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A cleanup crew is given a job working on an abandoned mental institution but things do not go as planned.
I mainly know Session 9 for its place within the AV Club's New Cult Canon and also one especially unforgettable line delivery courtesy of David Caruso, which I figured was reason enough to watch the whole thing. In my review for Hellbound: Hellraiser II, I noted how the prospect of setting horror movies in mental institutions (abandoned or otherwise) is always a bit of a dicey prospect as mining their more barbaric practices and conditions for entertainment purposes can always come across as more than a little exploitative if not handled properly. Session 9 skews that way more often than not with its tale of an asbestos removal crew who are tasked with cleaning out such an institution - the job (which is already proving a hassle as desperate foreman Peter Mullan promises to do in one week what should take at least three) is subsequently complicated by the crew members bringing their own internal and external demons into the matter long before even the implication that there may be paranormal activity sets in.
There are little things to appreciate about Session 9 - the fact that it's shot on visibly digital video is an interesting touch that does add a found-footage verisimilitude to the proceedings while still allowing for distinct filmmaking flourishes (even that video I linked serves as such an example with its dramatically swooping close-up), and it's not like its patient approach completely lacks for pay-offs (the most blatantly conventional scare in the whole movie actually works remarkably well). There's even some decent interplay between the small cast, especially Mullan and Caruso. Unfortunately, these various pieces never quite come together in a satisfactory manner and Session 9 only continues to serve as a reminder of the paradoxical nature of mental institution as horror trope. The constant guessing as to how much is real or imagined or who's crazier than who is effective (even to the point where even an obvious bit of foreshadowing doesn't quite render the whole thing predictable), but it ultimately collapses inwards into a familiar run-through of old tape recordings and crumbling corridors that whimpers to a close. Given its reputation as a minor cult classic, I almost feel as if I should give it another chance at some point but as it stands I consider it a movie where the successes are mild and the failures are considerable. In other words...f*ck youuuu.
#5 - Session 9
Brad Anderson, 2001
Brad Anderson, 2001
A cleanup crew is given a job working on an abandoned mental institution but things do not go as planned.
I mainly know Session 9 for its place within the AV Club's New Cult Canon and also one especially unforgettable line delivery courtesy of David Caruso, which I figured was reason enough to watch the whole thing. In my review for Hellbound: Hellraiser II, I noted how the prospect of setting horror movies in mental institutions (abandoned or otherwise) is always a bit of a dicey prospect as mining their more barbaric practices and conditions for entertainment purposes can always come across as more than a little exploitative if not handled properly. Session 9 skews that way more often than not with its tale of an asbestos removal crew who are tasked with cleaning out such an institution - the job (which is already proving a hassle as desperate foreman Peter Mullan promises to do in one week what should take at least three) is subsequently complicated by the crew members bringing their own internal and external demons into the matter long before even the implication that there may be paranormal activity sets in.
There are little things to appreciate about Session 9 - the fact that it's shot on visibly digital video is an interesting touch that does add a found-footage verisimilitude to the proceedings while still allowing for distinct filmmaking flourishes (even that video I linked serves as such an example with its dramatically swooping close-up), and it's not like its patient approach completely lacks for pay-offs (the most blatantly conventional scare in the whole movie actually works remarkably well). There's even some decent interplay between the small cast, especially Mullan and Caruso. Unfortunately, these various pieces never quite come together in a satisfactory manner and Session 9 only continues to serve as a reminder of the paradoxical nature of mental institution as horror trope. The constant guessing as to how much is real or imagined or who's crazier than who is effective (even to the point where even an obvious bit of foreshadowing doesn't quite render the whole thing predictable), but it ultimately collapses inwards into a familiar run-through of old tape recordings and crumbling corridors that whimpers to a close. Given its reputation as a minor cult classic, I almost feel as if I should give it another chance at some point but as it stands I consider it a movie where the successes are mild and the failures are considerable. In other words...f*ck youuuu.