Rating: 
Summary: An underappriciated beauty
Review: I had never heard of "Session 9" until a couple of weeks ago. Ever since I saw it, I can talk of nothing else. It's absolutely AMAZING, and it's sad that it's so overlooked. "Session 9" is like no other horror movie I've ever seen and leaves the viewer absolutely dumbfounded. If nothing else, it'll make you more afraid of the dark than you ever were before.It's nearly impossible to summarize the plot without giving away the entire film, but I'll do my best. The setup: a crew is preparing an abandoned mental hospital for construction. Gordon, the leader of the crew, has held his position for a long time, and thinks that the stress is beginning to get to him. Then the strange things start to happen. One member of the crew discovers a room filled with psycologist's session tapes of the various patients. He starts listening to the sessions of a schizophrenic girl named Mary, who has three personalities: The Princess, Billy, and the eluisve Simon, who we don't hear from until the very end of the film. Another crew member goes missing, and Phil, Gordon's second in command, starts becoming wary of his superior's behavior, and maybe even gets a little power-hungry when he realizes that Gordon might not last too much longer. After a strange discovery, things begin to spiral out of control, leading to a completely unexpected ending. "Session 9" is one of the most unpredictable horror films I've ever seen, which is a rarity in today's films like "Gothika" and "The Ring" which, while artsy, most people had figured out a quarter of the way into the movie. Everything is shot very cleanly and artfully and never sacrifices explanations for aesthetics. The soundtrack is very minimal, just a few well-placed "pings" of piano keys, as well as the occasional weird sound effect. Every horror buff should see this movie. It's one of those rare beauties that sparks lengthy and entertaining discussions afterwards. Oh, one more word of warning: DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE BY YOURSELF. Doing so would make it terrifying beyond belief. Enjoy.
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.
Rating: 
Summary: Danvers State Hospital is Closed
Review: The closed Danvers State Mental Hospital in Massachusetts is the site of Brad Anderson's "Session 9." And a huge, ugly forboding place it is: opened in 1887 and closed due to "budget cuts" in 1985. It's 2000 now and part of the Danvers is to be renovated by the city for public use. But before construction can begin a Hazmat company (hazardous waste clearing) headed by the volatile yet outwardly calm Gordon Fleming (the super Peter Mullan who makes up for "The Claim" in this film), his second in command Phil (David Caruso) and three day workers: intelligent, quiet, inquisitive Mike (Steve Gevedon), slimy, greasy Hank(Josh Lucas who played a similar role in "Deep End") and mullet-wearing teenager Jeff (the redoubtable Brandon Sexton III)must do some major cleanup. Brad Anderson expertly sets the scene not only with the visuals and physical production(Danvers does much of the work for him) but also with the interior lives of the players: Mike, a law school dropout in the process of re-evaluating his life discovers a cache of tape recordings that has much to do with the progression and climax of the film as well as the title, Phil whose motives are called into question time and time again through innuendo and inference rather than anything concrete, Jeff,afraid of the dark, is used as a deus ex machina who propels the climax of the film and Hank the Cad, all surface swagger and machismo, looking for a quick way to get rich through scratch off lotto tickets . But it is Gordon who is the most conflicted and complex. Mullan plays him like a combination of Medea and King Lear, two of THE most treacherous yet gentle and caring characters in all of fiction. Into this mix Anderson throws the secrets of the Danvers and it's former mental patients, it's mode of dealing with these patients ( electric shock machines, ice water treatment baths, squallid cells resonating with bad vibes) and what you end up with is an expertly delineated psychological thriller more in the mode of "The Shining" than "The Blair Witch Project." Well Done.
Rating:
Summary: Session 9 is creepy as hell......a true breath taker
Review: If you like eery and creepy stuff then this is the ticket for you and if you are suffering from Nycthophobia or Clastrophobia then this is not the movie for you. David Caruso (Tv's NYPD Blue and CSI: Miami), Peter Mullan (Shallow Grave, The Claim), Josh Lucas( Wonderland, The Deep End), Brendan Sexton III (Desert Blue, Boys Dont Cry)and Stephen Gevedon (who also co-wrote the movie) are hired by Peter Guilfoyle(Tv's CSI:Las Vegas, Striptease) to get rid of hazardous asbestos and other toxic things (crocolidite etc ) in a abandoned insane asylum. Gevedon wonders around the place and digs into one of the buildings past history cases with 9 Session tapes and things happen around the place that are, well a little bit freaky and weird. Atmosphere is key and so is the level of tension built into the characters. That chair in the middle of the hallway with light beaming on it from an open door is way creepy, too bad no one sat on it. Mullan gives a bravo performance and Caruso does his usual thing.
