IMDb > Session 9 (2001)
Session 9
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Session 9 (2001) More at IMDbPro »

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Session 9 (2001) -- 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 (2001) -- CineMagia.ro - Trailer (Flash)

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Overview

User Rating:
6.8/10   13,279 votes
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Down 4% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Brad Anderson (written by) &
Stephen Gevedon (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for Session 9 on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
14 September 2001 (Italy) more
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. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
1 win & 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(46 articles)
IFC Films Acquires Stolen Lives For Distro
 (From shocktillyoudrop. 4 February 2010)

Lucas' Horror Movie Terror
 (From WENN. 28 October 2009, 5:16 AM, PDT)

User Reviews:
"What are YOU doing here...?" more (374 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited 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)
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Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for language and brief strong violence.
Runtime:
100 min | Spain:102 min | USA:97 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Company:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The movie is mentioned in the book Project 17 by Laurie Faria Stolarz. The book takes place one night in Danvers State Hospital. A group of teens spend the night to film a movie, and encounter supernatural events - much like the psychological aspect of this movie. The main character in the book references the group's actions as reminding him of Brad Anderson's movie Session 9. more
Goofs:
Miscellaneous: At the very end of this movie there's a typo in the copyright notice. The word motion, as in motion picture, is spelled "motin". more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Phil: Gordy? You look tired, man. You look beat. Your turn to feed Emma?
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Silent Hill 3 (2003) (VG) more

FAQ

Where was this movie filmed? I'd like to go and explore.
I don't understand the entire "Hank went to casino school in Miami" subplot. How could Hank talk on the phone if he was hurt or dead? Was Hank lying? Were Amy or Phil covering something up?
Who is the voice of Simon?
more
159 out of 177 people found the following review useful.
"What are YOU doing here...?", 14 May 2002
10/10
Author: hippiedj from Palm Desert, California

Seeing a film like Session 9 just reaffirms that there are truly great films still being made.

While many (including the filmmakers) will find comparisons to Don't Look Now, The Shining, and even a nod to The Changeling, Session 9 still stands on its own as a most effective, brooding experience of dread -- and that's a good thing! I found the style and tension more genuine than the grandiose The Shining, and Session 9 relies mostly on real fears and no gratuitous material to entertain. This film wants to creep you out and that's its soul purpose. No pretty young GAP models, no trendy MTV-influenced rap/metal soundtrack, no breasts, no giggle-inducing decapitation effects. If you want those, by all means go watch something else as there are plenty other films that offer that to those with short attention spans. If you want to be drawn INTO a film, a place of fear, and THINK as well, Session 9 is like a therapy session of nightmares.

The story is simple and complex at the same time, as workers removing asbestos from the massive Danvers Mental Hospital slowly unravel along with secrets from taped audio recordings of a former patient. I never saw the characters' backgrounds as "underdeveloped" as some have complained -- you don't need to know EVERYTHING about these guys and besides, more information about them would have slowed the film down even more, and its nice, brooding pace is just right as it is. And don't worry if some of the things that seem like "clues" are left unresolved, that's part of the fun. Just like I still say many of the weird "clues" in David Lynch's works like Twin Peaks and Mulholland Drive are just there to be weird and draw you in, not that they actually have any direct connection to the main story.

The actual Danvers Hospital is an amazing setting as the whole structure is a character all it's own and will disturb you without it having to do much but just BE there in the film. The minimalistic soundtrack is unsettling and downright perfect (I even bought it on CD and am still trying to figure out why it attracts me so much, playing it in the background while, say, typing away something like this....).

Each actor does a fine job -- yes, even David Caruso (some of you need to get off his back!) as a guy who seems to get a bit impatient yet maintaining a sense of calm. Peter Mullan, Steven Gevedon, Josh Lucas, and Brendan Sexton III seem like real, regular blue collar guys. It's refreshing to see a film not insecure in having a mature, rough-edged cast. By giving you a sense that these guys are real (yes, even though they tend to be slacking off quite a bit in places when they're supposed to get the job done in a week), the quiet dread of the story will draw you in and you'll be absorbed completely. Of course, if you appreciate less flashy films like this, you'll agree it's damn near perfect. Oh, to those here on IMDb who criticized the scene with a jar of peanut butter left on the floor, welllll, think about this: considering the state of its consumer, do you think that whoever left it there cared where the container was disposed? Man, do you people get picky over the strangest things! Whatever may seem implausible in the story or the characters' actions really doesn't wreck the film, as it is to be appreciated much for its atmosphere and story. I didn't find the ending to be so hard to understand at all, those that had their mind set that they didn't like this film were too busy being angry to just sit back and let everything present itself quite clearly.

If this film is categorized as horror then it's one of the best I've ever seen, definitely one of the best in years. It takes a LOT to scare me, and there's one specific scene with Josh and his experience in the basement that caused a wave of tingling goosebumps all over my body. It was exhilarating to be scared that effectively by a single scene!

Folks, you can't trash this film because it doesn't give you easy explanations or allows you to have some cheap voyeuristic thrills. Many of you who didn't like Session 9 seemed to know from reading its summary that it wasn't offering slam-bang entertainment. If you like your mind to be stimulated and love being absorbed in mysterious and wondrous storytelling, Session 9 is by my definition a flawless piece of work. For anyone else, I'd just say........."What are YOU doing here....?"

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Session 9 (2001)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
First Song coolbrinkman
So..why do people like this? Neverender452
Worst scare since 'The Descent' mamaspank
Your favourite 'HOLY CR$P' moment, (Possible Spoilers) neilgalbraith89
Significance of the coins. *spoilers* lilu1026
Filming this in Danvers State Hospital was genius. lectrick
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