Seance on a Wet Afternoon

"Was it magic... Or murder they planned?"

Nov 5 1964 N/A 2h 1m
Crime, Drama

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.

Plot

Myra and Billy Savage are a married couple living in London. Myra works as a medium, who holds weekly meetings, séances, for a regular group of customers, while Billy supports her in these ventures, as he does not otherwise work, due to his asthma. "Arthur" is her spirit guide, who was their stillborn son. Myra is the dominant in the couple, Billy, the weak-minded follower. Myra, with Billy's support, devises a scheme to raise her public prominence as a medium: kidnap Amanda Clayton, the young daughter of a wealthy couple, and using her psychic powers provide information to the Claytons and the police of Amanda and the requested ransom money's whereabouts. Myra and Billy view this scheme as a victimless crime, if a crime at all, as they don't plan on harming Amanda, and they are returning the requested ransom. To carry out the scheme successfully, they will have to: kidnap Amanda; convince Amanda that her temporary captivity is not out of the ordinary, while having her not be able to identify them; insert Myra into the case of Amanda's kidnapping, her information which will be the key to finding Amanda and the money; and return Amanda and the money without having either traced back to them. Beyond these logistics, Myra and Billy themselves will factor into how the plan works. Myra may have either conscious or subconscious thoughts on what she wants to do, in her belief that she truly does have the power.

Written by

Mark McShane, Bryan Forbes

Directed by

Bryan Forbes

Production Countries

United Kingdom

Production Companies

Beaver Films, Allied Film Makers

Languages

English

Awards

Nominated for 1 Oscar. 7 wins & 6 nominations total

Scores
# of Votes
7,744
Average Rating
7.6 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA