FemaleFirst.co.uk: DVD: Session 9 [DVD] [2001]

Session 9 [DVD] [2001]
enlarge	Director: Brad Anderson Actors: David Caruso, Stephen Gevedon, Paul Guilfoyle, Josh Lucas, Peter Mullan Studio: Vision Video Ltd. Category: DVD List Price: ~~£15.99~~ Buy New: £4.25 as of 22/11/2009 18:15 GMT details You Save: £11.74 (73%) New (14) Used (6) from £2.75 Seller: findprice Rating: 40 reviews Sales Rank: 16698 Format: PAL Language: English (Original Language) Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over Region: 2 Discs: 1 Aspect Ratio: 1.77:1 Number Of Discs: 1 Running Time: 96 Minutes Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2 Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6 EAN: 3259190701717 ASIN: B000083EDB Theatrical Release Date: 2001 Release Date: February 17, 2003 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days


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Editorial Reviews: Amazon.co.uk Review Few things are more sure-fire creepy than huge abandoned buildings, and iSession 9/i has one of the eeriest buildings you've ever seen. A hazardous-materials-cleanup company has been hired to eliminate asbestos tiles and other toxic material from a gigantic mental hospital that had been shut down in the 1980s. But as one member of the team starts to nose into old files in the office, he uncovers a series of tape recordings of psychiatric sessions--nine of them--related to a notorious sexual abuse case. Soon, toxic materials and dark spirits start to merge. Like iThe Blair Witch Project/i (and most horror movies, really), iSession 9/i is longer on atmosphere and dream logic than story--but the atmosphere is effectively unsettling. A strong cast (including Peter Mullan, David Caruso, and Brendan Sexton III) do an effective job of slowly cracking under stress and evil influences. --iBret Fetzer/i

