Session 9 takes the time to work on the psychological level, taking you into the darkest recesses of the characters minds as it takes you into the darkest recesses of the danvers hospital. The plot focuses on the growing tension within an asbestos removal crew working at an abandoned mental asylum, which is paralleled by the gradual revelation of. In the bloody truth, calhoun kersten looks at the deeper meanings within one of films most subtextheavy genres horror. Released august 10th, 2001, session 9 stars peter mullan, david caruso, stephen gevedon, josh lucas the r movie has a runtime of about 1 hr 37 min, and received a score of 58 out of 100 on. On the surface, session 9 is already, admittedly, a complex film. If this movie is about someone getting possessed by simon, then this is an awful and stupid movie. Sep 14, 2001 the book takes place one night in danvers state hospital. However, his movie has a very important and irrefutable clue that simon is a supernatural force, and not just the psychological manifestation of gordons and marys homicidal rage. Keep reading to see what i heard on the commentary for session 9. Jun 30, 2016 session 9 is the story of a group of asbestos removal workers who get more than they bargained for when they are hired to clean the danvers state hospital. The plot focuses on the growing tension within an asbestos removal crew working at an abandoned mental asylum. The book takes place one night in danvers state hospital. Gordon fleming, the man who owns and operates the hazmat elimination co, badly needs to win a contract to remove asbestos from the hospital.
Session 9 with spoilers movies quarter to three forums. Moviechat forums session 9 2001 discussion 2 questions. If its about psychologically falling apart, then this is an awesome and intelligent movie. Horror movies have a tenuous relationship with the world of psychology. I thought id see if anyone still cares enough to talk. The gore, like a lot of the characters motivation, isnt just laid out like some teenagers intestines as in most horror movies. Instead of being an actual presence, simon could simply represent the little slice of evil that lies within. We are introduced to the workers, normal guys instead of caricatures. Session 9 was one of the first feature films shot using sonys 24p hd video, which.
Very few changes were made to the site for the film. The tagline for session 9 was fear is a place, and the film makes it chillingly clear from the start that danversand the ghostly torments within its wallsis the star. Session 9 is a fantastic, slowburning, psychological horror film which gets into your head like the featured asylum. This is a movie that requires thought and attention to detail. The second movie to alice in wonderland is alice through the looking glass, and she confronts the ai in the end through a mirror.
But to sum it up as a product of its time period, one must engage with the movie on a deeper level. I forgot to mention that another possible nonghost explanation for gordon hearing hello gordon in simons voice when he is looking at marys roomwheelchair for the first time in the film. This is a movie that gets under your skin, disturbing the viewer more than anything. Session 9 is a 2001 american psychological horror film directed by brad anderson, written by. Like the best of the genre, this is a story populated with normal, everyday characters. 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. Session 9 is without a doubt one of the most hypnotic and frightening movies i have ever seen. Explore the resurrection works for groups of all sizes. I just didnt get it and i want to know what i was missing. Session 9 popped on my radar as an underground video hit way back when it was released in 2001.
Enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing session 9 near you. If that rundown isnt the best, here is the films official synopsis. To back up my generalization anecdotally about people assuming the nonsupernatural explanation is smarter this is a quote i found from imdb. Simon caps the movies finish as he speaks on the the final recorded session as the one who.
The little fellas were dead but trapped in the machine so when mr. A hazardousmaterialscleanup company has been hired to eliminate asbestos tiles and other toxic material from a gigantic mental hospital that had been shut down in. I liked the fact that session 9 was fairly original, the plot being centered around an asbestos removal company, given the daunting task of removing asbestos from an old asylum in just a week. 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. Things get more complicated as wouldbe lawyer mike plays the tapes from a former patient with multiple personalities, including the mysterious simon who does not appear until session 9, and as hank disappears after finding some old coins. I watched this movie yesterday and i thought it was good. On top of showcasing the characters, session 9 is also introducing the audience to the asylum allowing the creepy dilapidated building to become a unique character unto itself. What a great movie with superb atmosphere, and definately very creepy. Brad andersons psychological thriller session 9 comes to dvd with a widescreen anamorphic transfer that preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of the film.
Stream session 9 uncut, adfree on all your favorite devices. Without it, session 9 would likely be exposed as runofthemill hokum, a standard hauntedhouse movie built around a whodunit twist that probably wont play under. Session 9 arrives on bluray courtesy of scream factory. Indeed, the movie sticks to this lessismore formula with remarkable restraint for most of its runtime, except for some short scenes of graphic violence at the end. Mjl with such a good setup, it is perhaps inevitable that session 9 should stumble at the finish lineand so it. Lee 0801 unlike fright flicks like scream that try to merely shock you with sudden jolts, session 9 aims to be a true horror film. Some critics praised the films dark, eerie atmosphere and lack of gore. Moviesession 9 question someone explain the ending to me. Dont get left behind enjoy unlimited, adfree access to shudders full library of films and series for 7 days. The sessions is transcendent, laying bare no pun intended the emotional and sexual needs of the disabled in a way thats universal. A group of teens spend the night to film a movie, and encounter supernatural events much like the psychological aspect of this movie.
Why brad andersons session 9 scared the hell out of me dread. Any discussion of brad andersons queasily effective 2001 horror film session 9 has to begin with its location, the danvers state hospital a. When the final ragdoll, 9 voiced by elijah wood, awakens, he sets off to explore his world. Its always mentioned on best underrated or top cult films lists and still somehow manages to slip under the radar. So i just watched session 9 and have absolutely no idea what the meaning is. Aug 16, 2016 session 9 was given a limited release by ifc films on august 10, 2001.
From what i gather, brad anderson saw the danvers state mental hospital and knew it would be the perfect setting for a horror movie. As explained in the film, the structure has a batlike design, with the main admissions building forming the head and the two wings with all the. Nothing of impact has happened in the movie up to this point except skillful character development, yet anderson effortlessly fills the movie with dread with one push of a button. The movie is about a small company employed to remove asbestos from an abandoned mental asylum. Regrettably, it succumbs to excessive, disturbing violence at the end. Danvers state insane asylum in danvers, massachusetts, an elephantine mental institution that was built in 1874, closed in 1992, and partially demolished in 2006. As session 9 progresses, the asylum starts picking away at every member of the crew. No haunted house has ever looked so scary in the daylight. Why session 9 is one of the smartest recent horrors.
This is why nothing makes sense in the movie, none of the dates or distances add up. And, well, truth be told, movies dont tend to scare me that often. Session 9 is edited in such a way that the revelation and the murders happen almost spontaneously. I dont think the movie is scary, but its a bit creepy sometimes, especially when you realise that the movie was filmed in an actual abandoned asylum.
Also sign me up for fanmail to get updates on all things movies. Aug 10, 2001 enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing session 9 near you. So i just watched this after seeing it mentioned in the mystery films thread, and was suprised that there doesnt seem to be a thread for it maybe. For most of the movies running time it genuinely appears to be no more than the story of. The movie follows his exploration elegantly and without judgment and, in so doing, elicits empathy. Jul 01, 2010 session 9 shows us the creepiest location in the world it was filmed at the actual moldering remains of danvers asylum, a real location where they pioneered lobotomies early in the last century and then proceeds to have the characters freak themselves out without any help. Yeah, it may be at a run down, creepy insane asylum, but they try asbestos they can, man. The film opens to the traditional scream factory logo into before arriving at a static image main menu with some incredibly creepy music from.
Session 9 owes plenty to roegs masterpiece and director brad anderson is more than willing to admit it. A 2001 psychological horror about a cleaning crew busy taking asbestos off from the danvers state asylum. This is what actor david caruso calls the scariest building in north america. At the time of its release it largely went unnoticed, not even making back what it had cost.
Only when session 9 is played do we find out about the most evil personality, simon. Born in the age of the scary movie where it wasnt considered horror without a twist ending, session 9 delivers on that front. The asylum seems to have an effect on each worker as they each take on a different personality of marys. Since its limited theatrical release in 2001, brad andersons session 9 has slowly gained prominence among film fans as one of the great american horror films of the 21st century. Directed by brad anderson and starring david caruso, peter mullan, and cowriter stephen gevedon. Even andersons lesser films like vanishing on 7th street, a sort of watereddown john carpenter movie have been surefooted. Your sunday school class, community group, or even your whole church can watch each session together and then discuss, or each participant can watch the study ahead of time and bring questions and comments to a group meeting. Brad anderson session 9, the machinist, transsiberian is a capable genre craftsman with a good eye for shadowy atmosphere.
Session 9 imdb listing is the best pure horror film ive seen in years. From the most obvious, where the men are constantly taking about the shit in the building getting inside them to the most oblique, where every instruction and accusation made in the last stretch of the movie could apply to the psychology of the characters as well as their literal actions. Aug 22, 2016 session 9 is an absolute clinic on how to tell a terrifying story using little more than mood and atmosphere. Oct 31, 2010 session 9 is rife with double meaning. However, the nonsupernatural explanation also makes sense, that. Session 9 was written and directed by brad anderson, who is a name you. And to be honest, there may not even be an ai, it may just be alice losing her mind in wonderland. They have the odd sort of cross section of problems and worries that real people have. However that could well be the explanation, i just think its a little thin. In addition to directing features, anderson has built a rocksolid side career as a prolific tv director.
