Blu-ray Review:: Session 9 (2001)

"One of the best Haunted House movies of all-time."

(aka The Weak and the Wounded)
Release Date: August 10th, 2001.
Country: USA
Rating: R
Written by: Brad Anderson and Stephen Gevedon.
Directed by: Brad Anderson.
Starring: Peter Mullan, David Caruso, Josh Lucas, Stephen Gevedon, Brendan Sexton III, and Larry Fessenden.

One of the best pure Horror movies of the new millennium (or that we've ever seen, period), Session 9 is a quiet, eerie movie that will get under your skin and stay there. For days.

Now, the tough, jaded type of Horror fans who take pride in the fact that nothing can scare them, might be immune to the effects of this movie. Everyone else though, will most likely be freaked out after watching Session 9, especially if you watch it alone, in the dark, and late at night... which is how most Horror movies should always be watched anyhow.

The "What We Learned" section below is going to contain a pretty big spoiler for the movie, and if you haven't seen it yet, we implore you to skip that section completely, until you have. This is a great movie, and it deserves to be seen 100% Spoiler Free. Please don't ruin it for yourselves.

*This is a repost of a review that we did in 2015, updated for the Blu-ray release.

The plot for this one is pretty simple, and even a bit sparse: A Hazmat crew accepts a job removing asbestos from the abandoned Danvers State Mental Hospital, wherein strange things begin to happen. And by strange, we mean creepy.

YEAH, I'M NOT GOING DOWN THERE.

Crew boss Gordon needs this job to keep his company afloat, and with a new baby at home, he's under a lot of stress to pull this job off perfectly. Right hand man Phil is there to support Gordon, although he's not thrilled that another guy on the crew, Hank, stole his girlfriend from him, and is banging her on the reg, always happy to shove it in Phil's face. Mike is the vaguely dissatisfied ex-lawyer who is living well below his expectations, and Jeff is Gordon's goofy Nephew who is afraid of the dark, and paralyzingly so.

SO MUCH DYSFUNCTION!

When Mike finds an old box containing session tapes of a doctor interviewing his patient, Mary Hobbes (who killed her family and suffers from multiple-personality disorder), he is compelled to listen to them... which leads to everyone on the crew to begin mentally deteriorating in their own way.

...and that's all we're saying about the plot.

THOSE DAMN TAPES!

Session 9 is an absolute clinic on how to tell a terrifying story using little more than mood and atmosphere. This movie gets under your skin not only with its perfect, terrifying location, but with the subtle sense of wrongness that it establishes from the start. When we think of movies that have genuinely scare and unnerved us -and we're talking about in our adult lives here, not when we were kids, when everything scared us- Session 9 is one of the very first movies that comes to mind.

And years after the fact, when we do think about Session 9, we always hear that damn piano music in our heads.

From the start of the movie, you get the feeling that something wrong, and maybe even evil, is afoot here. Mike is virtually lead to the box that contains the session tapes, and once he begins to listen to them, and become obsessed with the disturbing interviews with Mary Hobbes, everything starts going horribly wrong for he and his crew. Are the happenings supernatural, or purely psychological? That's been intentionally left for the viewer to decide for themselves, and you can argue the case for one over the other all you like, but the honest answer is that it's both.

THE THREE SIDES OF MARY HOBBES.

The true star of this movie is the historic Danvers State Hospital. The birthplace of the frontal lobotomy, it's the perfect setting for a Horror movie, and in fact, it's been a part of Horror lore since way back when it was referenced in H.P. Lovecraft's work. It's since been demolished (which is a shame), but the fact that they were able to shoot Session 9 there will keep it alive in our nightmares forever. Oh, and the grounds that it was built on was originally called Salem Village; you know, where the Salem Witch Trials took place. CREEPY.

The human cast of the movie was pretty damned impressive in this one too. Peter Mullan is one of the best actors working today, who most people probably don't even know about. His work in Session 9, as well as Red Riding and Top of the Lake, is enough to make him one of our faves. Love him or hate him, David Caruso does his best David Caruso here, which is cool with us. Everyone else played their parts well enough.

"HELLO, DOC."

Who would honestly take a job at a creepy-ass place like that? Even if it's not haunted, the odds that there's a Serial Killer or maniac living there are pretty strong, so either way, you're probably going to die there.

THAT SUIT IS NOT GOING TO HELP YOU SURVIVE!

What ever happened to David Caruso? His career started off so strong, and them he kind of faded away, eventually ending up starring in that lame, tame CSI bullshit. He could have been one of the greats.

NO, FUCK YOU, DAVID!

There's a little bit of gore here and there, especially towards the end, but it's a mostly bloodless affair overall.

