Session 9

Chances are that you will not avert your eyes while watching the movie "Session 9," a gripping "found-footage" (cassette tapes of psychiatric sessions discovered in an abandoned psychiatric hospital) psychological thriller. This compelling mystery has more than enough power to keep a viewer from being distracted as he or she finds out who did what to whom.

Classic movie,had to watch movie a couple times to understand ending.First time I watched movie in 2003 or 4 I watched several times.Paid to rent movie three times over past couple years and desided to buy.acting is great,very relatable for me.

This review is for the Blu-Ray version of 'Session 9' released by Universal Studio's Home Entertainment in 2002.Don't look too deep into this movie. That's the mistake I made while watching it. I was looking for all kinds of answers and I was trying to predict what was going to happen. Even when the movie ended I was kind of saying to myself, 'What did I miss?' The answer is 'nothing.' I watched parts of the documentary and the producers pretty much explained that they just wanted to make a movie in an abandoned asylum and the made a plot around that. There is nothing deep here at all. Maybe this is a good thing (See my Conclusion in last paragraph.)The documentary is almost like one of those found footage documentaries. All the actors tell you about how 'creeped out' they were and how they really believe they witnessed supernatural stuff going on.Sure, the movie has it's creepy moments but it all leads nowhere.****SPOILERS****They came up with the hazardous material angle to get people there and somebody goes crazy. That's it.Right at the beginning of the movie we learn that when the asylum shut it's doors, some of the patients were just released. I thought for sure that one of the workers, possibly the owner was going to be one of the previous tenants. Nope, they were just giving you some true historical facts about the place. Just a red herring.In fact, the title 'Session 9' is just one big red herring. One of the guys finds some old tapes of a patient and starts listening to them. They are labeled session 1, session 2, etc. I thought when we got to Session 9 we would get a big reveal. Wrrrrooonnngggg!!! We never get to Session 9. Those tapes meant nothing to the movie and the guy who was listening gets killed before he even gets to session 9.They make a point of pointing out that if any of the asbestos gets in your mouth, you will slowly die. Later on, one of the guys does breath in some dust but ultimately this is just another red herring. This has nothing to do with the rest of the movie and there is no effect on the character. Yep, another red herring.Each of the characters has something going on, some ulterior motives, etc. None of it means anything except possibly giving motives for the murders from a character who is already crazy.Since you've read the spoilers I might as well tell you it's the owner of the hazardous materials company that goes crazy. Nothing that any of the other characters do or none of the subplots that are created come into play at all. A subplot is created about the owner badly needing this job or he will be out of business and he makes promises he probably can't keep. This leads nowhere. To be sure, there are several other subplots, they just don't go anywhere. They are there just to make you think something is going on. One of the subplots actually results in another person coming to the facility but he is there for an instant. He is brought in just to be another person killed. I'm not sure if these subplots going nowhere was intentional or they just didn't know what direction to go in when filming the movie. The producers pretty much admit that they just wanted to make a movie in the asylum and didn't have a plot.****END OF SPOILERS****RECOMMENDATIONS/CONCLUSIONS: Well this is an insane asylum movie so if you like that sub-genre of horror movies then this is for you.I was going to give this movie 2 stars because of the poor plot but it really wasn't that bad. It just wasn't that good. Then I thought about it some more and said to myself, "you know, I should give this 4 stars. Well 3 1/2 but you can't do that." 4 stars would be just too much for this movie.The reason for my second thoughts are as.....well, follow the logic. You really don't see any movies that have all kinds of angles and subplots that have nothing to do with the movie. Sure, a director throws in something unnecessary every now and then to throw you off. But almost the entire plot and subplots was unnecessary. Even the title had nothing to do with the movie!By having no originality, no plot lines that go anywhere and a title that is meaningless..in an odd sort of way..this movie is pretty original! So 5 stars for originality. 1 star for the plot. Average 3 stars. Done. I'd give it one more but then that would deceive people into thinking I thought it was better than what it was.

