Home Entertainment: ’Session 9’ Blu-ray review

UK distributor Second Sight Films have had an excellent 2021. These last twelve months have seen the company release a plethora of curated discs that have won over the hearts of the country’s devoted genre fanbase. Earlier releases this year include Paranormal Activity, Swallow, The Guest, and Host, and not ones to rest on their laurels the team are closing out the year with another hit, the little known Session 9. 

Originally released back in 2001, Session 9 has steadily been building up its audience over the last twenty years and although initially overlooked by many (this writer included) this Second Sight Films release may be just the thing to push the film to a wider audience. With both early 2000’s film staple Josh Lucas and CSI legend David Caruso on the cast, quite how Session 9 has flown under the radar for so long is almost as bemusing as the puzzle at the heart of the plot. Set in an abandoned former psychiatric hospital, Session 9 joins new father Gordon (Peter Mullan) and his team, Hank (Josh Lucas), Phil (David Caruso), Mike (Stephen Gevedon) and Jeff (Brendan Sexton III), as they set about removing asbestos from the property. The week-long job throws up more than just dangerous chemicals after Mike uncovers the tapes of hospital patient Mary Hobbs and the men each begin to act in strange ways. 

From the opening rotating shot, Session 9 asserts itself by presenting some impeccably stylish cinematography. An early camera angle framed within a puddle cements it as a wonderfully shot film, the camera forever moving around and distorting perceptions. Prior to Session 9, director and co-writer Brad Anderson was known for his work within romantic comedies, but the finesse of elements placed in front of the camera here really helped pave the way for the rest of Anderson’s career. Post Session 9, Anderson has gone on to direct The Machinist and most recently, television series Clickbait. It’s a remarkable shift in focus and all is clearly owed to the talent displayed within Session 9. 

The story beats are kept to a minimum, Anderson allowing the atmosphere to overtake the narrative and the viewer. This creepy aura soaks into everything that it comes into contact with and much like the asbestos that the group are trying to remove, is deadly in its potency. The hospital setting gives Session 9 the bulk of its eeriness, which should come as no surprise as it was Anderson’s nightly drives past the building that inspired the idea. Furthermore, the location was so good at being scary, it already housed the lionshare of the movie’s props. In terms of set dressing, very little was added, with only a handful of new things added to help enhance the uncomfort factor. The location also contributed to the performance of some of the cast as several have gone on record in the years since shooting and admitted to some weird moments on set that gave them chills. 

All the work fine-tuning the setting really pays off, as even the most normal of interactions are sheathed in an uneasy tension. Once the story arrives at the first interview tape of Mary Hobbs, the air changes and the already creepy hospital takes on a more menacing and foreboding guise. This shift works perfectly with the subtle change within the workers. Anderson slowly imparts little personality transitions, as each man starts to become morphed by the strange phenomena unfolding. As Session 9 progresses, mistrust and paranoia flood in, all leading to a brilliant climax that feels straight out of a psychologically heavy Stephen King tale.   

If there is one thing that taints a first-time watch of Session 9 now, it’s that the casting inclusion of David Caruso is distracting. At the time of filming, CSI: Miami was barely on the horizon, but now with Caruso so intrinsically linked to his alter ego of Horatio Caine, it is hard to separate the pair and enjoy Caruso’s performance as Phil. This issue isn’t just for those that watched the CSI show, I myself have only ever caught snippets of the odd episode, but even that was enough to pull me out of the moment on more than one occasion. 

For those initiated into the cult of Session 9 already, this disc is a vital addition; bonus features include new interviews with director Brad Anderson, his co-writer (and one of the stars) Stephen Gevedon, producer David Collins and Production Designer Sophie Carlhian to name only a handful. Other content includes yet another excellent video essay from Alexandra Heller-Nicholas and several pieces highlighting that remarkable filming location. With so much to explore on this second disc, viewers will continue to be entertained far beyond the movie’s run time, and it also makes for the perfect study material for both those creating films and those that analyse them. 

Another win for one of the most exciting distributors on the market, Session 9 finally gets the love and attention it deserves and will convert a whole new legion of fans. Effortlessly sinister without ever veering into over-the-top territory, Session 9 is a shining example of how to make a slow burn and a relatively light-on-scares story intensely menacing and uncomfortable.  

Session 9 is available to own on blu-ray now via Second Sight Films.