Session 9
USA Films | Release Date: August 10, 2001
6.9
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 62 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
39
Mixed:
18
Negative:
5
Watch Now
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand
Review this movie
VOTE NOW
 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Check box if your review contains spoilers 0 characters (5000 max)

User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
6
jredekopJan 14, 2012
Let me put it this way. If this review was based on the story itself, it would be an 8 or a 9. The movie is moody, menacing, and at some points borderline terrifying. But there's way more to a movie than the story. In pretty much every otherLet me put it this way. If this review was based on the story itself, it would be an 8 or a 9. The movie is moody, menacing, and at some points borderline terrifying. But there's way more to a movie than the story. In pretty much every other area, Session 9 is flawed. The characters are shallow, the dialogue painful at some points. I found myself not really caring about what happened 2/3 of the way through. But the last 10 minutes was fairly redemptive. It was pretty shocking, not a twist that I at all expected. It made it worth watching, but up until the last 10-15 minutes, it's a pretty frustrating ride.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
All this user's reviews
6
JamieBlueRMay 14, 2012
A very average horror film. Some genuinely unsettling and creepy sequences, but for the most part a dry and uninteresting flick. The setting and atmosphere is very spooky and well done, but this is wasted with a bad script and plot-line, andA very average horror film. Some genuinely unsettling and creepy sequences, but for the most part a dry and uninteresting flick. The setting and atmosphere is very spooky and well done, but this is wasted with a bad script and plot-line, and wooden acting.… Expand
1 of 1 users found this helpful10
All this user's reviews
0
dogerwaulSep 10, 2014
This film is absolutely abysmal. There are no redeeming qualities to it whatsoever. I do not understand how this captivates the minds of people who enjoy psychological thrillers. It is poorly written and leaves everything unanswered, and hasThis film is absolutely abysmal. There are no redeeming qualities to it whatsoever. I do not understand how this captivates the minds of people who enjoy psychological thrillers. It is poorly written and leaves everything unanswered, and has plot holes the size of Alaska. Seriously, this film makes no attempt at explaining itself or providing the viewer with enough information to draw their own conclusion. Watch this just to see how right I am. Go ahead.… Expand
1 of 2 users found this helpful11
All this user's reviews
7
HikaruSep 14, 2010
While not the best movie around, Session 9 will definitely keep you at the edge of your seat, wanting more and keeping you guessing at the same time. This was a very well executed movie, with a great cast and an even greater twist. DefinitelyWhile not the best movie around, Session 9 will definitely keep you at the edge of your seat, wanting more and keeping you guessing at the same time. This was a very well executed movie, with a great cast and an even greater twist. Definitely a must see.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
All this user's reviews
7
TTW107May 11, 2012
There came a point in the movie that made it very easy to guess the ending. Despite this it is hard to deny that Session 9 is a smartly crafted thriller/horror flick. A genuinely creepy movie.
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
All this user's reviews
8
LuciusMcGibbonDec 8, 2012
Nice to see a horror flick with set pieces you don't see coming from miles away... This movie does have its cons, such as the plodding plot development and overly modest soundtrack, but once the credits are rolling, you'll know you justNice to see a horror flick with set pieces you don't see coming from miles away... This movie does have its cons, such as the plodding plot development and overly modest soundtrack, but once the credits are rolling, you'll know you just finished watching a scary movie. The ending does a nice job tying together the plot points that the rest of the movie deliberately underexposes. Great effort, must-see for jaded horror fans. Not too long on replay value though, what with the slow pace and the reliance on the surprise ending.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
All this user's reviews
8
horcrux2007Jul 10, 2015
I found a list of "best ghost movies," and now I'm set for like the rest of the month. This ended up on that list, and while it's not exclusively a supernatural flick, I wasn't disappointed. Session 9 follows an asbestos cleaning crew as theyI found a list of "best ghost movies," and now I'm set for like the rest of the month. This ended up on that list, and while it's not exclusively a supernatural flick, I wasn't disappointed. Session 9 follows an asbestos cleaning crew as they work inside an abandoned mental hospital. One of the characters, Mike, finds a collection of old tapes that chronicle sessions of Mary Hobbes, who has disassociative identity disorder. Each of her "personalities" mention a man named "Simon," who may be linked to a suppressed memory that Mary has. Session 9 is a slow-burner; it builds up a dense atmosphere and sense of dread until the final act becomes exceptionally creepy and intense. It's much more unsettling than outright scary, and that's the perfect mood for this type of movie. The tapes that Mike listens to are increasingly unnerving and create a lot of suspense as to who exactly "Simon" is. When "Simon" finally speaks in the 9th session, it's incredibly scary and memorable. Along with an extremely talented cast, beautiful cinematography and an ambiguous ending that could create hours of discussion, Session 9 is a very creepy and atmospheric psychological horror film.… Expand