So what do I really think of Session 9? My review title isn’t entirely honest just as “Session 9” isn’t entirely honest. Perhaps my inner contrarian feels betrayed by all the glowing reviews here at amazon . I thought this would be a truly disturbing horror film. It turns out it was practically neither. “Session 9” is pretty much just a psychological drama with a violent ending, just as “Silence of the Lamb” and “Se7en” are not really horror films. Unlike those two films, “Session 9” wasn’t nearly as scary, violent, disturbing, well acted, or made. That said; this film is not a major Hollywood production and I tend to give low budget films a break. However, “Session 9” failed in ways many low budget films do not. Let’s clear the dust on this.-STORY, STORY, STORYOne aspect of film making that does not require a big budget is creative story telling. “Session 9” has a fairly disconnected story with facets that generate mood but don’t really move the story along. In fact, the titular “sessions” (Clinical recordings of a murderer with multiple personalities) are pretty much unnecessary to the films ultimate ending though they are probably the scariest part of the film. The basic premise around which the story revolves is a small crew of asbestos removal technicians who are assigned the task of cleaning up the hazardous material from a large facility in a ridiculously short amount of time. The guys spend a lot of time cleaning, joking, eating lunch, arguing, and wasting time snooping around. Strangely, the boss says they’re making great progress (really?). The story does have twist and turns (not particularly challenging ones) and a key figure that comes from nowhere. Yet, I eventually gave up guessing who would turn the story towards mayhem since there were only a couple of options. The red “hairing” was not particularly effective since the prime suspect quickly became obvious.-DON’T BREATHE THE ATMOSPHEREAs you may have already read, this film takes place in Danvers Mental Hospital in Massachusetts; the true star of this film. The best parts of the story are the moments of historical recollection concerning this building. The true goings-on at Danvers were horrific and disturbing especially since they are true. The building, tight schedule, life threatening hazardous material, and friction among the crew all create a foreboding atmosphere. This may well be the most effective part of the film. Unfortunately it’s not enough to satisfy my need for a more challenging story.-DEFINE HORRORSo what constitutes a horror film? Like “Se7en” and “Silence of the Lamb”, “Session 9” could be labeled a psychological thriller or drama. I’m not going to argue what it is, but little happens in the first hour of the film to warrant the “Horror” tag. I guess a film of this nature becomes horror when some audacious gore or violence occurs. There is a sense of dread that hangs over the film due to the interpersonal tensions and the hazards of the job. However, the violence comes way too late to ratchet up the requisite suspense or thrills I personally look forward to in horror films. That said I have to view this as a low budget psychological drama with a violent end. That doesn’t make this an inherently bad film; it just means I think marketing this film as a horror film is a bit disingenuous.-SAY SOMETHING SORT OF NICE A lot of people liked this film. So I feel compelled to acknowledge the things this film did right. Though many elements of the story were superfluous to the plot, the plot was actually pretty compelling. I might have enjoyed this more as a short film (40 minutes or less). As it is, I found the film to feel so padded with distractions and un-needed details that the plot became diluted. The Acting was mostly well executed. After Danvers, Peter Mullen and David Caruso were the clear human stars of this film. They did a good job of developing the air of uneasy doubt that dominates this film. I really can't stand David Caruso, but he did a reasonable job as a slightly suspicious foremen. The other actors did nothing to harm this film, were often entertaining, and served well as eventual victims.The overall production values of this film were, at worst, adequate. Considering that nearly the entire film was shot on the grounds of Danvers the creepy feel of the film was a given. The cinematography was effective though usually unremarkable at telling the story and keeping the dark mood.-WHAT’S THE FINAL CALL?I have issues with “Session 9” being hyped as a terrifying horror film when it’s more of a slow paced psychological drama. It’s not a bad psychological drama, but I’ve seen better. There are acts of grotesque violence and brutal killings (of which very little is seen). Unfortunately most of these obscured acts happen in the last 15 minutes of the film. The film has an uneasy atmosphere and lots of tension to go along with the meager violence. Yet the execution of the plot is overlong and full of distractions that do little to move it along and prove to be nothing more than interesting distractions. Rental is probably the way to go if you’re curious. If you don’t expect a terrifying horror film, you just might enjoy it.-Story…........2.5 Stars-Plot……......4 Stars-Horror…..…2 Stars-Acting…......3.5 Stars-Hype factor..2 StarsAverage…….2.8 Stars

As a big horror buff I wasn't overly impressed. If you're looking for a mental asylum flick I'd go with Shutter Island over this.

