Being a horror film fan is addictive. You are constantly on the hunt for a new, unknown film that will make you feel something. And during that process you will watch a lot of garbage to find the good stuff. Enough garbage that your bar is already set low each time – making a great movie truly stand out. Especially one that isn’t well-known.
All of this is to say Session 9 is the kind of horror film that makes the hunt worth it. If you want to watch a smart, creepy horror film you absolutely owe it to yourself to track this film down. This movie can give you shivers on even the most humid day if you give it a chance.
Session 9 follows an asbestos abatement crew who take a project clearing out an abandoned mental asylum (it was even filmed at the allegedly haunted Danvers State Mental Hospital). One of the crew discovers recordings of the sessions conducted with a particularly disturbing and possibly demonic patient, and it begins to become clear something is terribly wrong with this situation.
This movie combines the unraveling, paranoid group of men from The Thing with a creepy and twisted ghost story while touching on Satanic ritual abuse stories from the 80s.
It was also the first horror film which showed me how crucial sound design is to create an atmosphere capable of giving you chills. The most brilliant moments in this movie combine a hypnotically disturbing recording of a mental patient’s sessions with montages of the setting and characters. The result is the feeling that an evil force is present at all times just based on the use of sound design alone.
I can’t think of any other horror film which so thoroughly misdirects you, yet still packs a completely satisfying ending which pulls all its pieces together. This is a horror film which excels where so many fail for the average viewer. This is a great watch if you want to see a horror film stick its landing. If you are put off by poor character decisions in other horror films, rest assured this movie takes great strides to help you understand the characters motivations for staying in the situation.
Does it include David Caruso giving this terrible line reading?
Yes it does. But make no mistake – the rest of this film is an effective story that will have you glued to the scene.
A Huffle of Horror 
I’ve heard of this but never really knew what it was about. They gave it a shout in a countdown movie called “The 50 Best Horror Movies You’ve Never Seen”. I’ll have to check it out now.
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I hope you end up liking it as much as I did!
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