Session 9

I stumbled across this movie several years ago, gotta admit, it was the cover art that caused me to rent it, but the content of the movie had me watching it over and over. A psychological thriller about a gang of Asbestos workers, faced with their weaknesses in a run-down mental hospital. The Danvers State Hospital stood in Danvers Massachusetts until demolition brought it down in 2006, some believed it was haunted, I personally am sad that I missed the ghost tour.

The movie opens with Gordon trying to win the bid to remove the asbestos in the hospital in order to refurbish it for the county to use. Tired from his new born and worried about the stability of his asbestos removing company, Gordon bids low and fast to get the contract. Forgetting his bag, Gordon runs back it to the building and it is at this point he is greeted by whatever it is the hospital holds.

Gathering his crew of four other members, each with their own history. Mike is an acerbic law school drop-out who regrets his decision. Phil, second in command, is pissed that the hotter coworker Hank stole his girl. And Hank the hottie wants nothing more that to head to Vegas to make it rich. Last is Jeff, Gordon’s nephew and a mullet wearing nyctophob.

Over the next few days of working in the asylum, each are affected. While checking on a pulled plug for mullethead, Mike discovers old reel to reel tape containing sessions 1-9 of a patients therapy. The patient’s name is Mary, and she suffers from what appears to be multiple personality disorder caused by a childhood trauma. Listening to the tapes during stolen minutes and after hours, Mike listens to the personalities, who all seem to be harmless, all but the personality known as “Simon”, a genius loci.

As Mike discovers more about the 9 sessions, the madness of Danvers Hospital and the malignant Simon begin to take its hold on the crew, affecting Gordon the greatest.

It may come as some surprise to you that I loved this movie. I know what you are thinking, because I have such great taste and a superior level of maturity I would never go for a movie like this. It’s a good story, and a well paced story of the affects of human weakness, well human weakness when you have to remove asbestos from a crumbling lunatic hospital.