Really had me at the edge of my seat! I really enjoyed the movie i love thrillers! Definitely recommend

Session 9 is one of those creepy movies that made it hard to sleep. It's about a group of guys that are hired to clean out an abandoned mental asylum. As they do the job strange things take place concerning each crew member. One worker finds a box of old tapes from the asylum, thus Session 9, and starts listening to them only to find out that one of the personalities of the patient being interviewed is a killer. The parts where the tapes are being played is very chilling. As the work goes on, each man is mentally worn down by menacing influences in the asylum. You won't see any monsters or buckets of blood but this movie is more about mental terror, dreariness, fears, and how sometimes a location can consume you and impact you in a negative way. There is a murderous twist which I will not reveal. Most horror movies don't even bother me but from time to time I do get scared after watching movies that are more of a mind terror. Also, weird abandoned buildings especially hospitals creep me out.

Session 9 is a fantastic, slow-burning, psychological horror film which gets into your head like the featured asylum. Fans of Stephen King will recognise The Shining quote in the title as there are similarities between the two, namely the disintegration of sanity and how the weak-willed can be manipulated. Headed by an excellent ensembled cast the film sees friends Gordon and Phil, along with know-it-all Hank and Jeff brought in to clear out the asbestos from a long-abandoned mental asylum.Not long after starting the job Mike stumbles across a box of tapes; recordings of a number sessions between doctor and patient Mary Hobbs, who has a multiple personality disorder - recounting an incident on Christmas night. It is these recordings (hence the film's title) which forms the backbone of the story. Due to financial pressures Gordon is deadset on finishing the job as quickly as possible (and also to stave off bids from competitors) despite protestations from Phil. It's this along with his domestic unrest which acts as a catalyst for the events that follow.It's fascinating to watch the group dynamic slowly fraying; starting off with camaraderie and banter slowly seguing into suspicion and paranoia; with the viewer never quite sure who is losing their grip. Anyone looking for all-action and gore may be disappointed as it's quite subdued till the final 15-20 minutes. Up until that point it's a case of cranking up the tension slowly and surely until the truth is revealed. The on-screen death scenes - well one in particular - is gruesome and very much toe-curling. However it's the off-screen deaths which are far worse, and demonstrate the evil deeds that seemingly decent people are capable of. The final scripted line of the film is both powerful and draws an effective line under what has come before.An excellent film with an excellent cast which should be considered by any fans of horror, in particular character-driven and tense horror.

I won't write a whole nine yards on this film because I have no doubt others have before me.I will say this, if you haven't seen it before it's a must watch.If you come here for an over hyped script and gore galore then you might want to look elsewhere.If you want a great atmospheric movie, with good acting and a decent story then this is it.I like the fact they could have done the easy cash grab and just made this film a typical slasher or ghost film. What they did was something a lot more different with both subjects and made it so creepy.From a personal point, I've waited so long for this film to get a blu ray release in the UK and finally second sight did with great love but also a special edition that makes it all a little more special.You have enough extras to give you some in depth info about the making of the film and some insights into how independent films were of that time.It's a great watch and well worth the money!

I think this is really worth watching for the last 30 seconds... I did guess where it was going and how it might end up, but those last few words... yes! Quite creepy throughout. Not a bad horror film, at all... would recommend!

DVD physically fine as usual, arrived on time, no problems there, However, the film itself is rubbish!! Boring tedious scenes of men stripping asbestos off walls, disembodied voices, and a lame ending. Don't bother with this one, there are far better films featuring demonic possession out there.

This is the first time I have written a review but I just wanted to redress the balance as it seems to have very caused very mixed reactions. Some other reviewers have gone into more depth so I will not repeat everything already said.I found this film to be chilling and scary in a way that gory, slasher type films are not. It builds nicely to its quite frightening climax, which was bloody but not too over the top. The actors were great in portraying the dread the building was imposing on them. The voice on the tape at the heart of the story was very spooky.The mental hospital itself was a wonderful setting for this type of film and gave it the most fantastic atmosphere. My son worked in a mental hospital very similar to this in England before it was closed down and said that it always gave him the creeps at any time of day and now I know why. Anyway please give this a try if you like being scared but not sickened.