Trying to remember the name of a heist/double-cross movie about a seance

October 26, 2023 7:20 AM

Trying to remember the name of a movie, which includes a seance, multiple double-crosses/scams, flash backs, and murder! Here's what I think I remember.

Low budget, American film in English. Might be in black and white

Starts with a car crash, maybe involving the police

Might be relatively modern, but I think it takes place in the 1950s

10 or so people are requested to some remote mansion, at a very late hour. we found out over the course of the film why each is there and how they relate to each other

There is a seance and a medium with a non-typical-American accent, later we find this to be fake

The medium tells someone/people they will die when they leave, which seems to happen but not on screen

The purpose of the meeting is to divide up an esate? or find out beyond-the-grave information for this purpose?

There are multiple double crosses

There are flash backs, and maybe some trippy alternate reality scenes

One of the flash backs show a man and woman in bed, hatching a scheme

I think we got to follow different people from different points of view, perhaps retelling parts of the same story

Ends with the a long car drive, probably cheesy looking 1950's style effects, then same car crash from the beginning, and we find out the final couple scammers are killed

TIA!

posted by Pig Tail Orchestra to Media & Arts (14 answers total)

I'm sure this isn't right, but it made me think of Magic in the Moonlight
posted by cider at 8:28 AM on October 26, 2023

Could it be Night of the Demon?
posted by VirginiaPlain at 8:37 AM on October 26, 2023

How about Nothing But Trouble?
posted by Billiken at 9:12 AM on October 26, 2023

Honestly, other than the séance, this reminds me of Clue.
posted by OrangeDisk at 9:23 AM on October 26, 2023 [3 favorites]

Sounds like the kind of movie Dark and Stormy Night is spoofing.
posted by mrphancy at 9:28 AM on October 26, 2023

Honestly, other than the séance, this reminds me of Clue.

I was thinking the same. That, and the ending.
posted by a non mouse, a cow herd at 9:33 AM on October 26, 2023

Response by poster: Sorry to say, none of these are it. "Dark and Stormy Night" is very close! So I think elements are spoofed from my movie, but googling that and spoof doesn't lead me anywhere. I don't remember anyone even remotely famous in this, so it's not a main stream movie, not even Jim Beaver or Brian Howe level of famous.
posted by Pig Tail Orchestra at 9:53 AM on October 26, 2023

https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SpookySeance
Any of these ring a bell?
posted by adekllny at 10:23 AM on October 26, 2023

Ministry of Fear ticks some boxes. It's a complex Noir with a seance gone wrong in the middle. And a stolen cake! Worth a watch.
posted by ovvl at 10:31 AM on October 26, 2023 [1 favorite]

Not The Haunting?
posted by NorthernLite at 12:11 PM on October 26, 2023

Also, if you're on social media, post a briefer version of the question with hashtag #TCMParty. Some classic film fan will know.
posted by NorthernLite at 12:15 PM on October 26, 2023 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Not finding it in any of those links. I'm remembering a few more plot points

There is some green emerald involved. I believe they grind it into a powder? Maybe added to a something as a poison?

Someone rigs a light switch or socket which kills someone by electrocution

I think the medium is revealing people's secrets. One character's secret is they are transgender

There was something about the timing of the seance, like it had to be at 1:03am exactly

oh, there was someone missing from the complete group needed, so one of the staff filled in

I'm pretty sure it wasn't a spoof, but it wasn't that scary or horrifying.

Thanks for all the suggestions.
posted by Pig Tail Orchestra at 1:41 PM on October 26, 2023

Black Magic (AFI synopsis), 1944, later retitled Meeting at Midnight for television?
posted by Iris Gambol at 2:30 PM on October 26, 2023

Best answer: Found it. The Sixth Secret
posted by Pig Tail Orchestra at 8:34 PM on February 11