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
All this user's reviews
9
walkereklawDec 6, 2015
scores high on the creepy-scale. may take a couple viewings to understand . . . and well worth it. characters all start off so very normal, and then the insanity begins.
0 of 1 users found this helpful01
All this user's reviews
10
NeilS.Apr 9, 2008
One of the best scary/spooky flicks ever.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
CrisFeb 11, 2007
I just loved this movie... danvers hospital... what more could you ask for? i highly recommend it. an abandoned mental facility is the best place to make a good horror/thriller.
0 of 0 users found this helpful
8
MarkW.Mar 7, 2007
...For me, this movie was a little bit spookier & close-to-home then it would be for most people...where the main characters in this movie are workers removing Asbestos from an Abandoned insane Asylum somewhere in the state of MA (I think ...For me, this movie was a little bit spookier & close-to-home then it would be for most people...where the main characters in this movie are workers removing Asbestos from an Abandoned insane Asylum somewhere in the state of MA (I think it's Chelmsford, MA...) & me & a few of my friends have been breaking into a boarded-up abandoned Worcester State Mental Hospital, which is up on a hill in the woods about a mile off of Route 9 in Worcester, MA near UMass Memorial Hospital....I Drive my Chevelle up the hill with the lights off @ night, all 5 of us get out of my Chevelle all dressed in Black, all of us carrying some kind of weapon for self defense against anything we might encounter inside (one of us holds a Crow-Bar, one of us with a Medieval Style Sword, Large Knives, & I go in with a fully loaded .38 Special in a holster on my right hip....… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
MichaelMMay 26, 2007
One of the finest horror movies ever. Inspirational enough to have the makers of "Silent Hill 3" create an homage to the upside down wheelchair seen in the opening shot. Perhaps too cerebral for fans of the same-old horror genre. Sound One of the finest horror movies ever. Inspirational enough to have the makers of "Silent Hill 3" create an homage to the upside down wheelchair seen in the opening shot. Perhaps too cerebral for fans of the same-old horror genre. Sound design is incredible, and the HD cameras used really help to bring out details in the decrepit hospital.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
AndrenM.Jul 8, 2007
SPOOOOOKY!!!!!! FYI, Danvers State Hospital (location of movie) is now being converted into Condos! A beautiful Victorian building. I'm glad they gave it a great send off with "Session 9". A last tribute to it's original useage. SPOOOOOKY!!!!!! FYI, Danvers State Hospital (location of movie) is now being converted into Condos! A beautiful Victorian building. I'm glad they gave it a great send off with "Session 9". A last tribute to it's original useage. Wish I could afford a condo there!… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
DougS.Jan 5, 2008
Easily one of the scariest movies in years. Solid performances by all in the cast. Brilliantly shot and edited, this movie will creep you out and stay with you. Not for the slasher-movie fan, but if you like The Shining and Blair Witch, this Easily one of the scariest movies in years. Solid performances by all in the cast. Brilliantly shot and edited, this movie will creep you out and stay with you. Not for the slasher-movie fan, but if you like The Shining and Blair Witch, this movie is a must-see.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
9
DanielSep 13, 2005
Excellent in ambiance and subtlety. No spoon-feeding tripe with this movie. The audience actually has a choice in the interpretation of this film
0 of 0 users found this helpful
10
JustinW.Sep 19, 2005
No haunted house has ever looked so scary in the daylight. Session 9 is without a doubt one of the most hypnotic and frightening movies I have ever seen. The gore, like a lot of the characters motivation, isn't just laid out like some No haunted house has ever looked so scary in the daylight. Session 9 is without a doubt one of the most hypnotic and frightening movies I have ever seen. The gore, like a lot of the characters motivation, isn't just laid out like some teenagers intestines as in most "horror" movies. This is a movie that requires thought and attention to detail. A real treat.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful
4
JLuis_001Oct 31, 2020
Although it's indisputable that this film tries to immerse you in its atmosphere, unfortunately for its performance, both the atmosphere and its mystery do not justify the slowness of the narrative rhythm, nor the excessive duration.