If you like session 9 you are looking for atmospheric, psychological and suspenseful movies about with mental institution, psychology, supernatural, haunted by the past, mind game, mentally unstable and rivalry themes of horror and mystery genre shot in usa. What theory do you subscribe to spoilers, obviously. Ultimately, however, session 9 is a treatise on the nature of evil. Session 9 by brad anderson brad anderson, peter mullan. Can anyone explain to me the ending of the movie 9. The plot focuses on the growing tension within an asbestos removal crew working at an abandoned mental. We had in mind from the getgo this movie was gonna be a movie that took its time. The story its simple but it can be confusing towards the end. Session 9 few things are more surefire creepy than huge abandoned buildings, and session 9 has one of the eeriest buildings youve ever seen. Ill obviously spoiler it for those who havent seen the film. When mike finds a box of medical records, he begins to play each session that chronicles a patient named mary with multiple personality disorder. Supplemental materials include a commentary track recorded by the director, deleted scenes, an alternate ending, a still photo gallery, and images of the films storyboards.
I forgot to mention that another possible nonghost explanation for gordon hearing hello gordon in simons voice when he is looking at marys roomwheelchair for the first time in the film, is that gordon may have been a previous patient at danvers state hospital, where he met mary and. Writerdirector brad anderson, known for whimsical romantic. As the film glides along with horror stories of old, employee banter, and gordons increasingly distant behaviour, mike finds some old recorded sessions labeled 1 9 in an office while checking a generator and hank stumbles upon coins from the 1800s in another part of the building. But session 9 is smart for avoiding the typical trappings of possession and instead focusing on the psychological element, especially for a movie thatgiven its locationcould actually have fallen into generic territory pretty easily. Synopsis tensions rise within an asbestos cleaning crew as they work. The english soundtrack is rendered in dolby digital stereo. Fandango fanalert sign up for a fanalert and be the first to know when tickets and other exclusives are available in your area. By the time the first hint of actual violence occurs, the movie is. Jun 28, 2016 ok, maybe i wont start with the spoilers so much. Andersons creeper is nowhere near as profound but the films oldfashioned pacing and revelatory camerawork bring to mind roegs uniquely terrifying dreamworlds. The films plot was inspired by the richard rosenthal case, a murder that took place in boston, where anderson grew up, in the mid1990s, in which. It premiered at the fantasia festival in july, 2001, and stars david caruso, peter mullan, stephen gevedon, paul guilfoyle, josh lucas and brendan sexton iii.
Its hard to explain the film, while it is a psychological thriller, there are doubts on. Because of the mounting psychological tension among the characters and their ominous setting, session 9 may become a classic among psychological thrillers and horror movies in the coming years. To carry this point across, anderson gives session 9 a different feel than the average horror movie or whodunit, which may partially explain why. The sessions, the 9th of which gives the title of the movie and plays at the end and delivers one of the most, if not the most, bonechilling scenes in the movie. Theres an attempt at an explanation on wiki actually. Session 9 which presents excellent performances and a superb location as its centerpieces. The films plot was inspired by the richard rosenthal case, a murder that took place in boston, where anderson grew up, in the mid 1990s, in which. Writerdirector brad anderson next stop, wonderland and writer stephen gevedon could not have chosen a better place to shoot their new horror movie, session 9.
This movie gets under your skin not only with its perfect, terrifying location, but with the subtle sense of wrongness that it establishes from the start. Session 9 is an atmospheric horror movie that builds a tension instead of a body count. With david caruso, stephen gevedon, paul guilfoyle, josh lucas. Brad andersons session 9 has developed a healthy following since its premiere at the start of the new millennium, and its deserving of that evergrowing acclaim. Filmed in the now demolished danvers state mental hospital this movie has aged gracefully. Based on writerdirector shane ackers 2005 oscarnominated short, 9 is set in a postapocalyptic world where all thats left of humanity is a band of ragdolllike beings created by an unnamed elderly scientist. With an impressive ensemble cast, unnerving soundtrack and unforgettable use of location, the film not only set the stage for the modern renaissance in independent horror films, it also established. Brad anderson slow pacing allows time for themes to materialize and let the viewer become familiar with the. Mike the member of the group that has knowledge of the hospital happens upon a box of audio tapes that contains sessions with former patient 444 who had multiple personalities some childlike and another that is far more malevolent. A short, cut to the chase, description and spoiler for the movie session 9.
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