Rating:
Summary: Creepy...
Review: ...and an excellent film!
I am scratching my head over G. Haugen's review. I, also, am a huge fan of THE OTHER, TCM, and THE SHINING, and right after viewing this, I let some of my fellow psycho-logical horror fan friends know just how highly I think of this. I am surprised to see someone with such taste give this only one star.
Unlike most mainstream horror flicks, this one takes its time in developing the characters.
Gordon and Bill are heading a remodeling project in an old abandoned mental institute. It is revealed early on that Gordon has been having some family problems, and Bill has been involved in some shady business. The crew members are comprised of an intellectual law school dropout, a not-so-bright, but good hearted mullet head, and a free spirit.
Each character becomes sort of drawn to something in the building. The intellectual starts sneaking off into the basement to listen to recordings of sessions of a woman w/ multiple personalities, the free spirit discovers hidden treasure, and the mullet head can only work in a limited capacity because of fear of the dark.
As the intellectual listens to a new session each day, the tension among the crew grows stronger, and it remains like this up to the chilling end.
Don't worry, I didn't reveal anything. I just felt compelled to review this after reading that last review. All of you psychological horror buffs should think of this as a "second opinon"
The features on the dvd were great. The alternate ending is worth watching.
Rating: 
Summary: Session Nine was a waste of time...
Review: As a fan of horror, suspense and psychological thrillers I am always on the lookout for something that will at minimum give me a good case of the willys. I grew up during the 70's and was indoctrinated into these genres on films such as The Other, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Shining and The Sentinel. I consider my standards to be relatively high and have a high threshold for fear.
Unfortunately, I wasn't the least bit spooked when I viewed Session Nine. The film started off incredibly slow and I was tempted to stop the dvd after the first 30 minutes--but I'm not a quitter. I had also read some of the reviews on this website that gave me some encouragement and therefore I was expecting a decent scare before all was said and done.
This movie is nothing but a low-budget, low-grade rip-off of The Shining. A hazmat crew of five guys goes to work cleaning up an old mental institution. The visuals and size of the place are very reminiscent of the Overlook Hotel from The Shining. The first 45 minutes is the guys walking around the place and exchanging meaningless dialogue with the occassional allusion to the history of the mental hospital, which I assumed was leading up to something--eventually.
Finally towards the end it becomes clear that the boss has been going mad and knocking off his employees one by one. Now, I normally believe that people who give away endings should be shot, but it's easy to make an exception for this movie. There is nothing even remotely scary about this movie. I didn't sense any fear on the parts of the victims, the boss just walks up to them and kills them. It's that simple. I can't believe any of the other reviewers were nervous or uncomfortable, let alone scared while watching this lame movie. If you want a good scare, look elswhere. I doubt this movie could creep out my eleven year-old nephew.
Rating:
Summary: Unique and Very Disquieting...
Review: I read about this one in an issue of "All Hallows" magazine, and decided to take a look... I was impressed enough to buy a copy after renting it!
Low budget flick, that I think was direct to DVD. Too bad, I'd like to see this one on a big screen. I had reservations at first, since I think David Caruso is a bonehead, but he turned in a great performance, along with the rest of the cast, much to my surprise. The real star however, is the location.
Filmed in an actual abandoned lunatic asylum, this is the scariest damn building I think I've ever seen. You couldn't pay me enough or buy me enough beer to spend a night in this place!!
The story builds slowly to a fascinating climax. As someone else stated, there is not a lot of gore, but that's fine with me. What gets to you is a gradually increasing aura of dread at what you don't see (for kind of the same effect, check out the original 1960 film version of "The Haunting"). This is a slow and relatively subtle film that really pays off.
Oddball camera work, a chilling score, believable (if sometimes irritating!) characters and an incredible location all add up to a winner. I do recommend viewing this film at least twice however, as it has what I call a "What the fxxk" ending. A second viewing is definitely worthwhile, as a lot of missed details reveal themselves that really clear things up (a bit!).
