review by Joseph B. Mauceri

SYNOPSIS: Gordon Fleming and his Hazmat Elimination crew are award the daunting task of asbestos removal at the Danvers State Mental Hospital. In order to win the contract, Fleming under bids the job and promise completion in 1 week, a schedule he and his crew chief Phil don't see eye-to-eye on. A rather lucrative job, which will help to support his wife and baby, Fleming promises his five men crew a hefty bonus to bring it in on time. So the suit up into their protective gear and head into the vast spaces and eerie corridors of the asylum. As the work continues, the crew is drawn into the mysteries of the place. It holds many dark secrets, but then so do each of these men. As the pressure mounts as the weight of the asylum bears down upon them. As the awful truths are rising to the surface. Which of these men will be the first to crack.

REVIEW: I've had the pleasure of seeing director Brad Anderson's feature "Next Stop Wonderland," and his 1993 short "Frankenstein's Planet of Monsters." So while I have to declare the virtues and talent of this filmmaker who Variety named one of their "10 Directors to Watch" in 1997, I should also point out that the truly remarkable talent in SESSION 9 is the location - Danvers State Mental Hospital.

Anderson's screenplay was shaped by his location right from the beginning. He doesn't simply rely on the look of the location, but delves into its infamous history to extract the backdrop for his tale. I've seen some amazing sets in my time, but nothing compares to the stark reality of this abandoned asylum.

Let me shine the spotlight back on Anderson. Anyone could have walked into his place and shoot a scary film. Anderson kicks it up to notches unknown! He employees a very simple hook to introduce strong characters - which are brought to life by an amazing cast headed by David Caruso and Peter Mullan - into this nightmare setting. He peals back their thin layers, masked by their strength, and shows the audience their vulnerability. Through his directing and editing skills he builds suspense and dread, shaping into pure, white-hot terror. As he approaches the climax, he flips the world of these blue-collar characters on its head. It's a well-orchestrated symphony of direction, editing, sound design and music. You can feel your eyes bulge with horror as you watch the events unfold.

The power of SESSION 9 comes from the basic principles of psychological terror. The director gives us but the briefest glimpses of the decadence and decay that lives behind the asylum's facade. We can feel the presence of evil here in a fashion that is reminiscent of Polanski's "Rosemary's Baby," but it is a more subtle sinister presence at work that breathes like the door in Robert Wise's "The Haunting." The blood and gore are present on a meager level, much in the same way audiences remember "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" being bloodier then it is. And just like that film, and the more recent "Blair Witch Project," Anderson allows some of the corruption to leech off the screen and into the theater. SESSION 9 has an infectious weirdness that lingers on the audience.

When we think of the glut of wanna- be scary films that have made their way into the multiplexes across America they all too often deliver very little boos for the buck. The major frights that have called us into the darkness and asked us if we wanted to see something truly scary have come from the artistic young visionaries who dwell in the land of independent filmmakers. These are the pioneers who find ways to divest themselves of the costly special effects and tapp into the wellspring of the human psyche, and the monsters that reside there. SESSION 9 is one of those rare moments when talent, screenplay and location all come together in away that it will chill audiences for generations to come. So for all you brave hearted adventures who are looking for a good scare let this review serve as fair warning that "there be monsters ahead" if you dare to enter the Brad Anderson's nightmare - SESSION 9.

OFFICIAL WEB SITE:
http://www.sessionnine.com/

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