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Session 9 (2001) review
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Image property of USA Films
Gordon Fleming specializes in removing asbestos, but is having a hard time finding work while him and his wife just had a baby. That is until he's contacted by Bill Griggs, the owner of an abandoned mental hospital. The hospital needs a lot of work and Gordon brings his second, Phil, along with him to check it out. What is originally a three week job gets negotiated down to one week that includes a $10,000 bonus for every man involved. Gordon leads a five man team that will have to work their hardest to get the job done on time, but what starts out as a great job slowly snowballs into the most horrific thing any of them could have imagined. The crew begins turning on each other as heated arguments seem to escalate as quickly as they began. Each man begins to act strangely and differently than when they first arrived. Something that used to be in the hospital still resides deep within its darkness infested corridors and is beginning to plague Gordon's team. Some would even say that fear isn't a feeling or an emotion. It's a place that preys on the weak and the wounded.
Image property of USA Films
The atmosphere in this film is just brilliant. The setting puts you on edge to begin with since it takes place in an abandoned mental hospital, but even deserted there's just something about the building that doesn't seem right. It's like something has infected the structure down to its core. The setting seems to rely heavily on luminescence or the lack thereof. Even when a room in the hospital is illuminated, it still feels dark. Darkness still overwhelms it like it's hiding something. In addition to that, there's the Mary Hobbes subplot that makes the film that much more disturbing. But the less you know about that going into the film, the better.
Image property of USA Films
While the film has a fantastic atmosphere, it seems to be lacking something to make it a superb film. Everything seems to be there as the script is good, the writing is top notch, can't complain about the acting, there's a bit of a twist in the ending that's really well done, and the film stays with you long after you watch it. The best explanation is that it had all the elements of a superb film, but it dropped the ball slightly in its execution. The pieces of the puzzle weren't put together in exactly the right way, but were put together in a way that still resulted in a good psychological horror film.
Session 9 is the perfect horror film for people who like films that mess with their head. It gets beneath your skin and stays there. While the film is practically a cult classic and contains all the elements of a great horror film, it seems to be lacking something. The best way to explain it is to say Session 9 is a superb psychological horror film that just wasn't as good to this reviewer as it is to others, but that could always change with repeat viewings of the film.
Theatrical Release Date: August 10, 2001 (limited)
DVD Release Date: August 13, 2002
Director: Brad Anderson
Genre: horror, mystery, thriller
Runtime: 100 min
Cast: David Caruso as Phil
Steven Gevedon as Mike
Paul Guilfoyle as Bill Griggs
Josh Lucas as Hank
Peter Mullan as Gordon Fleming
Brendan Sexton III as Jeff
Purchase: Amazon.com
Overall Rating: 7/10
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