Session 9 (2001)

An asbestos abatement crew wins the bid for an abandoned insane asylum. What should be a straightforward, if rather rushed, job, is complicated by the personal histories of the crew. Things get more complicated as would-be 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. (imdb)
Cast and Information
Directed By: Brad Anderson
Written By: Brad Anderson, Stephen Gevedon
Starring: Josh Lucas, Peter Mullan, Paul Guilfoyle, Brendan Sexton III, David Caruso, Stephen Gevedon, Charley Broderick
Genres: Drama, Suspense/Thriller, Horror, Mystery
Country: USA
Where to Stream
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Session 9 belongs to 29 collections
1. Onion AV Club: The New Cult Canon (collaborative: moderated by theficionado - 28 stars)
2. Films available in HD (collaborative: moderated by kubricksucks - 13 stars)
3. Rue Morgue Magazine's 200 Alternative Horror Films You Need to See (public: jimmyjazz - 12 stars)
4. Mental hospital (collaborative: moderated by djross - 11 stars)
5. Mindfuck, surreal, strange and weird films (List by André "BadSmile" Byman) (public: stalebread - 8 stars)
6. Available on YouTube (collaborative: moderated by utube-cinema - 5 stars)
7. Psychological horror (collaborative - 5 stars)
8. Haunted House (collaborative: moderated by Moribunny - 4 stars)
9. Capsules, guest reviews, list candidates... (366weirdmovies) (collaborative: moderated by sesito71 - 4 stars)
10. Coheed's Films I Need To See Or Try To Track Down (public: Coheed - 3 stars)
11. Focus Features (collaborative: moderated by Pickpocket - 2 stars)
12. Female cinematographers (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed - 2 stars)
13. Netflix Watch Instantly (public: dgeiser13 - 2 stars)
14. Movies I Must See (public: gagknee - 1 star)
15. Movies to See: Horror/Suspense (public: Lord Moe - 1 star)
16. Available on Starz (public: Jason212 - 1 star)
17. October Films (collaborative: moderated by iconogassed)
18. LA Times Underrated Horror List (collaborative: moderated by CCLZA)
19. us-tv McD 101 from the 2000s (public: timxyz)
20. To Watch (public: normalchaos)
21. Owned (DVD) (public: bizarre_eye)
22. Favorite Thrills/Scares (public: ND Geek)
23. Filmspotting Ratings Project: Week 35 (public: PeaceAnarchy)
24. favoriler (public: ceseth)
25. P. Watched List (public: nnraiden)
26. Tom's Movies (public: tomwalsh)
27. Fiumabe (public: Schmidiator)
28. Top Horrors to Watch (public: BeeDub)
29. BI - MM (public: Jobs-Bronson)
Browse the full list of collections
Stars | User | Rating | |
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MartinTeller | 55 11th |
An exercise in wasted opportunity. The script is dreadful: for the first 30 minutes, "EXPOSITION" ought to be flashing on the screen. The actors are subpar, though perhaps I should cut them some slack for having to work with such bad material. The real crime is the disappointing lack of suspense or dread. With a dilapidated insane asylum to work with, they had creepiness handed to them on the silver platter. It's a shame they didn't exploit it to its full potential.
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MonsterGear | 83 74th |
Not without its flaws, but I enjoyed the fact that it's so much more than what it seems like on the surface. The film's location is incredible, and the lighting and direction are solid also.
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emtilt | 44 19th |
Effectively builds tension early and then does absolutely nothing with it.
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hellboy76 | 70 79th |
Underrated thriller/horror film. Some will say boring, some will say it takes its time plotting the course and setting mood.
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Moribunny | 48 35th |
I think what makes Session 9 so odd is that it keeps its very mystery as much a secret as it does its solution, eventually revealing both at once to the effect of great confusion and little satisfaction. It rather meanders until then, trying very hard to build dread and tension, mainly through scenes where expectedly jittery old tape recordings are played. The recordings are psychiatric interviews of a blatantly cliché and unrealistic caricature of a split personality, so they don't do the job.
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1 | CatScandal | 49 20th |
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this is a weird movie. it seems to want to be about multiple personality disorder, but most of the plot and dialogue is about the dangers of being an asbestos worker. it's visually pretty nice, but the story is very dull, and seems to think it's smarter than it is.
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Kojiless | 70 75th |
Well-done horror movie that would have been better if it weren't for David Caruso's craptacular performance.
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Clopinette | 50 10th |
Recommended to me as "trippy clever atmospheric psychological horror", something that should be right up my alley, this film was a big disappointment. The script is nothing more than a lukewarm rehash of other genuinely original surreal horror twists, and ultimately infuriating with the way it wastes a perfectly creepy and intriguing setting. Also, I just can't seem to be able to take David Caruso seriously, no matter how hard I try.
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HalfJapanese | 85 76th |
A low-key, creepy little movie. Director Brad Anderson would later refine and arguably perfect the sort of chronic uneasiness on display here in his follow-up The Machinist.
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TedDedon | 72 45th |
Session 9 has all the makings of something great behind it, it's just that its low budget and mix of good and average actors holds it back considerably. The story in and of itself is excellent and so is the great setting. A mental asylum with a rich history of the bizarre and a strong mix of characters keep it interesting, it's just never fully realized in the final product.
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sophie | 75 68th |
A little slow for the first half or so, where it pretty much leaves you asking what the film's actually about. Then it gets pretty good, always a little spooky (those insane asylums always are), also a little confusing, but overall quite alright.
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Kusanagi | 65 17th |
Caruso's "Hey! Fuck youuuu...." scene got a laugh out of me, at least. The movie's pretty straightforward until the twist, but the most horrific thing here is how much asbestos these guys inhaled.
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vheujge | 49 28th |
It isn't scary (although one claustrophobic scene was surprisingly good compared to the dullness of everything before it) and the characters are boring. This was just an average movie that is watchable but nothing worth thinking about once it's done.
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dunbar | 75 61st |
Had potential. The shots and setting were good, the vibe was there, and then the script was a letdown. Execution wise the film doesn't pass, but it's so strong in potential that the final product is okay. Not great, but okay.
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csidle | 75 55th |
A quiet, creepy horror that sneaks up on you. Has some incredible photography in it.
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Leonardis | 86 52nd |
I really enjoyed this! The story and build-up are very well done and the ending makes it worth the entire wait. Completely underrated.
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Calabria | 80 55th |
That recording is Damn creepy
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Paxton | 84 92nd |
Dreadful. I mean it is full of dread. There was a scene in this movie, that as I sat in my friends living room in total darkness, I thought, "This is so scary, it's going to change me. I won't be the same after this." It didn't live up to that by a longshot, but it had me there for a bit, and that sort of thrill doesn't come often.
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Average Percentile 47.26% from 1324 Ratings | ![]() |