Session 9
The star of the film is the Danvers Mental Hospital, which closed in 1982. The filmmakers wrote the script with it in mind, and without its use it would have been impossible to make. The most impressive shot in the entire film is a helicopter shot of the massive building from above--as one character describes it, it's shaped like a bat, with wings that jut out from the center in a jagged fashion. The Gothic architecture looms frighteningly, even in daylight. As many know, there's nothing more scary than an abandoned mental asylum.
Given that, the film is off to a good start. A crew of absestos removers, led by Peter Mullan and David Caruso, have won a bid to work on the hospital. Mullan, who is stressed by a struggling business and a new baby, wins the bid by promising to do the job in a week--Caruso estimates that it will take three. They are joined by Steven Gavedon (who co-wrote the film), a one-time law student who is familiar with the history of the place; Josh Lucas, a cocky fellow who stole Caruso's girlfriend; and Brendan Sexton III as Mullan's novice nephew.
Each will in some way become spooked by the place. Lucas finds a hidden cache of money, while Gavedon finds tape recordings of sessions with a patient who exhibits multiple personality disorder. Sexton is afraid of the dark. Mullan is most aggrieved; he hears voices. I did wonder why these guys had so much time to wander off, given that they were under the gun to complete the job in a week.
Ultimately someone snaps and they engage in a game of cat and mouse. It wasn't clear at the end what each character's motivation was, and the reveal at the end, while emotionally effective, didn't tie loose ends together.
Session 9 isn't a bad film, and would be good for a scary night at home, but with a better script could have been a very good horror movie.
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