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Session 9: the story on HearLore | HearLore
Session 9
The year 2001 marked a terrifying departure for director Brad Anderson, who had previously built a career crafting gentle romantic comedies like Next Stop Wonderland and Happy Accidents. Instead of love stories, he delivered a psychological horror film set within the crumbling walls of the Danvers State Mental Hospital in Danvers, Massachusetts. This abandoned institution, once a beacon of psychiatric care, became the primary character of Session 9, a film that would later be recognized as a cult classic despite its modest box office returns. The story follows Gordon Fleming, an asbestos abatement company owner desperate for money, who makes a reckless promise to complete a massive cleanup job in just one week. This impossible deadline forces his crew into a claustrophobic environment where the building itself seems to conspire against them. The film's title refers to a series of audio-taped therapy sessions with a former patient named Mary Hobbes, which run parallel to the crew's descent into madness. These tapes, discovered by a crew member named Mike, contain the fragmented voices of Mary's multiple personalities and hint at a dark secret buried within the asylum's history. The setting was not merely a backdrop but a crucial element of the narrative, as the film was shot on location in the actual disused hospital, utilizing its decaying infrastructure to create an atmosphere of genuine dread. Anderson's decision to use 24p HD digital video gave the film a grainy, documentary-like quality that blurred the line between reality and nightmare, a technique that would become a hallmark of the movie's enduring legacy.
The Crew's Descent
Gordon Fleming's asbestos abatement crew was a collection of broken men, each carrying their own burdens into the dark corridors of the Danvers State Hospital. The group included Mike, a law school dropout who possessed an unsettling knowledge of the asylum's history, and Phil, a man still reeling from a recent breakup. Hank, a gambling addict, and Jeff, Gordon's nephew who suffered from a pathological fear of the dark, completed the team. As they began their work, the building seemed to react to their presence, with Gordon hearing a disembodied voice that greeted him by name. The tension escalated when Mike discovered a box containing nine audio-taped therapy sessions with Mary Hobbes, a patient diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder. These tapes revealed the psychologist's attempts to uncover details surrounding a crime Mary committed at her home two decades prior. Hank's discovery of antique silver dollar coins and other valuables from the crematory led him to return to the hospital late at night, where he encountered a lobotomy pick and a shadowy figure. The disappearance of Hank triggered a chain of events that saw the remaining crew members split up, searching for their missing friend while the building's influence grew stronger. Jeff, trapped in the tunnels beneath the hospital when the generator ran out of fuel, found himself alone in the darkness, a nightmare for a man who feared the dark. The film's narrative structure relied on the slow unraveling of the crew's sanity, with each member succumbing to the building's influence in their own unique way. The psychological horror was not driven by jump scares but by the slow, inevitable erosion of their minds, a process that mirrored the dissociative state of Mary Hobbes and her alter ego, Simon.
Brad Anderson directed the 2001 film Session 9. He had previously built a career crafting gentle romantic comedies like Next Stop Wonderland and Happy Accidents before delivering this psychological horror film.
Where was the film Session 9 shot on location?
The film Session 9 was shot on location in the actual disused Danvers State Mental Hospital in Danvers, Massachusetts. Most of the film was shot in a small section of the building because the rest was deemed unsafe for shooting.
What year did the film Session 9 premiere at the Fantasia Festival?
The film Session 9 premiered at the Fantasia Festival in July 2001. It played on 30 screens in theaters on August 10 and ended its American theatrical run on October 18.
Who composed the score for the film Session 9?
The score for the film Session 9 was composed by the Seattle-based experimental band Climax Golden Twins. The soundtrack was released on the 21st of August 2001 through Milan Records.
What real-life case inspired the plot of the film Session 9?
The film Session 9 was inspired by the Richard Rosenthal case, a murder that took place in Boston in the mid-1990s. This real-life tragedy involved a man killing his wife after she accidentally burnt his dinner and cutting out her heart and lungs.
