Session 9 doesn’t feature great performances, though Caruso is a lot of fun to watch, though Peter Mullan and Josh Lucas had a few solid scenes, and the writing is, at best, so-so, but writer/director Brad Anderson did take full advantage of the real-life creepy location of the mental hospital to great effect.
Session 9
(2001)
Genre(s): Horror, Thriller
Shout Factory | R – 100 min. – $27.99 | August 16, 2016
Date Published: 07/29/2016 | Author: The Movieman
  |
|
THE MOVIE — 3.75/5 |
|
Plot Synopsis: Donning protective hear, the men of the Hazmat Elimination Co. — Gordon (PETER MULLAN), Phil (DAVID CARUSO), Mike (STEPHEN GEVEDON), Hank (JOSH LUCAS) and Jeff (BRENDON SEXTON III) — venture into the eerily vast and vacant asylum that is filled with an evil and mysterious past. Rampant patient abuse, medieval medical procedures and rumors of demonic possession are some of the many dark secrets the hospital holds – but then so does each of the men.
Quick Hit Review: |
SPECIAL FEATURES – 4.0/5 |
|
Audio Commentary – This is an old track with Writer/Director Brad Anderson as he discusses filming the movie at the Danvers Mental Hospital and delving into the characters and story. Return to Danvers: The Secrets of Session 9 (48:57; HD) is a featurette with new interviews by various cast and crew including Writer/Director Anderson, Cinematographer Uta Briesewitz, Actors Stephen Gevedon (who co-scripted with Anderson), Brendan Sexton III, Larry Fessenden and Josh Lucas. Horror’s Hallowed Grounds (20:13; HD) – Host Sean Clark takes us to Danvers 15 years later where the main building still stands and the area has been turned into high-end condos. He also shares personal home video footage of he and his friends exploring the building back in 2004 (or thereabouts) before the conversion. HHG is one of my favorite shows so it was a nice surprise to see it on this release. Deleted Scenes/Alternate Ending (9:40; HD) is a collection of scenes, not to mention an alt ending which I’m glad they didn’t go with, that didn’t make the cut. Includes an optional director’s commentary. Story to Screen (10:01; SD) is side-by-side feature with storyboards and behind-the-scenes footage compared to the final scene. The Haunted Palace (12:54; SD) is an older featurette on the Danvers facility and its dark history and feature on-location interviews with the cast and crew. Theatrical Trailer (1:53; SD) |
VIDEO – 4.0/5 |
| Session 9 arrives on Blu-ray through Shout’s Scream Factory line and doesn’t look half bad for a film with only a $1 million budget. Colors are generally vibrant when outside while inside the creepy hospital, blacks are fairly stark and I saw no major signs of aliasing, artifacts or even instances of dust marks or scratches while detail looks well defined and sharp. |
AUDIO – 4.0/5 |
| The DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo mix is pretty decent relaying the right amount of dread in the story and characters. This isn’t the most incredible aural experience but it does show off the score relatively well not to mention the many instances of ambient noises that permeate numerous scenes, particularly towards the end. |
OVERALL – 3.75/5 |
|
Overall, Session 9 doesn’t feature great performances, though Caruso is a lot of fun to watch, though Peter Mullan and Josh Lucas had a few solid scenes, and the writing is, at best, so-so, but writer/director Brad Anderson did take full advantage of the real-life creepy location of the mental hospital to great effect. The Blu-ray released by Shout offers good video/audio transfers and a nice selection of bonus material. |
Check out some more screen caps by going to page 2. Please note, these do contain spoilers.