When a skilled crew of asbestos workers land a job in an abandoned mental hospital, things quickly become more complex than originally anticipated. Upon beginning to rush their original job, the horrific past of the hospital starts unfolding, leaving the crew with mixed emotions. A somewhat exciting premise that starts promising but never really leaves its mark. Session 9 is currently streaming on Netflix.

Director: Brad Anderson
Writers: Brad Anderson, Stephen Gevedon
Starring: David Caruso, Stephen Gevedon, Paul Guilfoyle, Brendan Sexton

As far as IMDb ratings go, it’s fair to say that they’re usually a good measure on the quality of the movie you’re deciding whether or not to take a chance with. With that being said however, Session 9 seemed to an exception to the rule, because quite frankly, I’m not sure how it’s managed to boast the 6.4 score that it’s currently amassed.

Many people claim that this movie is much more than just a traditional horror – and they’re probably correct. Typically, films of this nature tend to rely on a mixture of tension and jump scares to make you get a real sense of fear, but this one seemed to take a slightly different approach. For sure, it definitely left you with a creepy sensation throughout, but sadly it never really pulled the trigger and strayed away from its comfort zone at all. With that being said however, some of the scare tactics deployed by the creators did seem reminiscent of those from previous generations – which I think appealed to some more than others.

In fairness to the filmmakers and movie on a whole, it did have one or two redeeming qualities thrown in too, especially in terms of the low-key way in which the film was captured. The eerie setting seemed to go down a treat, especially inside the former mental hospital, but even then, there were still one or two minor issues that could be picked at. The environment itself was supposedly abandoned for several years, yet the exterior looked relatively fresh and a little too polished and appealing, rather than the grim and bleak setting that you’d expect.

Another peculiar aspect of the flick came in the form of the acting performances – some were pretty convincing and authentic, especially the ones from David Caruso and Peter Mullan, who adopted the roles of Phil and Gordon respectively, but others were pretty poor to say the least. Jeff, was a character played by Brendan Sexton, the youngest member of the asbestos crew, but sadly he provided more than one unintentional laugh, when perhaps that wasn’t the desired effect.

Overall, not the best movie to strap in and settle down to, especially considering the one-hour and forty-minute runtime. There’s most certainly better available on Netflix, but to be fair, there’s probably worse too.

“What’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever done?”

Gordon – Session 9