Gerald Sim, Judith Donner, Kim Stanley

Aside from boasting one of the great evocative titles in film history, Séance on a Wet Afternoon (1964) works up a surplus of dread with a minimum of devices. Kim Stanley was nominated for an O...( read more  read more... )scar® for her performance as a London medium who bulldozes her weak husband (Richard Attenborough) into kidnapping a little girl; the goal is not ransom money, but a chance to prove Stanley's clairvoyant gifts to the police, and thus bring her the respect she has always deserved. The suspense is keen, yet the movie's real achievement is detailing the stifling marriage between two deluded, dependent middle-aged people. Attenborough is heartbreaking as a human doormat, and Stanley's Method intensity brings the movie into a genuinely unnerving realm (she didn't work in movies again for nearly two decades). The story was remade, with intriguing changes, by Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa as Séance (a.k.a. Korei, 2000). --Robert Horton

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77% liked it

995 ratings

Unrated, 115 min.

Directed by: Bryan Forbes

Release Date: June 20, 1964

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DVD Release Date: September 24, 2002

Stats: 63 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (63)


  • March 21, 2008
    decent mid-60's suspense thriller starring richard attenborough, who kidnaps a child to please his delusional wife, played by kim stanley. primarily a stage actress, stanley made only a handful of films and this is worth seeing for the fine performances.
  • November 25, 2007
    An eerie little drama about a medium and her hen-pecked husband who carry out a kidnapping to prove the former's powers of clairvoyance. It goes without saying that the performances of Kim Stanley and Richard Attenborough could not be bettered, but the film really needed a Polan...( read more)ski or a Claude Chabrol to realise its full creepy potential. It is, however, easily the best Bryan Forbes movie I've seen, with a couple of fine suspense sequences.
  • November 14, 2007
    so so black n' white flick with richard attenborough acting okay in it and kim stanley the same. i figure it did so well in its time because the whole idea of kidnapping in a film then was a bit risky. oh well, a star an a bit for tryna break the boundries
  • November 28, 2009
    Not too bad a nice story.

    Tells the story of a girl who comes from school because shes ill.This girl goes to the doctors and found out she had german measles.Later a woman and her husband kidnapped the little girl and the police was after them.

    A nice story that starts off ...( read more)pretty slow with not much going on.The film does get better as it goes on.It starts off with not much of a detailed story and didn't interest me that much but I kept forcusing on the film and then I became to enjoy it.This film afterwards was pretty well delivered yes the acting performances could of been improved aswell and the ending but it did entertain me and thats good.This film had a good story that was done in some sort of detail that should entertain alot of audience.

    Overall I thought this film was pretty good that was delivered well and would be entertaining for most of the audience it could of been better and more Interesting especcially at the begining.But it was still entertaining and it deserves one watch atleast.
  • May 29, 2008
    Don't let the title fool you, this is not a horror, but a brilliant British thriller involving a medium who along with her push-over husband kidnap a young girl just to gain celebrity.
    The acting of Kim Stanley and Richard Attenborough is probably the best thing in the film. St...( read more)anley was nominated for an Oscar for her performance and should of won.
    A creepy, suspense thriller which is defiantly recommended.
  • November 26, 2009
    wow umn just seen this movie 4 the 1st time n think that this is a good movie 2 watch.....its got a good cast of actors/actressess throughout this movie....i think that richard attenborough, patrick magee, nanette newman, mark eden, gerald sim, judith donner, kim stanley play goo...( read more)d roles/parts throughout this movie....i think that the director of this thriller/drama/classics movie had done a good job of directing this movie because you never know what 2 expect throughout this movie....i think that this is a good thriller movie 2 watch with a good cast throughout this movie i think that this is a really good tense thriller movie 2 watch with a good cast throughout this movie
  • October 19, 2009
    ...( read more)>



    Seance On A Wet Afternoon (1964)
    Written and Directed by Brian Forbes based on the novel by Mark McShane.
    With Kim Stanley, Richard Attenborough, and Maria Kazan

    A professional medium (Stanley) entangles her simple husband in the execution of a plot to kidnap a schoolgirl from a prominent family, and then solve the crime in order to commercially "prove" her psychic powers. She intends to return the girl and the money, but the best laid plans . . .

    he psychic's husband feels compelled to cooperate, but begins to suspect that she is mad when the game plan changes and she conspires to commit murder most foul. Is she indeed insane, or could her powers turn out be real after all? There is plenty of suspense to keep one on one biting one's nails in this artful British atmospheric nail-biter.

  • October 6, 2009
    Stanley deserved the Oscar!
  • August 22, 2008
    nominated for best picture by NBR

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