Session 9 (2001)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Brad Anderson

Writers (WGA):

Brad Anderson (written by) &
Stephen Gevedon (written by)

Release Date:

14 September 2001 (Italy)

Genre:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

Fear Is A Place.

Plot:

Tensions rise within an asbestos cleaning crew as they work in an abandoned mental hospital with a horrific past that seems to be coming back.

Plot Keywords:

Asbestos | Mental Hospital | Baby | Asylum | Coin

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

David Caruso	...	Phil
Stephen Gevedon	...	Mike
Paul Guilfoyle	...	Bill Griggs
Josh Lucas	...	Hank
Peter Mullan	...	Gordon Fleming
Brendan Sexton III	...	Jeff
Charley Broderick	...	Security Guard (as Charles Broderick)
Lonnie Farmer	...	Doctor (voice)
Larry Fessenden	...	Craig McManus
Jurian Hughes	...	Mary Hobbes (voice)
Sheila Stasack	...	Wendy (voice)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and brief strong violence.

Runtime:

100 min | Spain:102 min | USA:97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Germany:16 | Netherlands:16 | Iceland:16 | Singapore:NC-16 | Malaysia:18PL | Argentina:13 | Australia:MA | Canada:14A | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

703 Lynnfield Street, Lynn, Massachusetts, USA

Company:

USA Films

Trivia:

This was one of the first feature films shot using Sony's 24P HD video, which shoots at 24 frames per second, like film, as opposed to the 30 frames per second of conventional NTSC video. Using this technology, Brad Anderson and director of photography Uta Briesewitz were able to produce the uniquely effective, deep-focus images using mostly natural light.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In the documents Mike comes across Mary Hobbs diagnosis is D.I.D. In the time period of the tapes D.I.D was still labeled as Multiple Personality Disorder, it was not until 1994 they changed it to Dissociative Identity Disorder to accommodate the DSM-IV-TR (a mental disorder diagnostic guide).

Quotes:

[first lines]
Phil: Gordy? You look tired, man. You look beat. Your turn to feed Emma?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Silent Hill 3 (2003) (VG)

Soundtrack:

Piece for Tape Recorder

You won't know what hit you

No point in mincing words: Brad Anderson's Session 9 is the best horror movie I've seen in a long time. It's intelligent, well-written, it's completely unpredictable, it looks great (I didn't really notice until the second viewing how well the editing and the photography work together), and the soundtrack is downright creepy. Until recently only two films had managed to make me lie awake at night: Dario Argento's "Opera" and Tobe Hooper's "Texas Chain Saw Massacre". Well, now the list includes three films. Honestly, there is no excuse not to see this one, folks. Horror doesn't get any better than this.