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"SESSION 9"
(2001) (David Caruso, Peter Mullan) (R)

Alcohol/
Drugs
Blood/Gore Disrespectful/
Bad Attitude
Frightening/
Tense Scenes
Guns/
Weapons
Heavy Heavy Extreme Extreme Mild
Imitative
Behavior
Jump
Scenes
Music
(Scary/Tense)
Music
(Inappropriate)
Profanity
Mild Moderate Extreme None Extreme
Sex/
Nudity
Smoking Tense Family
Scenes
Topics To
Talk About
Violence
Moderate Moderate Moderate Moderate Extreme


QUICK TAKE:
Horror/Suspense: After being hired to remove asbestos from an abandoned and dilapidated mental hospital, members of a small hazmat crew discover various horrors as they attempt to complete the job in just one week.
PLOT:
After opening in 1871, Danvers State Mental Hospital has been sitting dormant since 1985, but that's about to change as plans call for its renovation. Unfortunately, the place is full of asbestos and other dangerous materials that must be removed prior to that, so various companies have been bidding for the job. Among them is the Hazmat Elimination Company, and owner Gordon Fleming (PETER MULLAN)-who's recently had a baby and some marital and financial difficulties - is so desperate for the work that he promises he can finish the job in just one week.

That doesn't sit well with Phil (DAVID CARUSO), the crew chief, who realizes the enormity of the job and what little time that gives them to complete it, especially with Hank (JOSH LUCAS) working for them. Phil's never liked Hank since he stole away Phil's girlfriend, and wants Gordon to replace him with a trustworthier contractor.

Gordon wants no part of that, so the three of them, along with Mike (STEPHEN GEVEDON), a law student who's fascinated with the place since his father worked on a legal case involving a former patient, and Gordon's nephew, Jeff (BRENDAN SEXTON III), who's afraid of the dark, begin their work.

As the week passes by and the team members begin removing the materials, Mike listens to a series of taped psychotherapy sessions concerning a former patient who apparently suffered from multiple personality disorder. With the numbered sessions becoming more chilling as they progress, the team begins to encounter all sorts of odd occurrences in the old hospital, including the sudden disappearance of one of the crewmembers.

From that point on, and as the creepy events continue to unfold, the remaining team members try to finish their job, all while trying to figure out who or what's responsible for the bizarre occurrences.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
If they're into spooky horror films or are fans of anyone in the crew, they just might
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R
For language and brief strong violence.
CAST AS ROLE MODELS:
  • PETER MULLAN plays the owner of the hazmat firm who's had/having problems at home, uses strong profanity and becomes progressively unstable as the story wears on.
  • DAVID CARUSO plays his crew chief who becomes worried about that latter part potentially affecting a bonus promised to them. He also uses strong profanity, doesn't like Hank and smokes a joint.
  • JOSH LUCAS plays the employee who stole Phil's former girlfriend, smokes, and uses strong profanity.
  • STEPHEN GEVEDON plays the law student who becomes engrossed in the recorded psychotherapy sessions he discovers. He also uses strong profanity.
  • BRENDAN SEXTON III plays the owner's nephew who's afraid of the dark and uses strong profanity.
  • CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO

    HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE


    Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit?
    Then read OUR TAKE of this film.


    (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below).


    OUR WORD TO PARENTS:
    Here's a quick summary of the content found in this R-rated horror/thriller. Profanity is listed as extreme due to the use of at least 46 "f" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also used. Some explicit, sexually related dialogue is present, while some graffiti shows drawn breasts and male genitalia, and an old photograph shows a former patient covering her bare breasts.

    Violence, which occurs mostly near the end of the film, includes several people being killed (with bloody results) both on and off screen and a person being lobotomized. Those moments, various jump scenes, and many of the ones simply occurring in the old, dilapidated and seemingly haunted mental hospital - often at night or in dimly lit hallways, etc. - may be unsettling, suspenseful and/or scary to viewers.

    Various characters drink and/or smoke, with one seen smoking pot in two scenes, and various characters have varying degrees of bad attitudes. Finally, some tense family material is present concerning a man who's upset with some bad things that have happened in his family life. Should you still be concerned about the film and its appropriateness for yourself or anyone in your home who might be interested in seeing it, we suggest that you take a closer look at our detailed listings for more information about what's present and occurs in the picture.


    ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE
  • Someone tells Jeff that there are to be no drugs on the job.
  • Phil and Hank have drinks in front of them in a bar.
  • Phil mentions the good old days of various things, including "beers after work," to Gordon.
  • Gordon mentions he brought home flowers and champagne for his wife.
  • We see Phil rolling and then smoking a joint (that he finishes or has another one in a later scene).
  • BLOOD/GORE
  • It looks like Gordon has a little bit of blood around his fingernails.
  • We see an image of a man with blood all over the front of him.
  • We see some blood from a man's fingertip and some on a nearby window.
  • We see a bloody handprint on the side of a van door.
  • We see all sorts of blood on a floor, along with a smeared trail of it.
  • We see a man with a lobotomy tool sticking out of the corner of his eye socket (with a little bit of blood).
  • A man grabs another person, does something to them and then pulls out a lobotomy tool and blood comes out of the wound and from the victim's mouth. The first man then kills the second and smears blood on his own face.
  • We see a lot of blood on a tarp after that person has done something bad to someone else. We then see a bloody body.
  • DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE
  • One of the guys refers to mental patients as "loonies."
  • Phil and Hank don't get along, primarily because Hank stole Phil's girlfriend sometime before the story begins.
  • The person responsible for killing others obviously has extreme cases of both types of attitudes.
  • FRIGHTENING SCENES
  • Much of the film, when set inside the old institute, has some sort of scary, suspenseful or foreboding feel to it, especially when accompanied by scary/suspenseful music.
  • As Gordon stares at an empty chair in the old hospital, we hear some old recording creepily saying, "Hello, Gordon."
  • As some spooky music plays, Phil goes back into the hospital (during the day) by himself to retrieve a bag he forgot. During this, we see a photograph of an ape holding a dead chimp and what look like old photos of dead people and see a related/unrelated view of an odd hand at a baby's head.
  • Gordon goes into his house (as some bizarre music plays) and we hear some sort of scream coupled with the sudden sound of a generator kicking in (at the beginning of another scene).
  • Some viewers may be disturbed by a story that Mike tells about a former patient that goes along the lines of the following: A female patient recalled that when she was ten, her father raped her, but not once. He'd do it three times a week. And he didn't just rape her, he came into her room at night, wearing a black robe. He'd take her and drive her to a wooded area where her grandparents and mother were and they'd all have black robes on. They'd take them off and group orgies would ensue. And then they'd bring out a newborn and she was forced to watch as her mother cut the baby's heart out. She'd drink the blood and others would eat the flesh. Her grandfather and father would then f*ck her repeatedly. There was then a lawsuit, but the case was dropped when her parents discovered a physical examination she had undergone about a year prior. Turns out, she was a virgin and that none of that ever happened.
  • Mike slowly makes his way through some darkened rooms as suspenseful music plays and then finds and listens to some recorded therapy sessions that could be disturbing to some viewers (due to the tension in the patient's voice along with the other voices that emanate from her).
  • Hank finds a great deal of old coins and other personal effects, and we then see that they're apparently from a crematorium/morgue.
  • While explaining how a lobotomy is performed, Mike holds a device for doing near Jeff's eye.
  • As Hank is in the basement of the building at night by himself, he hears an odd noise. He then decides to leave and makes his way down the hallways/tunnels with just a flashlight. He then sees a figure coming his way and as scary music plays, he tries to get away. We then see the point of view of someone/something racing through a tunnel and then into him and the scene ends there.
  • More scenes of hearing the odd psychiatric recordings and/or scary/suspenseful music may be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to some viewers, as might repeated, but incomplete flashback scenes of a man going into a house followed by the sounds of screaming.
  • Jeff spots a man who doesn't really react to questions or comments and acts creepily.
  • After hearing a noise, the men split up to go looking for its source and/or a missing member of their team. Jeff, who has a phobia about the dark, is left alone in part of the hospital, while Phil, equipped with just a flashlight, explores a dark tunnel. During this, the generator supplying electricity and thus light to the hospital begins to run out of fuel, terrifying Jeff as he tries to make his way through a tunnel filled with large rubber/plastic suits hanging on the wall as the lights begin to flicker and then go out. At the same time, Phil slowly makes his way around a corner in the dark.
  • We see the point of view of someone rapidly walking toward another person who doesn't seem nervous and then something is done to that person.
