SESSION 9 (2001) at 25 - Dread, Danvers, and "Do it, Gordon."

SESSION 9 (2001) d. Brad Anderson (USA)

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Highest marks go to director/co-writer Brad Anderson for cultivating Session 9, an exceedingly tense tale of a five-man asbestos removal team tackling cleanup duty at an inactive mental asylum. When lawyer-in-training Steven Gevedon (who co-wrote the intelligent script) discovers a collection of audio recordings of patient sessions, a haunting dual storyline develops between the events on the abandoned reel-to-reel tapes and the blue-collar crew’s increasing stress with the job and with each other. In addition, the not-quite-dead building has a few secrets hidden within its dark corners.

Part character study, part haunted house tale, Anderson and his team adroitly foster an increasingly claustrophobic mood with clues and red herrings thicker than the dust from the moldering ceilings. Skillfully diverting our attentions with cinematic sleight-of-hand, Anderson plays his audience like a maestro, delivering one surprising payoff after another. The location shooting (within the abandoned confines of Danvers State Hospital) offers a palpable dread along with the mildew and grime of years of neglect.

One of the first features shot on High-Def 24p video, Session 9 is a wonder of economical independent filmmaking, floating its haunting sound design over oodles of B-roll to marvelously atmospheric effect.

The fact that it works as well as it does is a testament to the players, with Scottish actor Peter Mullan a simmering kettle of repressed anger as the stressed-out crew boss, ably matched by David Caruso, who does the macho-aggressive stare about as well as anyone. Josh Lucas, Brendan Sexton III, Paul Guilfoyle, and Larry Fessenden round out the small and able ensemble.

Join AC and his incredible panel of guests (Jenn Adams, John W. Bowen, Cati Glidewell, Carl Lyon, Jordy Sirken) as we look back at Session 9, a rock-solid psychological chiller that continues to surprise and spook 25 years later.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RY9hYlQA5uY

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