Session 9

Rating:
Summary: sleepless in session 9
Review: I had never heard of Session 9 but came upon it at a video rental. Wasn't expecting much. However, this film from beginning to end, was truly unnerving. Each scene was composed in such a way to be both beautiful and creepy as hell. Other reviews here have covered the story quite well so let me just say that sleep that same night did not come easily. The chill factor was such that it left me hyper sensitive to every little creek and straining to see what was behind every shadow. Not to mention the mind working overtime to "figure it all out."
Should be a creep classic.

Rating:
Summary: Great movie but....
Review: Session 9 is an intense, but somehow low key film that moves in and out of being a story about working class people trying to make a living, and a haunted house tell. I'm not sure at what point I started questioning the movie's action, but it seems to me at some point the whole thing went askew, turning into a slasher movie. I know this sounds like a bad review, but its not, this is a well-crafted film that uses a building as a character better than any film I've seen in a long time. In my opinion it would have been a little stronger if the working class aspect and the work these guys were doing had been played up a little more, or maybe if the filmmaking crew would have gone more for the creepiness & ghost story- shoot I don't know! But I did enjoy the ride, but at the end I looked around and didn't really know where the hell I was!

Rating:
Summary: It's All About Atmosphere
Review: A group of men, headed by Gordon (Peter Mullen) and Phil (David Caruso)are elected to perform an asbestos removal at a local abandoned insane asylum. These two men and a few other pals find themselves in a one week job that offers much more than they bargained for.

It's all about atmosphere. There are no outright or obvious gouls or ghosts to frighten you and spook you until you spill your popcorn. The asylum, with it's peeling paint, creepy security blocks , and sweaty, gritty, claustrophopic feel is what gives this movie a slow, rhythmic suspense and chill.

As the men go about their business they each encounter various forms of quiet insanity. Gordon becomes irritable toward others, almost paranoid. Phil seems to be meddling with everybody's notions of work ethic. One worker becomes obsessed with a cache of old money he finds in the deep abyss of the tunnels. Another is phobic of dark spaces.

It is the discovery of one employee that takes the movie in a very different direction. He finds himself obsessed, stealing hours from work to listen to tapes of a former deceased patient with a multiple personality disorder. Eventually it feels as if all the men in some form or another develop an unusual attachment to the asylum.

The tapes and records, once discovered and pilfered through, ignite a supernatural change in tempo that doesn't cease. Slowly, the movie becomes more frightening, more surreal, and much more suspenseful..enough to keep you bound to your armchair until the killer ending. Within the piles of documents, tapes, and discarded patient records, secrets are buried...waiting to be found.

I only gave this movie 3 stars. Performances by David Caruso and Peter Mullen were good, but not their best performances. The rest of the cast was mediocre. I loved the idea of the plot. The asylum seemed to take on a life of it's own, affecting the crew like a virus..very reminiscent of the horror flick "Event Horizon". The suspense was thrilling to say the least but the ending was a bizarre sequence of events that seemed a little too fabricated. I needed to ask out loud once or twice..."I don't get it, do you?"

I would not highly recommend this movie for purchase. I think it's a fun night's rent. I was told last night when I picked this movie off the shelf (I had never heard of it before) at my video store and asked "What's this one about?", that it was a huge favorite. Apparently "Session 9" is some cult favorite amongst the renters where I live. So, if you are daring ..go ahead and enjoy this rather unknown favorite.

Rating:
Summary: Horror in the tradition of The Shining
Review: This is one of the most effectively frightening horror films I have ever seen. The reason is it builds a strong sense of dread throughout the film that is made even more effective by a massive and creepy abandoned mental asylum with a disturbing history that is relayed during the film. Another freaky point is how 2 times in the movie a sudden, violent mental break is brought on by a simple every day accident which results in someone violently murdering their loved ones. It also has a well written cast of central characters played by David Caruso as the greedy one, Peter Mullan as the veteren, Stephen Gevedon as the smart one, Brenden Sexton III as the rookie, and Josh Lucas as the jerk.

Rating:
Summary: Gothic thriller , Rubbish!!
Review: I rented this DVD the other day thinking it would be a scary movie. The only thing scary about this movie is that it was put on film in the first place. It could have been a good movie if Alfred Hitchcock had come back from the grave to direct it. The movie starts out so well but by the time it ends you have spent so much time trying to figure out who the killer is that you are not paying attention to subtle clues in the movie. The only unsettling thing about this movie is the time I wasted watching it. The movie never comes together.The story was a good one, it was just a shame the movie wasn't.

Rating:
Summary: A suspense thriller for the mind
Review: This is a thinking man's thriller that gets under your skin and makes you think about the show, long after it is over.
The atmosphere and setting at the condemed loony hopital sent shivers down my spine!!!
If you are into action packed thrillers with good kills you are probably going to be dissappointed.
But this underdog of a film gets two thumbs up from me!!

Rating:
Summary: Haunting and Unsettling
Review: I had heard many good things about Session 9, and I was very upset that it never had a theatrical run here in Rochester, N.Y.; I always prefer to see horror movies in a theater- they're scarier that way. Anyway, I ran right out and bought Session 9 on DVD as soon as it came out, and despite the great "Buzz" on the film, I sat down to watch, and was prepared to be disappointed. (Usually, the more I look forward to seeing a film, the bigger a letdown it turns out to be...)

Well, the opening shot of a wheelchair sitting in a hallway of the abandoned Mental Hospital chased all my doubts away! From that promising (and CREEPY AS HELL!) opening shot, session 9 fulfills all of it's promises.

The film tracks the weeklong efforts of a 5-man Asbestos Removal Crew, as they struggle to meet the insane deadline that their boss has set them for the cleanup of the aforementioned abandoned Hospital. The Boss, Gordy, is in desperate need of cash, and if the crew finishes in a week, the state has promised a $10,000.00 bonus. There are problems among the other men, too. One has stolen another's Girlfriend. Gordon's nephew is inexperienced, and, unknown to the rest of the crew, is afraid of the dark. And Mike, who longs to leave Haz-Mat work behind for the Law career he blew off Six Years ago, has just found a box of Audiotaped Psychiatry Sessions between a Psychiatrist and his Multiple-Personality patient, Mary Hobbes......Mike soon becomes obsessed with the tapes, sneaking away from the job to listen to the increasingly frightening sessions (Session 9 is the final tape), and read Mary's case history.

It isn't long before a crew member turns up missing, tempers flare, and the truth about Session 9 becomes apparent.

Director Brad Anderson has crafted a truly amazing film, due, in no small regard, to the incredibly forbidding setting of The Danvers State Hospital. The building is the TRUE star of the film, and the lush way that she is filmed only adds to the creep-out factor. Even though I KNEW THE END (Because some idiot posted a review here that blew the whole thing.....THANKS, JACKASS.), it was still shocking and sad to see it happen. I really got to know the characters; even the ones I didn't like had redeeming, human qualities. The final line of dialogue in the film is one that will forever be ingrained in my memory. I watched the end Three times last night, and I still get chills down my spine thinking about it....amazingly well-written. It's a crime that this movie wasn't given more exposure, especially in light of the success of Films like The Sixth Sense, The Blair Witch Project, and The Others...Could the horrible Blair Witch II have given distributors cold feet...?

The DVD comes packed with extras; The commentary track is very informative, and there are 10 minutes of extra footage, mostly dealing with a sub-plot that was entirely cut, and a different ending that is equally chilling.

Anyone looking for that true rarity, a well-made Horror movie, needs to pick up Session 9.