I loveAlthough it's indisputable that this film tries to immerse you in its atmosphere, unfortunately for its performance, both the atmosphere and its mystery do not justify the slowness of the narrative rhythm, nor the excessive duration.

I love slow-burners, but for them to work you need to be invested in the enigma and here it isn't functional since the story stretches thing too much and comes the point where that mystery isn't engaging enough to sustain the lack of answers and when they come, they're not satisfactory either. I praised its adequacy to function without jumpscares and to depend entirely on tension, but this as I said, only works up to a point, because when the story stumbles by not moving forward, that tension is irretrievably lost.
And the outcome, while grim and sorrowful, wasn't strong enough.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
All this user's reviews
9
FilipeNetoDec 29, 2019
Good atmosphere, very good tension, a very good job, but a script so complicated that can confuse many people.

In this film, workers at a small asbestos removal firm need to remove asbestos from the old Danvers Psychiatric Hospital, aGood atmosphere, very good tension, a very good job, but a script so complicated that can confuse many people.

In this film, workers at a small asbestos removal firm need to remove asbestos from the old Danvers Psychiatric Hospital, a foreclosure for decades. They have a week to do it, and Gordon, the firm's owner, and Phill, his aide, call more employees to work, and Hank, Mike, and Jeff come to work hard. But each has its own problems and personality: Gordon has problems with his family; Phill is arrogant and has poorly resolved issues with Hank; Mike is a failure and Jeff a fearful. It is Mike who delves deeper into the asylum's past, rummaging through the boxes and archives of his former patients and coming across the file of one patient, Mary Hobbes, who disturbs him greatly, while Hank finds a number of valuables. As the movie unfolds, it becomes clear that this place stirs deeply with each of them, to the point of leaving them on the verge of madness.

I like psychological horror, and if there's one thing the movie was very competent about, it was the task of confronting each character with herself. The movie can be a bit confusing as each character lives his own story and his own psychological struggle within the overall story that unites them all: Jeff is forced to face his fear of the dark, Mike is forced to confront failure school and Hank his own greed. But it is Gordon who will endure the greatest torment. I won't reveal much more, but anyone who says the movie is similar to "The Shinning" is for some reason: Both films bet on a kind of "cabin fever" and there are elements that were truly inspired by that movie. And don't expect to fully understand the movie ... there are things that remain unexplained in the end.

The film bets heavily on the environment and the creation of a scenario where tension and suspense reign. We are always waiting for something to happen, and that expectation works very well and doesn't let the movie get cold. Peter Mullan was quite good at his role and managed to balance himself in a demanding character. Josh Lucas and Stephen Gevedon were satisfactory and Brendan Sexton III managed to make his character sympathetic to the public eye. David Caruso had a difficult life because not only does he have the most unpleasant character in the movie but I couldn't see him without thinking about "CSI Miami" where he played the role that gave him fame and prestige.

Finally, a word of appreciation for the use of real scenarios and props. I know the film was low budget, and that using a real location was a way to cut costs, but it gave the film a very good credibility and visual beauty. Unfortunately, and please consider this as a comment from a historian (my profession), I must regret the fact that it was not possible to preserve the Danvers Asylum, almost completely demolished shortly after this film was made, to make way to a real estate development.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
All this user's reviews
6
JLauSep 25, 2020
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The owner of an asbestos removal company has killed his wife, daughter and dog before killing his workers in an abandoned psychiatric hospital after listening to some tapes.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
All this user's reviews
7
HellHoleHorrorFeb 15, 2022
This is a very scary and suspense filled psychotic movie. It is very simple with its atmosphere and effectiveness. The building is the real star of the movie along with the amazing lighting and cinematography. The story is very effective forThis is a very scary and suspense filled psychotic movie. It is very simple with its atmosphere and effectiveness. The building is the real star of the movie along with the amazing lighting and cinematography. The story is very effective for the purpose. The ending feels a tiny bit flaccid but that is the most minor of complaints from an otherwise genuinely gripping and powerfully scary movie. This is a dread filled mental horror bringing the viewer into the scary with very real feeling fear.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
All this user's reviews
More From This Movie

58 Critic Reviews

6.9 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL