Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Session 9 Blu-ray Movie Review

Simon says.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman September 13, 2016

It’s a good thing that co-writer and director Brad Anderson admits that The Shining bears certain similarities if not outright inspirational sparks for Session 9, for the parallels between the films are obvious and almost palpable at times. Decaying monstrosity of a building in an isolated location? Check. Chances that said building is haunted by former denizens? Check. Seemingly mild mannered nebbish type probably going over to the dark side due to those very denizens? Ooooh, yeah, baby. In this case, Session 9 actually utilizes a real life historical structure, the imposing Danvers State Insane Asylum (which had a number of slightly variant names through the years) in Danvers, Massachusetts, unlike the fictional Overlook Hotel in the Stephen King saga (though fans of the film will know that my home state of Oregon’s iconic Timberline Lodge was used for exterior locations for that version). Danvers has a rather redolent if disturbing history tracing back to the 19th century, and it’s rumored to have been the birthplace of the pre-frontal lobotomy, but as someone who had to investigate the history of lobotomies as part of my research into actress Frances Farmer (who was falsely rumored to have undergone a transorbital lobotomy), I can say that that allegation is at least debatable. One way or the other, the Danvers (which was torn down a few years after Session 9 was filmed there in its decaying ruins) provides a spectacularly Gothic setting for this often unsettling film, one which is rather short on any gore factor but which rather smartly exploits a properly psychological angle that is filled to the brim with foreboding and angst. Aside from one really curious and completely avoidable semi-reveal early in the film, one which will give away the ghost (so to speak) to anyone who’s really paying attention, Session 9 builds to a nicely baroque climax where indeed at least a bit of a gore factor finally intrudes.

Gordon (Peter Mullan) and Phil (David Caruso) are co-workers at an abestos abatement company that is bidding on such a service for the Danvers Mental Hospital. As the film opens, the two are in a van awaiting the arrival of a site foreman, and the two are discussing the recent birth of Gordon’s baby, something that is both a joy and a challenge (as any parent of a newborn will attest). There’s a bit of tension between Gordon and Phil that is evidenced in how they approach the bid, but it’s obvious that Gordon is the big kahuna, and in a private moment with the hospital site superintendent (whom he evidently knows), he basically begs for the contract. The film then gets into a day by day assessment (shades of The Shining again) of the asbestos abatement team’s “progress” at the hospital. Meanwhile, a very brief sequence detailing Gordon’s home life with his wife and newborn baby seems to suggest all is not domestic bliss.

The other team members include Gordon’s slacker nephew Jeff (Brendan Sexton III), who has a debilitating fear of the dark (think that might play into the plot?), Mike (Stephen Gevedon, also a co-writer) who was once a promising law student and whose Attorney General father once was involved in a notorious case involving Danvers, and Hank (Josh Lucas), who has an acrimonious relationship with Phil due to having “stolen” Phil’s girlfriend from him sometime in the past. All of these details are doled out rather artfully, often in very brief but telling asides that quickly give the viewer context and a nice feel for how the guys interact with each other.

While Kubrick’s film of King’s novel is sometimes decried for being too languid in some ways and then too gonzo in others, there’s a rather steady pace throughout Session 9 that actually hints at terror rather than revealing it outright. There’s something sinister going on in the dank (asbestos incrusted) hallways of Danvers, but it’s not clear what exactly there is to fear. Mike gets detoured when he goes to investigate a circuit breaker tripping (cue creepy music) and finds an old storeroom where an evidence box contains tapes of a long ago patient who evidently suffered from multiple personality disorder. The film’s title in fact is culled from the series of tapes of “sessions” with the hospital’s psychiatrist that are memorialized on the quaint old reel to reel tapes.

Meanwhile, though, a number of other bizarre happenings have been cropping up. Hank finds his own detour when a series of valuable old coins he discovers on a basement floor lead to a wall stuffed full of them (a wall which backs to a creepy locale reveal which won’t be spoiled here). Gordon seems to be hearing voices, voices who know his name. And Jeff, well, is afraid of the dark. With some nicely orchestrated tracking and dolly shots (the camera work is fairly peripatetic throughout the film), Session 9 builds suspense in little increments rather than in huge swooping startle shots.

The film does ultimately go for the jugular, so to speak, but rather late in the game, after a full gamut of mind games has unfolded. The ultimate reveal here is really no huge surprise, especially due to that aforementioned early reveal, not to mention a couple of others that Anderson at least attempts to cloak in blink or you’ll miss them montages. That tricky style gambit might have been better left on the cutting room floor, for without these little “clues” sprinkled throughout the film, Session 9 might have even increased its already palpable creepiness. While I'm not sure a rigorously logical analysis of this film's finer plot points is really possible, Session 9's mood is nicely oppressive, and the Danvers State Insane Asylum is a wonderful supporting character in its own right.

Session 9 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Session 9 is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Scream Factory, an imprint of Shout! Factory, with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.35:1. The IMDb lists the Sony CineAlta HWD-F900 as the camera on the shoot, which would make it a relatively early entry in this then fairly new capture technology. Culled from the Universal Pictures catalog, this is a generally great looking transfer that often boasts superior clarity and detail levels. That said, there's an undeniably flat, "video-ish" quality to the cinematography here, something that nevertheless ultimately doesn't really get in the way of often excellent sharpness and fine detail levels, at least when close-ups are employed and good lighting levels are being utilized. Some panning and tracking shots have a bit of image instability, but nothing I would term overly problematic. One particular recurring sequence is bathed in a blue tone (as can be seen in several of the screenshots accompanying this review), and detail levels are understandably a bit less present in these moments, despite the use of some close-ups. Occasionally very light dustings of noise intrude on a few moments (see screenshots 5, 9 and 19) which tend to be dimly lit or outright dark. There are some slight deficits in overall shadow definition in some of the (intentionally) dark and creepy scenes. The palette looks very natural and even robust in scenes that aren't overtly color graded.

Session 9 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Session 9 features a nice sounding DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mix. The film's sound design often emphasizes subtler elements, like the somehow foreboding drip, drip, drip of a faucet in a hydrotherapy tub, rather than more typical horror sonic tropes like booming LFE accompanying jump cuts. The film's moody score and dialogue are both rendered cleanly and are smartly prioritized.

Session 9 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Return to Danvers: The Secrets of Session 9 (1080p; 48:57) is a typically excellent Scream Factory supplement which contains a ton of background information and some excellent interviews.


• Horror's Hallowed Grounds (1080p; 20:13) devotes an episode to -- well, just guess where.


• Deleted Scenes/Alternate Ending (1080p; 9:40) features an optional commentary.


• Story to Screen (1080p; 10:01) has a nice assortment of storyboards and behind the scenes footage.


• The Haunted Palace (1080p; 12:54) is another (evidently archival) piece devoted to the very spooky Danvers Insane Asylum.


• Theatrical Trailer (1080i; 1:53)


• Audio Commentary with Director Brad Anderson actually also features co-writer and co-star Stephen Gevedon.

Session 9 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Session 9 has an incredibly fantastic setting and a palpably ominous mood, but the actual narrative has a few logical holes that curmudgeonly types may want to quibble with. That said, the film benefits from really smart direction and writing, as well as a handful of nicely done performances. Technical merits are strong, and as usual Scream Factory has assembled a top flight collection of supplementary material. Recommended.