Session 9 (2001)
Directed by Brad Anderson
Starring David Caruso, Peter Mullan, Steven Gevedon, Josh Lucas and Brendan Sexton III
One of the decades most underrated horror films; Session 9 is a rare gem that slipped by audiences virtually unnoticed but it is definitely worth a look if you can track a copy of it down.
It is refreshing to see a supposedly ‘small’ film of its type take a massive dump on the inferior likes of the Saw series, not to mention all those lame, pointless American remakes of perfectly fine Japanese horror films.
The plot revolves around a hazardous materials clean-up team that is contracted to remove the asbestos inside a crumbling and exceedingly sinister building that was once an insane asylum.
A massive undertaking at the best of times, the small group of men led by Gordon (Mullan) have their work cut out for them when he promises that they will have the job done in only one week.
Built in the early 1800s, the abandoned, real-life Danvers State Mental Hospital is an imposing, labyrinthine structure and rather like the hotel in The Shining, it quickly becomes a major character within the movie.
Director Brad Anderson used to drive past the spooky looking hospital every day and couldn’t resist the urge to use it as a centrepiece for his horror film and the results are breaktaking.
Acting from the all-male cast is top-notch, even the usually hammy Caruso delivers an understated performance that complements the rising tension and terror within the team as tempers fray and evil forces start to exert their influence.
Without giving too much away, one of the men stumbles onto a collection of old recordings made by a psychiatrist and his patient, who was responsible for a horrific set of murders.
The disturbing truth behind the killings is revealed piece-by-piece as the rest of the team struggles to meet their impossible deadline and deal with the mysterious disappearance of one of their workmates.
Heavy on atmosphere and near unbearable tension, this slow-burn headf**k of a thriller won’t appeal to the attention-deficit Hostel crowd, but horror buffs who like a bit more substance in their film diet will relish this chilling dessert.