Session 9 (2001)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Brad Anderson

Writers (WGA):

Brad Anderson (written by) &
Stephen Gevedon (written by)

Release Date:

14 September 2001 (Italy)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Fear Is A Place.

Plot:

Tensions rise within an asbestos cleaning crew as they work in an abandoned mental hospital with a horrific past that seems to be coming back.

Plot Keywords:

Asbestos | Mental Hospital | Baby | Asylum | Coin

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

David Caruso	...	Phil
Stephen Gevedon	...	Mike
Paul Guilfoyle	...	Bill Griggs
Josh Lucas	...	Hank
Peter Mullan	...	Gordon Fleming
Brendan Sexton III	...	Jeff
Charley Broderick	...	Security Guard (as Charles Broderick)
Lonnie Farmer	...	Doctor (voice)
Larry Fessenden	...	Craig McManus
Jurian Hughes	...	Mary Hobbes (voice)
Sheila Stasack	...	Wendy (voice)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and brief strong violence.

Runtime:

100 min | Spain:102 min | USA:97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Germany:16 | Netherlands:16 | Iceland:16 | Singapore:NC-16 | Malaysia:18PL | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Canada:14A | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

703 Lynnfield Street, Lynn, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

USA Films

Trivia:

Brad Anderson was inspired to use the Danvers Mental Hospital as he drove past it every day.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the documents Mike comes across Mary Hobbs diagnosis is D.I.D. In the time period of the tapes D.I.D was still labeled as Multiple Personality Disorder, it was not until 1994 they changed it to Dissociative Identity Disorder to accommodate the DSM-IV-TR (a mental disorder diagnostic guide).

Quotes:

[first lines]
Phil: Gordy? You look tired, man. You look beat. Your turn to feed Emma?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Silent Hill 3 (2003) (VG)

Soundtrack:

Choke Chain

"What are YOU doing here...?"

Seeing a film like Session 9 just reaffirms that there are truly great films still being made.

While many (including the filmmakers) will find comparisons to Don't Look Now, The Shining, and even a nod to The Changeling, Session 9 still stands on its own as a most effective, brooding experience of dread -- and that's a good thing! I found the style and tension more genuine than the grandiose The Shining, and Session 9 relies mostly on real fears and no gratuitous material to entertain. This film wants to creep you out and that's its soul purpose. No pretty young GAP models, no trendy MTV-influenced rap/metal soundtrack, no breasts, no giggle-inducing decapitation effects. If you want those, by all means go watch something else as there are plenty other films that offer that to those with short attention spans. If you want to be drawn INTO a film, a place of fear, and THINK as well, Session 9 is like a therapy session of nightmares.

The story is simple and complex at the same time, as workers removing asbestos from the massive Danvers Mental Hospital slowly unravel along with secrets from taped audio recordings of a former patient. I never saw the characters' backgrounds as "underdeveloped" as some have complained -- you don't need to know EVERYTHING about these guys and besides, more information about them would have slowed the film down even more, and its nice, brooding pace is just right as it is. And don't worry if some of the things that seem like "clues" are left unresolved, that's part of the fun. Just like I still say many of the weird "clues" in David Lynch's works like Twin Peaks and Mulholland Drive are just there to be weird and draw you in, not that they actually have any direct connection to the main story.

The actual Danvers Hospital is an amazing setting as the whole structure is a character all it's own and will disturb you without it having to do much but just BE there in the film. The minimalistic soundtrack is unsettling and downright perfect (I even bought it on CD and am still trying to figure out why it attracts me so much, playing it in the background while, say, typing away something like this....).

Each actor does a fine job -- yes, even David Caruso (some of you need to get off his back!) as a guy who seems to get a bit impatient yet maintaining a sense of calm. Peter Mullan, Steven Gevedon, Josh Lucas, and Brendan Sexton III seem like real, regular blue collar guys. It's refreshing to see a film not insecure in having a mature, rough-edged cast. By giving you a sense that these guys are real (yes, even though they tend to be slacking off quite a bit in places when they're supposed to get the job done in a week), the quiet dread of the story will draw you in and you'll be absorbed completely. Of course, if you appreciate less flashy films like this, you'll agree it's damn near perfect. Oh, to those here on IMDb who criticized the scene with a jar of peanut butter left on the floor, welllll, think about this: considering the state of its consumer, do you think that whoever left it there cared where the container was disposed? Man, do you people get picky over the strangest things! Whatever may seem implausible in the story or the characters' actions really doesn't wreck the film, as it is to be appreciated much for its atmosphere and story. I didn't find the ending to be so hard to understand at all, those that had their mind set that they didn't like this film were too busy being angry to just sit back and let everything present itself quite clearly.

If this film is categorized as horror then it's one of the best I've ever seen, definitely one of the best in years. It takes a LOT to scare me, and there's one specific scene with Josh and his experience in the basement that caused a wave of tingling goosebumps all over my body. It was exhilarating to be scared that effectively by a single scene!

Folks, you can't trash this film because it doesn't give you easy explanations or allows you to have some cheap voyeuristic thrills. Many of you who didn't like Session 9 seemed to know from reading its summary that it wasn't offering slam-bang entertainment. If you like your mind to be stimulated and love being absorbed in mysterious and wondrous storytelling, Session 9 is by my definition a flawless piece of work. For anyone else, I'd just say........."What are YOU doing here....?"