← Back to results
Session 9
2001 100 min United States of America R 18+
★6.3
Horror, Mystery, Drama
Director: Brad Anderson
Trailers
Description
Tensions rise within an asbestos cleaning crew as they work in an abandoned mental hospital with a horrific past that seems to be coming back.
Budget:
$1.5M
US Gross:
$378,176
Worldwide:
$1.61M
Starring
David Caruso
Actor
Stephen Gevedon
Actor
Paul Guilfoyle
Actor
Awards
2 wins & 3 nominations total
Key opinion
Session 9 is a polarizing psychological horror film that relies heavily on its authentic, oppressive setting to build a sense of dread. While many praise its atmospheric mastery and slow-burn tension, critics frequently clash over its ambiguous resolution and the depth of its character development.
| Production | The use of the genuine Danvers State Hospital as a filming location provides an unrivaled, authentic sense of decay and atmospheric dread. | |
| Cinematography | The cinematography effectively utilizes the hospital's labyrinthine structure and realistic visual textures to immerse the viewer in the psychological unraveling. | |
| Theme | The film functions more effectively as a lingering psychological character study than as a conventional, jump-scare-filled horror movie. | |
| Pacing | The slow-burn pacing is praised by those who enjoy atmospheric buildup, but dismissed as boring or stagnant by viewers expecting traditional genre thrills. | |
| Ending | The ending is highly contentious; some find it a masterfully staged, unnerving resolution, while others dismiss it as an unearned, cliché, or illogical conclusion. | |
| Screenplay | The screenplay is criticized for having thin character development and superficial dialogue that leaves the protagonists feeling under-explored. |