Finally, watch this one alone in a dark room for maximum effect, as this is an intelligent horror film that deserves all the attention and "atmosphere" you can give it. I wish they made more of 'em like this!
Rating:
Summary: Session 9 a waste of time
Review: I agree with most that the setting had potential. Talk about a slow movie with a bad story line, I kept waiting and waiting for something to happen and it never did. No chills, no thrills, followed by a lame ending. The only thing tortured here were my eyes and ears. Pathetic piece of film making!
Rating:
Summary: Brad Anderson does a haunted house movie with the lights on
Review: The most audacious element of "Session 9" is that it takes place during the day time and while there are some moments involving shadows there is only a brief bit of one sequences that actually ends up in the dark. You do no think of bright light as being an omnipresent element in what is essentially a haunted house film, but director Brad Anderson clearly wants to scare his audience when the lights are on. Anderson used to drive past the enormous Danvers Mental Hospital in Massachusetts (built in the 1887s, condemned in 1984, and closed in 1992), which inspired the script by Anderson and his co-writer Stephen Gevedon (who plays Mike). In that regard "Session 9" reminds me of Herke Harvey's classic low-budget horror film, "Carnival of Souls." But the location that inspired Anderson's film is central to the entire film, and not simply the setting for the climax.
Gordon Fleming (Peter Mullan) shows up with his Hazmat Elimination Company crew to remove asbestos from the abandoned mental hospital. This is dangerous enough work, where the type of music you play on your boom box could literally be dangerous to your health, but of course asbestos will be the least of their worries. There is a big bonus involved if the job is done in a week, and while Phil (David Caruso) has his doubts, they have to try. The rest of the crew consists of Hank (Josh Lucas), whom Phil does not trust for a lot of reasons, Jeff (Brendan Sexton III), a nephew who is new to the work, and Mike (Gevedon), who is well-read enough to provide the necessary exposition regarding the place they are working on at lunch time.
In real world history the hospital is supposed built on the site of the house of Jonathan Hathorne, one of the most fanatical judges of the witchcraft trials of Massachusetts. Originally the Danvers State Hospital was an attempt to treat patients with delusions by bringing them to beautiful surroundings and fresh air. But by the start of the 20th century too many patients and not enough money led to a radical shift in treatment and procedures at Danvers so that shock treatments, hydrotherapy, and lobotomies were used to control the patients (although it is not true that Danvers was where lobotomies were invented). Once abandoned, the giant structure quickly gained a reputation for being haunted, no doubt by the ghosts of the abused patients.
Mike tells of a more specific horror story, and we know from other horror films to always pay attention to the back-story. It seems that once upon a time there was a young girl who was being treated who told an incredible story about very wicked things, except that what she said happened could not have happened. The story is told by Mike to explain why the place closed down, but we know better. That story contains clues as to what is going on, especially when Mike stumbles across the reel-to-reel tapes of the actual sessions (guess how many there were). While everybody is racing to meet the deadline, Mike is spending his time listening to the sessions of the Doctor and the young girl. As the others explore the building, there are other disturbing remnants of what used to happen in this place, and the fact that such things are discovered in the light of day does not lessen their impact.
"Session 9" is certainly a stylish horror film, which is not to suggest it is devoid of substance. But like so many of its kindred spirits I find the payoff to be less than satisfying (which is a complaint I have about "Apocalypse Now" as well, so take that for what it is worth). Still, when the greatest sin in a horror film is that you see the end coming, I do not think most viewers will be able to figure out how everything fits together, although they should figure out the "who." The atmosphere of "Session 9" is on target, mainly because unlike a lot of contemporary horror films, there is no attempt to force it by letting the music do all the heavy lifting and there are no special effects to induce stomach churning and worse. "Session 9" is interested in true terror and not the inelegant gross out. That alone makes it worth watching, even if turning out all the lights does little to enhance the experience.
Rating:
Summary: I couldn't fall asleep on this one.
Review: This movie held my attention throughout. The characters where great,the pacing was good, and the subject matter very creepy. I don't scare easily, but this movie got to me. This film is somewhat overlooked, which is a shame because it is well thought out and I found it to be a great mind blower. The mental institution in this film is real and very intimidating. Happy Hauntings!
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