Seance on a Wet Afternoon is a psychological thriller film directed by Bryan Forbes and released in 1964. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Mark McShane. It stars Kim Stanley as Myra Savage and Richard Attenborough as her husband Bill Savage.
The film begins with Myra and her husband Bill struggling to make ends meet. Myra believes she has psychic powers and spends her days holding seances with a small group of devotees in their home. Bill is a quiet, unassuming man who is somewhat intimidated by his wife’s increasingly erratic behavior.
Desperate for money and attention, Myra devises a plan to kidnap a young girl and then use her psychic powers to locate her. Bill reluctantly goes along with the plan, and they carry out the kidnapping. However, things do not go as planned, and the situation spirals out of control.
As the police investigate the kidnapping, Myra’s mental state deteriorates even further. She becomes increasingly delusional and paranoid, convinced that the police are closing in on them. Meanwhile, Bill struggles with his guilt over their actions and his own inability to control his wife’s behavior.
Seance on a Wet Afternoon is a tense and disturbing film that explores themes of desperation, mental illness, and the limits of human morality. The performances by Stanley and Attenborough are exceptional, and the film’s suspenseful and thought-provoking storyline will keep viewers on the edge of their seats until the very end.