Customer Reviews: Showing reviews 1-5 of 40 1 2 3 4 5 6 ...8 Next » Excellent February 19, 2004 5 out of 5 found this review helpful I would agree in general terms with most of the reviews already posted, but I think that the ending was actually far better than the other reviewers have let on. In fact, it seemed to me to do justice to the mounting psychological tension in a way that was unexpected, shocking and (in the end) little short of epiphanic. In one of the interviews included with the extra features, Peter Mullan (I think) talks about the feeling of dread that working in Danvers Hospital inspired -- and that is precisely it: dread, not abject fear or revulsion, is what the plot trades on, and the climax is faithful to that. If it were a novel, it would Lovecraft, not Stephen King (or maybe Lovecraft with Clive Barker writing the screenplay). It is the closest thing that I've yet seen to Lars von Trier's equally excellent RIGET, in terms of atmosphere and sheer creepiness. I highly recommend it and think it deserves better than 3.5 stars, so I'll give it 5 stars and hope that bumps it up a bit. THE MOST GENUINELY CREEPY FILM OF THE LAST DECADE September 3, 2009 Mr. John K. Bishton (Chesterfield, U.K.) 3 out of 3 found this review helpful I consider myself to be not just a fan of horror movies but someone who has steeped himself in them from the 1960s onwards. I've not just seen them all, I've collected most of 'em, and it's easy to understand why most contemporary examples, particularly the unnecessary remakes of classic titles, leave me bored to tears. And then I came upon "Session 9". br / br /It was a link from a Fangoria book that pointed me in the right direction, and boy, has my faith in the genre been restored. You bet. The last couple of films that actually 'spooked' me in any real sense were "Halloween" (in the cinema) and "Candyman" (late at night at home), but I challenge you to watch "Session 9" anywhere, any time, and not be affected by it. br / br /Everyone else quite rightly speaks of the location setting as almost the principal character, what Stephen King in "Danse Macabre" refers to as "the bad place". The story Brad Anderson and Stephen Gevedon have concocted not merely utilises this creepy piece of real estate, rather the place itself seems to have elicited the story from them. No spoilers intended, but it is perhaps an obvious ploy to fill a deserted mental institution with a cast of characters that bring their own madness and neuroses into the place. br / br /The ensemble cast act magnificently in this most eerie of environments but special praise must go to Peter Mullan for a bravura performance as Gordon, boss of the Hazmat Elimination Company, brought in to clear the Danvers State Mental Hospital of its toxic elements after its closure 15 years ago, but singularly unable to clear his mind of the dark secrets it holds. br / br /The cinematography and especially the sound design create the perfect images and noises to unsettle the audience with (almost) no CGI nonsense to spoil the illusion. I'd had concerns about this movie being 'shot' on Hi-Definition video but I needn't have worried. It looks magnificent, and would not have been any better had it been on conventional film. (I've viewed it both on a conventional TV and also on a large screen from an AV projector, and it looked superb both times.) br / br /More than most horror movies, "Session 9" stands repeated viewings and actually gets creepier each time you see it, when you already understand the real 'horror' within the film rather than the perceived 'threat' that the director tantalisingly misleads you with on first viewing. Its effect comes from an impending sense of dread rather than shock. There is gore, but it hardly matters after all the tension and terror that has gone before. br / br /Even the featurette in the bonus features ("The Haunted Palace") is creepy when the cast and crew talk of the genuinely disturbing effect of filming in this most forbidding of real places. br / br /I very rarely enthuse to this extent about a mere horror film, particularly one that's almost 8 years old now, but this one is different. It won't leave my mind, and I feel it is only fair that, like casting a rune, you should also partake of the delicious frissons engendered by this sadly under-rated masterpiece. But you have been warned - once inside Danvers State there's no leaving it! The Best! August 30, 2006 Ms. L. E. Spurr (Durham, England) 5 out of 6 found this review helpful This is my all-time fave horror movie! I watch it again and again and still find it creepy. This may be something to do with my having worked in a psychiatric hospital and being creeped out by some of the old buildings there(some were well reputed to be haunted!)The acting here is spot on, with the actor playing gaffer Gordon really portraying this "man on the edge" superbly. The nichtophobia scene, as another reviewer mentioned, is indeed an absolute classic. This film is so good i think because it leaves your imagination to get carried away (as opposed to the horror being "in your face"), and the references to old psychiatric practices really reminded me of the many times i've read about such things in old patients' notes from the 50's and 60's etc. Chilling stuff! Session 9 and The wonders of Danvers State Hospital February 23, 2007 Jherrian Raine (York, England) 5 out of 6 found this review helpful Session 9 was recommended to me by a friend who stated it was pretty close to actually watching a Silent Hill movie (and we all know what happened with the eventual one they released)This film is very clever in many ways. br / br /Firstly I wouldn't state that it is a Horror film, more a fictional Biopic about the breakdown of a man's mind. That could be a contradiction in terms but it does closely follow one man's decline from a Hard working typical 'American' style family man to a terrifying conclusion. br / br /I won't say too much, but the very fact that the majority of this film is filmed through the bright sunshine of the day with it streaming through broken windows, following the laborious efforts of an Asbestos mitigation team really does denote the least suspense filled plotline until we find ourselves in the belly of the beast itself, the Danvers State Hospital, where this film is set and actually filmed. br / br /The place itself really does end up becoming the most watchable character in the film and it does leave you wanting to see more of the Hospital itself, hence the Documentary is absolutely fantastic to watch. br / br /Whilst i've not said too much about the film itself, I conclude simply saying that this is a wonderful memorial to the now demolished Danvers Hospital, so get this film and don't expect to be 'shocked' in every other beat of it, but do expect to find yourself roped into the falling apart of one mind's mind with terible consequences. no cheap scares here!! ''Do it Gordon.....'' May 25, 2009 KatieWoo 2 out of 2 found this review helpful This is by far the most atmospheric psychological horror of it's kind, it drips atmosphere and the cast is perfect for the story.The location is the perfect mix of beauty and terror, you genuinly wouldn't want to be in that abandoned mental institution, no matter how bright a day it is. br / If you buy the dvd watch the extras and listen to peter mullen's experience while shooting on location, more than 'a little strange.' br / The scares aren't cheap ones they are based around the psychiatric therepy session recordings that are found in the basement of the facility and they creeped me and my friends out no end. br / If you're sick of 'horror' films that rely on naked teens and masses of fake blood to drag it's way to the 90 minute mark then this is the film for you. It's got depth,heart racing 'did you see that?' moments and plenty to keep you coming back for more. br / The first time you watch this don't be alone,because the second you here the words 'Do it Gordon' you'll understand why. br /Buy it enjoy it and see why you don't need a multi million dollar budget to make a good idea work. Showing reviews 1-5 of 40 1 2 3 4 5 6 ...8 Next »

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