jr. as he cold-bloodily shoots his entire family. But because this is a “Conjuring” movie, things get even spookier. Lorraine is led into the basement, where she comes face to face with the franchise’s main antagonist Valak. And what a sight the demon nun is. In just a few short minutes, this scene chillingly sets the tone for what’s to come.
#9: Meeting Joseph
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“The Changeling” (1980) This underseen Canadian classic sees a man named John Russell move into a creepy Seattle mansion some time after the tragic loss of his wife and daughter. And surprise, surprise, the place is haunted. About halfway through the film, John and some others hold a séance whereby they seek to find the root of the haunting, ultimately communicating with the ghost of a young boy named Joseph. The scene is a perfect progression of momentum and tension, as the medium dazedly scribbles responses on sheets of paper. Joseph’s anger over his untimely demise is evident, as he ultimately demonstrates just how dangerous he really is.
#8: Demon Goat
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“Drag Me to Hell” (2009) “Drag Me to Hell” possesses the campy edge that can be found in director Sam Raimi’s previous horror outings. But even when that factor gets cranked up to eleven, the movie is just as scary. After being cursed to be literally dragged to Hell, Christine turns to a medium named Shaun San Dena to remove the hold the demon Lamia has on her. They plan to trick Lamia into possessing a goat which they can then sacrifice, but things go wrong quickly. After taking hold of San Dena and the goat, Lamia jumps into San Dena’s assistant and makes a real show out of tormenting Christine. It’s very over the top, but in such a way that makes for the film’s most memorable scene.
#7: Solo Séance
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“Ouija: Origin of Evil” (2016) This prequel to the god-awful “Ouija” movie is way, way better than anyone anticipated. And a lot of that is thanks to the theatrics of modern horror maestro Mike Flanagan. In this one, a family reeling from the death of the patriarch has set up a business in which they perform phony séances. But when they start incorporating a Ouija board into the proceedings, they unwittingly contact a dangerous entity. Young Doris becomes the conduit for the spirit, becoming full-on possessed in this scene where she plays with the board in the middle of the night. The image of the spirit is wholly alarming, and the terrifying shot of it bending Doris backwards is unforgettable.
#6: Séance Over Zoom
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“Host” (2020) The COVID-19 pandemic was detrimental to the film industry. But on the other hand, it forced filmmakers to get creative, and thus the wickedly clever “Host” was born. Taking place at the height of lockdowns, a group of friends’ weekly Zoom calls takes a turn for the macabre when they decide to bring in a medium to conduct a séance. You wouldn’t think a séance over the computer would work, but things get all too real when they make contact with an actual spirit. Things predictably don’t go well from there, but credit the short feature for finding legitimate scares on such a tight budget. No séances for us, thanks.
#5: Séance at Windward House
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“The Uninvited” (1944) Not to be confused with 21st century horror flicks of the same name, this oldie but goodie has a séance scene that still holds up today. This one follows a brother and sister duo as they buy the estate known as Windward House. Trouble is, Stella, the granddaughter of the previous owner, has become unhealthily attached to the house, believing it inhabited by the ghost of her dead mother. A séance is eventually staged to persuade Stella into forgetting about Windward House, but it turns all too real when an entity takes over the proceedings and Stella herself. The chilling atmosphere is palpable, and there’s also some impressive early-industry effects work as a spirit manifests.
#4: Charlie Takes Over
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“Hereditary” (2018) There’s a real bad vibe permeating this movie - in the best way possible. And that extends to this upsetting scene. After learning séance basics from her “friend” Joan, Annie leads her family in an attempt to contact her recently deceased daughter Charlie. But the atmosphere is less than inviting as Annie’s grieving husband and son aren’t open to the concept of Charlie’s spirit being among them. It’s obviously more complicated than that, but things get even more disturbing when a confused Charlie speaks through Annie. Peter especially is perturbed, crying out in horror, and we can’t help but feel the same way.
#3: Riley’s Turn
“Talk to Me” (2022) The séances in this freaky Australian movie aren’t of the conventional variety, but boy are they visceral. This one centers on an embalmed hand that allows people to temporarily let the dead inhabit their bodies. At first, it’s used simply as a fun party game, but you can only tempt fate for so long before something goes horribly wrong. Teenager Riley consistently pleads with his big sister to get a turn with the hand before her friend Mia finally gives in. At first, it seems like Mia’s dead mother is the one inhabiting Riley. But the emotional moment soon turns shocking when he starts violently hurting himself. The others are able to barely save Riley’s life, but we will never forget those visuals.
#2: Communicating With Dalton
“Insidious” (2010) The supernatural workings of the “Insidious” franchise are a little more complicated than simply dialing 1-800-OTHER-SIDE, but this first outing still gets a terrifying séance out of it. When their son Dalton inadvertently spirit walks into the realm called the “Further,” Josh and Renai seek out help from specialists. Psychic Elise and paranormal investigators Specs and Tucker lead a séance in Dalton’s room in the hopes of contacting his spirit, but things do not go well. Director James Wan is at the top of his game in this scene with a steady yet disorienting progression of lights and sound. Oh, and an effective use of jumpscares - can’t forget those.
#1: “We’re Not Dead”
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“The Others” (2001) Séances are all about the dead; so it’s surprising that we never get their perspective of the event in movies. Not here. In this classic gothic horror, Grace Stewart and her photosensitive children spend their days in a country house in the aftermath of World War II. They’re seemingly plagued by imperceivable spirits, but the opposite turns out to be true. In the finale, Grace and the kids come across a séance in progress, as they’re the ones who are haunting the house, Grace has taken her family’s lives when her husband didn’t return from war. Grace and the kids hysterically refute their undead nature, hitting us with a twist that’s as frightening as it is shocking. Are there any séance scenes we missed? Raise hell in the comments.