  • The violence that occurs at the end of the film where several people are killed, could be unsettling, suspenseful or scary to viewers.
  • GUNS/WEAPONS
  • Handgun: Worn by a security guard.
  • Lobotomy tool: Used to lobotomize or otherwise injure people.
  • IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR
  • Phrases: "What the f*ck /is this/are you talking about/was that?" "F*ck you," "F*ck off," "F*ck, yeah," "I'm just f*cking around," "Lucky f*ck," "Don't ever f*cking walk away from me," "Who the f*ck are you kidding?" "That was pretty f*cking stupid," "Don't be a f*cking idiot," "F*ck this," "So f*cking stupid," "Holy sh*t," "Gives a sh*t," "Piece of sh*t," "I don't give a shit what happens," "You're in some deep sh*t," "(Keep it up) D*ckhead," "Nuts" (crazy), "Kiss your ass good-bye," "What the hell /is that?" "We're going to work our asses off," "Loonies" (mental patients), "Watch your ass," "Nut house," "Get off your ass," "Bitch" (not referring to a woman), "Screwing" (nonsexual), "Take a piss," "Bust my ass," "Pissed off," "Loser," "Punk," "Shut up" and "Freaking."
  • Hank gives "the finger" to Phil.
  • JUMP SCENES
  • Some viewers may be startled by the sudden inclusion of sound into an otherwise rather quiet scene.
  • Another sudden loud noise might startle some viewers.
  • The sudden sound of someone pounding on something may startle some viewers.
  • Another sudden sound in a suspenseful scene may have the same effect, as might the sudden sight of someone in a dimly lit tunnel/hallway.
  • MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE)
  • An extreme amount of ominous, suspenseful and scary music plays during the film.
  • MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE)
  • None.
  • PROFANITY
  • At least 46 "f" words (4 used sexually, 1 used with "mother"), 10 "s" words, 2 slang terms using male genitals ("d*ckhead"), 9 asses (1 used with "hole"), 2 craps, 2 hells, 1 damn, 9 uses of "Jesus," 3 of "G-damn," 2 each of "Jesus Christ" and "My God" and 1 use each of "For Christ's sakes," "God," "Oh Jesus," "Oh my God" and "Swear to God" as exclamations.
  • SEX/NUDITY
  • We see some graffiti that shows drawn bare breasts and another that shows a penis and testicles (but they're not realistic looking).
  • After Phil tells Hank to "keep it up, d*ckhead," Hank replies that he's always "got it up" and that's the problem.
  • Mike tells a story about a former patient that goes along the lines of the following. A female patient recalled that when she was ten, her father raped her, but not once. He'd do it three times a week. And he didn't just rape her, he came into her room at night, wearing a black robe. He'd take her and drive her to a wooded area where her grandparents and mother were and they'd all have black robes on. They'd take them off and group orgies would ensue. And then they'd bring out the newborn and she was forced to watch as her mother cut the baby's heart out. She'd drink the blood, and others would eat the flesh. Her grandfather and father would then f*ck her repeatedly. There was then a lawsuit, but the case was dropped when her parents discovered a physical examination she had undergone about a year prior. Turns out, she was a virgin and none of that ever happened.
  • Mike listens to a reel to reel tape of a mental patient and her doctor, and the woman twice states that Billy "f*cked me."
  • Hank says that he "f*cks" his girlfriend (Phil's old girlfriend) just to irritate Phil.
  • We see a photo of an adult patient with her hands covering her bare breasts, as well as the scars in her cleavage.
  • We briefly see a man in his underwear (in a nonsexual context).
  • SMOKING
  • Hank smokes more than five times, while a miscellaneous character also smokes.
  • TENSE FAMILY SCENES
  • From various clues/flashbacks we sense that Gordon and his wife have had a falling out and he eventually admits to hitting his wife (and then worse).
  • TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT
  • What currently goes on, and what may have gone on in the past, in mental institutions.
  • Those who become mentally unbalanced.
  • Multiple personality disorder.
  • Asbestos and other hazardous materials, what they can do to people, and why they were used in the past.
  • VIOLENCE
  • Phil slaps Hank on the head.
  • Gordon grabs Phil and spins him around while upset with him.
  • We see the point of view of someone rapidly walking toward another person who doesn't seem nervous and then something is done to that person (we later see this again with a stabbing motion, but don't see the impact).
  • We see a man with a lobotomy tool sticking out of the corner of his eye socket.
  • A man grabs another person, does something to them and then pulls out a lobotomy tool and blood comes out of the wound and from the victim's mouth. As the second man screams, the first drives that tool up into his eye (we don't see the actual insertion, but do see body parts quivering as a result of it).
  • A man attacks another man and we see lots of blood as a result.
  • We hear the sounds of a man attacking and stabbing a woman (and possibly killing her baby - but we don't see any of this).



  • Reviewed July 23, 2001 / Posted August 17, 2001

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