Session 9 is a 2001 American psychological horror film directed by Brad Anderson, written by Anderson and Stephen Gevedon, and starring David Caruso, Peter Mullan, Brendan Sexton III, Josh Lucas, and Gevedon. The film follows an asbestos abatement crew who take a clean-up job at the abandoned psychiatric hospital amid an intense work schedule, growing tensions, and mysterious events occurring around them. Its title refers to a series of audio-taped psychiatric sessions with a former asylum patient, Mary Hobbes, that run parallel to the crew's experiences.
The film marked a tonal departure for Anderson, who previously directed only romantic comedies. Anderson and Gevedon began developing the screenplay in the late 1990s, utilizing the Danvers State Psychiatric Hospital as a central location for the story. The film was partly inspired by the case of Richard Rosenthal, a man who murdered and mutilated his wife at their Boston home in 1995.
Brian Keiper, writing for Bloody Disgusting, notes that "the real stories of Danvers are woven into the fabric of Session 9s plot, giving a sense of semi-documentary to elements of the proceedings. Though only tangential to the plot, Mike’s story of Patricia Willard (a fictional story created to illustrate a real trend) makes an important thematic point. It deals with the controversial subject of Satanic Ritual Abuse, the retrieval of repressed memories, and the questionable credibility surrounding such stories and practices." Keiper interprets the film's conclusion as intentionally ambiguous, rendering it unclear as to whether Gordon's deteriorating mental state and crimes are the result of a psychological disorder, or a demonic entity—the same entity that may have possessed Mary—utilizing him as a host. Anderson states that it was also, "as you imagine, very much inspired by the location", the Danvers State Psychiatric Hospital. Anderson had been residing in Boston in the late 1990s, and would frequently drive past the Danvers State Hospital: "When Steve and I were first brainstorming, we didn't have the framework of what we wanted to hang our horror film on. But then I remembered Danvers, and we thought it’d be cool to set a story [there], for a number of reasons. It would be contained, for one thing, and it would be maybe even more practical in terms of actually doing it, because we could keep it all in one location." Anderson also cited The Shining (1980) as an influence, specifically in the screenplay's sectioning of events by days of the week. Anderson has stated that he aimed to use sound to convey the plot as well as to generate "a creepy tone"; the sound design incorporated the subliminal use of animal and mechanical noises. Josh Lucas was cast as Hank after auditioning for the part, and later commented that he was drawn to playing the character because he was "a working class asshole... he was just a prick, and it was terrific fun to play him that way." David Caruso was cast in the film at the suggestion of USA Films executives, who had a working relationship with him. Anderson commented that while Caruso was an "offbeat choice" for his role, the "combination felt very real to me—a little real because it wasn't predictable."
Brendan Sexton III was cast as Jeff, Gordon's nephew, based on the filmmakers' admiration of his performance in Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995). Larry Fessenden, an acquaintance of Anderson's, was given a minor role as Craig McManus, a replacement worker hired on the crew.
To prepare for their roles, as well as the potential exposure risks while filming in the hospital, the principal cast members went through asbestos abatement training.
Filming
thumb|left|upright=1|Filming took place on location at the [[Danvers State Hospital (pictured in 1893)]]
Most of the film was shot in a small section of the then-dilapidating Danvers State Hospital; according to actor David Caruso, the rest of the building was "unsafe" for shooting. which shoots at 24 frames-per-second like film, as opposed to regular digital video which shoots at 30 frames-per-second. The film was shot by German cinematographer Uta Briesewitz.
| recorded = Gravelvoice Studio (Seattle, Washington) The film opened in Boston, Massachusetts at the Loews Common Theatre on August 8, 2001. It was given a limited theatrical release two days later on August 10, playing in Boston, New York City, and Los Angeles before expanding over the Labor Day weekend. and DVD editions of Session 9 on February 26, 2002. A Blu-ray edition was released in August 2016 by Scream Factory. In the United Kingdom, a limited edition Blu-ray set was released by Second Sight Films on December 27, 2021.
Reception
Box office
Session 9 earned $76,493 during its opening weekend, Rolling Stone called it "a spine-tingler", and praised Brad Anderson's direction. Slant Magazine favorably compared it to the 1973 film Don't Look Now, writing, "Anderson's creeper is nowhere near as profound, but the film's old-fashioned pacing and revelatory camerawork bring to mind [[Nicolas Roeg|[Nicolas] Roeg]]'s uniquely terrifying dreamworlds."
Kevin Thomas of the Los Angeles Times said of the film: "Session 9 is so effective that its sense of uncertainty lingers long after the theater lights have gone up." The Edmonton Journals Todd Babiak similarly praised the film's sparse storytelling, writing: "Since the script never tries to explain all the evil in the universe, we don't have to endure weak and unsuccessful histories or philosophies. Instead, we get a small pocket of devilry that might just leap off the screen and infect us." Susanna Sonnenberg of the Missoulian found the film's characters well-written and realistic, adding that the screenplay's structure effectively "relies on what is suggested rather than presented, a sense of what might be there but isn't certain."
Some reviewers criticized the film's ending. A negative review came from Varietys Robert Koehler, who wrote, "while pic works up a nervously eerie paranoia, it finally doesn't know what to do with what it sets up." Edward Guthmann of the San Francisco Chronicle felt that "the story doesn't quite pay off, the characters are underwritten and the surprise ending is contrived and unconvincing." The Village Voices Amy Taubin wrote, "the script for Session 9 is so underwritten that even such lively character actors as David Caruso, Peter Mullan and Brendan Sexton III are left stranded." The Boston Globes Jay Carr similarly panned the film, writing that, as it progresses into its final act, "the store of ominousness shrinks and gives way to silliness, leaving some talented actors high and dry. As if cursed, Session 9 becomes glossy claptrap that plays like its own lobotomy."
Dave Kehr, in a mixed review for The New York Times, praises the "impeccable" performances and the dialogue's "authentic working-class snap", but criticizes the pacing which "often feels long and aimless", and concludes that the film "loses any sense of urgency or structure" because of Anderson's choice to leave the connections between events unstated.
Modern apparaisal
Session 9 developed a cult following in the years after its original release, mainly through DVD rentals and word of mouth. Bloody Disgusting ranked the film fifth in its list of the twenty best horror films of the 2000s, writing, "Session 9 isn't just a cheap, hack 'n' slash, instantly-forgettable type horror film, but a psychologically probing, deeply unsettling journey off the edge and into the abyss of the human mind." Brian Keiper, also writing for Bloody Disgusting, hailed it as "one of the most unsettling movies of the century so far." In a retrospectives for its twentieth anniversary, Marisa Mirabel of /Film called it an "underrated gem [that] was ahead of its time in terms of atmospheric and psychological horror."
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! scope="row"| Fright Meter Awards
| 2001
| Best Horror Film
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| Best Film
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| style="text-align:center;"| Anderson commented: