The Guest Writer’s Directorial Debut Seance Gets Release Date

Filmmaker Simon Barrett has been delivering horror fans some of the most beloved properties among the indie world for the past decade, having written things like You’re Next, The Guest, and segments in the V/H/S anthology series, with his feature-length directorial debut, Seance, set to be unleashed on May 21st. The film is slated to hit select theaters, On Demand, and Digital HD this spring, with Seance also slated to be heading to streaming service Shudder later this year. Earlier this month, it was revealed that Barrett would be writing the Face/Off follow-up, which will be directed by frequent collaborator and Godzilla vs. Kong director Adam Wingard.

The Hollywood Reporter details that Seance “sees Camille Meadows (Suki Waterhouse) arrive at the prestigious Edelvine Academy for Girls and be invited to a late-night ritual summoning the spirit of a dead former student. Before morning, one of the girls is dead, leaving others wondering what they have awakened.”

The film also stars Madisen Beaty, Ella-Rae Smith, Seamus Patterson, and Marina Stephenson-Kerr.

“I’m thrilled that Seance has found a home with RLJE Films and Shudder, who are at the vanguard of releasing unique and original genre films. Both companies clearly respect and understand horror fans, for whom Seance was made,” Barrett shared in a statement.

While their sequel Blair Witch might be their highest-profile project thus far, Barrett and Wingard have carved out a niche for themselves among film festival audiences that go on to earn cult followings. Their 2014 The Guest, for example, sits at 91% positive reviews on aggregator Rotten Tomatoes with more than 100 reviews.

Star of that film Dan Stevens continues to be asked about whether he would ever revisit his character from that outing, with the actor teasing such a possibility last summer.

“We’ve certainly talked about it,” Stevens revealed to Forbes of continuing the narrative. “I’d love to work with both Adam Wingard, the director, and Simon again. Adam’s pretty busy with giant apes and monsters at the moment with Godzilla vs. Kong. Simon and I have talked about many things. A sequel to The Guest has come up.”

He added, “I don’t know quite what form that would take, and I think we are a way off from it happening, but it’s always a possibility.”

Check out Seance in theaters, On Demand, and on Digital HD on May 21st before it hits Shudder later this year.

Are you looking forward to the new film? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things horror and Star Wars!