Session 9 (2001)

Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

The movie is definitely not for the impatient, so if you need constant action then I wouldn't recommend this movie. However, for those of us who appreciate a "slow burn" this movie is perfect. This is easily one of my favorite horrors, without a doubt. This horror/thriller is unlike any other I have seen. It is genuinely creepy, and does not rely on jump scares like the rest of them. This movie gets in your head, it buries itself in your imagination long after the credits roll. Don't be confused by my label as a slow burn, as it definitely keeps you intrigued the whole time. However it is paced perfectly where the climax occurs at the optimal point. I finished watching this and I was at a loss for words. I did not expect this movie to be so great. This is a true psychological thriller/horror, and fans of the genre will not be disappointed!

Supremely creepy low budget get-under-your-skin type of ghost story about an asbestos abatement crew cleaning up a decaying insane asylum with a lurid history. Unlike most ghost stories, this one does not feature apparitions, conjuring, or poltergeists hurtling objects around. Instead, this film focuses on the psychological breakdown of the workers, framing their breakdown around a set of old patient recordings of session interviews of a patient with multiple personalities who did something quite awful that the interviewer and workers are trying to uncover, which builds to the titular ninth session. The cast is very strong, featuring David Caruso, Josh Lucas in a before-he-was-famous role, Paul Guilfoyle, and a number of other recognizable faces. "Session 9" was directed and co-written by underrated filmmaker Brad Anderson ("The Machinist" and "Vanishing on 7th Street"), and he's created what I'm sure is among the best-horror-movies-you've-never-seen.

Every time I completely lose faith in the horror genre I go and look up an old classic that I've missed along the way and watch it to revitalise my love of the genre. I had heard a lot of good things about 'Session 9' for a while now, and also being a fan of David Caruso, thought I'd better check it out. I'm certainly glad I did. It was a little different to what I expected. I had expected supernatural and a lot of it filmed at nighttime. I was surprised to find no supernatural element and 95% of the film taking place during the day - albeit often in dark underground tunnels.I loved the mystery element of it all. The film is obviously called 'Session 9' and quite early on we are introduced to a tape titled 'Session 1' and shown that there are tapes right up to 9. Straight away this has us in a state of needing to know what's on that final tape that was worth naming the film after. Secondly, everything's clearly not as it seems with these characters. Things are happening off screen that could very easily have been used for gory horror on screen, heavily implying that we aren't supposed to know exactly what is going on yet. All this leads to a fun experience for the viewer.The film is undoubtedly very tense throughout, and especially in the final 30 minutes as we draw towards the conclusion. The building they used to film it in was an exceptional choice. It was eerie, creepy and really sold the product perfectly. The acting was pretty good by horror movie standards. Caruso was his usual brilliant self, and the others held their own well enough. Altogether it's a very fine horror movie that I'm disappointed it took me so long to get around to seeing.

There are two kinds of horror movies.One, the ones that need to rely on gore to get a reaction from an audience. The other, the kind that requires a brain in order to process the fear-inducing story. I think the one that requires a brain is the best kind because there is no limit to what the mind can make you feel, and when done right, the second kind of movie will take you to heights of horror and suspense that the first kind of movie can only aspire to.This movie, Session 9, falls in the category of the second kind and that is apparent by the number of people who have chosen to rate it based on their limited taste for just gore, with no substance.So, in closing I won't go into what happens in the movie, because that is the fun, but will simply say that if you are looking for a chop-'em- up, blood squirting in your face slasher flick, this isn't it. If you are looking for a suspenseful little flick that builds the creep and fear factor, enjoy.If you are a connoisseur of FEELING a movie, you will hopefully be back to rate it accordingly.