Rating:
Summary: Do it Gordon, watch this creepy flick.
Review: Ah, fresh air. This disturbing little gem kept my wife up all night with the lights on and in the morning she pleaded with me not to go to work until the sun rose. It's always nice to see origionality at work, even when it scares the bjesus out of you. This film is not for those who thought that "Jeepers Creepers" was scary when the baddie, a winged doofus, was whistling "Jeepers Creepers." This is a movie for those who saw the true cleverness of "The blair witch project." Although distinctly different than Blair Witch, Session 9 gives you the same feeling of an eerie dread that sticks with you days after first viewing. The DVD makes a welcome addition to a serious film fan's collection with some cool extras. The deleted scenes offer an interesting and creepy sub-plot not explored in the final cut. The alternate ending is not as bone-chilling as the one left in the movie but if you like extras this disk provides an interesting perspective. Great plot, methodical pacing, and plenty of chills(gore hounds beware, this is a psycological horror movie-splatter lacking), make this movie one great view, just be sure to watch it late at night.

Rating:
Summary: Better than Average for a Movie you never new existed
Review: When the heck was this realeased? Was I sleeping???
Plot starts spooky, sans MTV's "Fear Factor". Has a ton of potential, bulds well. Far better than most "slashers"-- but disappointing ending.
If you like chillers, rent it.
If you want SCARY??????
"The Changeling" w/ G.C. Scott. Probably the best ghost movie ever made.

Rating:
Summary: Too confident that style can pass as substance.
Review: After witnessing the utterly disappointing, disjointed mess that is "Session 9," I think it's safe to say that Brad Anderson's psychological thriller is one of the genre's biggest letdowns. On the outside, the movie has the look and feel of a wonderfully different venue into horror, with its story of possession amongst an atmosphere of growing dread. But once the end starts rearing its ugly, ludicrous head, things start going batty, leading us to wonder what asylum Anderson himself was released from before penning the script.

The film starts out well enough, introducing us to Gordon Fleming (Peter Mullan), who runs an asbestos removal company comprised of a small group of men. His top man, Phil (David Caruso), tags along for the ride during a preliminary visit to Hazmat Elimination's latest project: the Danvers State Mental Hospital, abandoned for over 15 years, chosen to undergo renovation for the municipal offices of the nearby town.

Anderson scores his big points (his only points, in fact) from his setting. Filmed on location at the actual site of Danvers, "Session 9" benefits from having a structure that evokes a sense of doom from the very first frame. The film captures various shots of the complex, its aerial overviews reminiscent of the Overlook Hotel in Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining," it's ground shots recalling the looming, oppressive Hill House in Robert Wise's "The Haunting."

Even the insides of the complex are seen in the film, as the majority of the story takes place within spaces that range from expansive to claustrophobia-inducing. Sunshine floods into certain areas of the hospital, filling the now-decrepit rooms with brilliant white light, while the lower, far-more deteriorating levels are cast into darkness, pierced by the flashlights of the men about to enter. I must say, I've never seen anything quite like the setting of Anderson's film, and in spite of the various shortcomings, the visual acuity of the film is a remarkable achievement in itself.

It's only a shame that the plot is more of a mess than Danvers itself. After Gordon agrees to get the job done in one week, the five-man crew find themselves cast into another world, and soon, what the movie would have us believe is another dimension. After some preliminary spooks resulting from offscreen sounds, one of the workers turns up missing. Later, fingers start pointing between Phil and Gordon, who is apparently becoming unstable as a result of- well, what? Is it his own personal demons? Or those conjured up by the tape recorded therapy sessions that another crew member listens to incessantly in one of the hospital's decrepit archival rooms?

Gradually, the film starts to lose its appeal, evolving from what appeared to be engrossing into just plain off-putting. Whatever tension was generated in the beginning acts founders as we start to ponder the psychological logistics, who is responsible for what, etc. By the time the "surprise" ending rolls around, revealing everything that we pretty much knew five minutes ahead of time, audience members may be more inclined to roll their eyes in disgust at Anderson's surrender to violence and gore, senseless tactics he was able to stray from for much of the film's duration.

The feeling I got from "Session 9" was a goal of originality that just wasn't met. There's an aura of unfamiliarity to the work, but the lack of achievement in the story and character departments is not easily overlooked (at times, the peeling paint and deteriorated ceiling panels obtain more interest). Anderson is too confident that style can pass as substance, providing us with a film that is visually enticing, but may drive some people clinically insane just thinking about its hackneyed premise.