The climax of Session 9 revolves around the ninth and final audio tape, which reveals the true nature of the evil that has been haunting the asylum. Mike, compelled to continue listening to the tapes, discovers that one of Mary's malignant personalities, named Simon, was responsible for her murdering her family. The tape ends with a chilling exchange where Mary's doctor asks, And where do you live, Simon? to which Simon responds, I live in the weak and the wounded, Doc. This line becomes the key to understanding the film's ending, suggesting that the evil is not a ghost or a demon but a manifestation of human weakness and cowardice. The film's plot was inspired by the Richard Rosenthal case, a murder that took place in Boston in the mid-1990s, where a man supposedly killed his wife after she accidentally burnt his dinner, then cut out her heart and lungs and put them in his backyard on a stake. This real-life tragedy provided the emotional core for the film's narrative, grounding the supernatural elements in a disturbing reality. The film's ending, where Gordon, in a dissociated state, recounts his murdering each of his men and also recalls killing Wendy, his daughter and their dog after Wendy spilled the boiling water on him, is a direct reflection of the Rosenthal case. The film's sound design, which incorporated the subliminal use of animal and mechanical noises, added to the sense of unease, creating a creepy tone that lingered long after the theater lights had gone up. The film's ending, which some critics found contrived and unconvincing, was a deliberate choice by Anderson to leave the connections between events unstated, forcing the audience to piece together the narrative themselves.
A Tragedy in Digital
Session 9 was one of the first motion pictures to be shot in 24p HD digital video, a technique that gave the film a grainy, documentary-like quality that blurred the line between reality and nightmare. Most of the film was shot in a small section of the Danvers Asylum, as the rest of the building was deemed unsafe for shooting. Actor David Caruso claimed that the sets did not need to be dressed as all the props featured in the film were already there inside the building, adding to the film's authenticity. The film's score, composed by the Seattle-based experimental band Climax Golden Twins, was in an ambient and dark ambient vein, creating a soundscape that was both eerie and unsettling. The soundtrack was released on the 21st of August 2001, through Milan Records, and included the track Choke Chain by Sentridoh, which was played over the closing credits of the film but was not featured on the album. The film's release was a modest affair, premiering at the Fantasia Festival in July 2001 and playing on 30 screens in theaters on August 10. It ended its American theatrical run on October 18, grossing a total of $378,176, but found greater financial success abroad, earning $1.2 million internationally. The film's critical reception was mixed, with some critics praising its dark, eerie atmosphere and lack of gore, while others criticized its ending and pacing. Despite its initial lack of commercial success, Session 9 developed a reputation as a cult film, with its themes of dissociative identity disorder and the influence of a malevolent genius loci continuing to resonate with audiences.
The Genius Loci Revealed
Interpretations of Session 9 have varied widely, with some critics arguing that Simon is not necessarily an alternate personality of the former patient Mary, but rather a malevolent genius loci, a spirit that inhabits the building. Edward Bryant, in his review for the 2003 edition of The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror, contended that the film's deleted scenes helped fill out the narrative, providing additional context to the story. Scholar Heike Schwarz stated that Session 9 refers to dissociative identity disorder and a possible possession with a demonic personality, while M. Scott Peck saw evil originating from weakness or cowardice. The film's ending, where Gordon, in a dissociated state, recounts his murdering each of his men and also recalls killing Wendy, his daughter and their dog after Wendy spilled the boiling water on him, is a direct reflection of the Richard Rosenthal case, grounding the supernatural elements in a disturbing reality. The film's sound design, which incorporated the subliminal use of animal and mechanical noises, added to the sense of unease, creating a creepy tone that lingered long after the theater lights had gone up. The film's ending, which some critics found contrived and unconvincing, was a deliberate choice by Anderson to leave the connections between events unstated, forcing the audience to piece together the narrative themselves. The film's themes of dissociative identity disorder and the influence of a malevolent genius loci continue to resonate with audiences, making Session 9 a cult classic that has stood the test of time.