Session 9 is a movie that I certainly knew by reputation as a very good scary movie but was one I kept putting off until finally this year I decided I was finally going to sit down and watch it. I went in knowing only the basic premise and not much else and was surprised what an effective little flick this was.
Gordon Fleming (played by Peter Mullan) is the owner of a hazardous waste removal company. He and his associate Phil (played by David Caruso) are called in to assess cleaning up and removing asbestos from the abandoned Danvers State Mental Hospital. Desperate to land the bid, he agrees to have the job done in one week instead of the two-three weeks it would realistically take. They assemble a crew that includes Mike (played by Stephen Gevedon), a law school dropout who is familiar with the history of the asylum, Hank (played by Josh Lucas), a gambling addict who stole Phil's girlfriend, and Jeff (played by Brendan Sexton III), Gordon's nephew who has a pathological fear of the dark. As the crew gets to work with the clean-up, unsettling things begin to happen. Gordon hears a voice greet him by name and finds himself strangely drawn to the nearby cemetery that contains the remains of over 700 patients. Mike discovers a bunch of abandoned case files, including one in particular of a patient named Mary Hobbes, who suffered from Dissociative Identity Disorder. He starts to listen to a group of tapes he found of sessions between her and her doctor, a total of 9 sessions. As the days go on, the place starts to have an effect on each of the guys as they each begin to experience unsettling things within the confines of the hospital, taking a toll on their own mental health.
The film was directed by Brad Anderson from a script he co-wrote with Stephen Gevedon. There is a definite slow burn pacing to the film as it establishes the hospital and it's history as the film builds it's tension and sense of dread. The film was shot on location in the actual abandoned Danvers State Mental Hospital in Massachusetts and apparently they had to do very little work dressing the sets for the film. Much of what we see in the film is actually how it was, with all the abandoned equipment, as well as much of the vandalism and deterioration of the property being exactly as they found it. It's such a large and imposing building as well it is practically another character in the movie, not unlike the Overlook Hotel in The Shining, which this movie takes more than a little inspiration from. Still, the story did keep me on my toes throughout. I knew things were going to go wrong, I just wasn't quite sure how. This movie is also an example of less is more, using the atmosphere of the setting, the sound design and effective cinematography, as well as an effective score from Climax Golden Twins, to create the scares rather than CGI and extensive practical effects.
The cast is really solid, led by Peter Mullan as Gordon. He captures his character's increasingly fragile mental state quite well without overdoing it. He really conveys the pressure he's under and how much is riding on this job so he can keep his company afloat. There are also certain other secrets with his character that he reveals in a way that is compelling and at times rather sympathetic. David Caruso handles the role of Phil well, who throughout the film is the voice of reason trying to keep it together for the rest of the group. Josh Lucas is clearly reveling playing the scummy and shady Hank, who loves to tease and torment his co-workers, among many other things. Brendan Sexton III gives some real vulnerability to his character of Jeff. He's a bit of a goof, but Sexton keeps him sympathetic without being annoying.
Overall, I found Session 9 lived up to it's reputation as a unique and chilling spook flick, using atmosphere and subtlety to deliver it's scares. It may have taken inspiration from films that came before, but it also stands on its own as a unique and genuinely scary movie. I'm only sorry I waited this long to actually watch this one.
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