LOOK, THERE'S SOME BLOOD.

Nope.

This new 1080p transfer of Session 9 is fantastic, and it's likely as good as the movie will ever look. Session 9 was one of the first movies every shot using a 24p camera (you can read about that HERE), which means that it's always going to have that early "Shot on HD" feel to it, but to our eyes, this new transfer registered as nothing but crisp, clear, and gorgeous. The audio is sharp too, although we're not sure why Scream Factory opted to offer only a 2.0 track, completely forgoing a 5.1 mix.

The Special Features include a Commentary Track with Brad Anderson and Michael Gevedon that is absolutely worth a listen; and a nearly hour-long Doc where the cast and crew recall every phase of the movie's production, which was equally as compelling.

• NEW Return To Danvers: The Secrets Of SESSION 9 Featuring Interviews With Director/Co-writer Brad Anderson, Actor/Co-writer Stephen Gevedon, Actors Josh Lucas, Brendan Sexton III, Larry Fessenden, Composers The Climax Golden Twins And Director Of Photography Uta Briesewitz.
• NEW Horror's Hallowed Grounds – Revisiting The Locations of The Film.
• Audio Commentary With Brad Anderson And Stephen Gevedon.
• Deleted Scenes And Alternate Ending With Optional Commentary By Director Brad Anderson.
• Story To Screen Featurette.
• The Haunted Palace Featurette.
• Theatrical Trailer.

Overall, this is an excellent disc which does this excellent movie great justice.

NO DAVID CARUSO INTERVIEWS THOUGH, WHICH SUCKS.

 ***Don't read this section until after you've watched the movie. Watch it with no preconceived notions in your head, then come back and read this.***

Is Session 9 about someone having a mental breakdown, or is there more of a Supernatural element at play here? While Brad Anderson and Stephen Gevedon seemed to have left the ending as ambiguous as possible, and people will argue that it's all about a mental breakdown and nothing more, there's no way that "Simon" isn't an external entity of some kind.

The scene at the beginning of the movie were Gordon sees the chair, we see his face slowly covered by a darkness, and then we hear "Simon's" voice say "Hello, Gordon." Now, he hears the voice before the box with the session tapes is even found and opened (and it's sealed up pretty tightly, in an out of the way location), so there's no way that Gordon heard the tapes or knew about "Simon" before his breakdown, so it can't be a byproduct of his losing his mind.

And as far as that box that holds the Session Tapes goes, be sure to watch that scene carefully; Mike is basically lead to that box by "something," and it's only after its opened that everyone starts freaking out in their own special ways.

So Gordon does have a break from reality and totally loses his shit, but we truly believe that whatever "Simon" is helped to facilitate that break.

"Simon" lives in the weak and the wounded, after all, Doc.

YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE PLAYED THOSE TAPES.

One of the best scary movies that we've ever seen, Session 9 is a Must See for any self-respecting Horror fan. Whether it's a Psychological Thriller or a Haunted House flick is up to you to decide, but either way, this is one effective, bleak movie that will chill you to the bone, and linger in your mind long after you've finished watching.

Buy this new Scream Factory disc and make sure it's on your Halloween watch list come October.

A+

Session 9 is available now on Blu-ray, and DVD.

Since there's basically no female presence in Session 9, here are some more stills from the movie, for you to creep yourselves out over. Enjoy.

Random Movie of the Week Review: House (2008)

"Not nearly as bad as we expected it to be."

Every week, we sit down, surf through the Netflix and On Demands of the world, find ourselves a random, B-Grade Horror flick that we've never seen, and watch it. Sometimes we're surprised with how they turn out, and sometimes they're just as bad as we expect them to be. 

Either way, it makes for a good time. This is one of those films.

We weren't expecting much from House, as it's a direct-to-video effort that boasts Michael Madsen as its biggest name (we love the guy, but he is in A LOT of bad movies.) Then we saw that it also had Bill Moseley, Leslie Easterbrook, and Lew Temple in it, and that it was based on a book that got some pretty good reviews, so we though "Hey, this might not be so bad after all."

And it wasn't.

After the death of their daughter, Jack and Stephanie decide to go and see a marriage counselor, because they're having a rough time. While speeding along the back roads of Alabama, Jack gets them lost. Lucky or them, local Cop Michael Madsen is nearby to give them directions back to the highway... which involves taking a "Shortcut" down a creepy dirt road. That should work out well.

SOMEHOW, THE CHICKEN IS BEHIND THIS.

Still driving like a jerk, Jack drives over some debris, leaving them stranded with two flat tires on the deserted old road. There's also another car a few feet away that suffered the same fate, which is probably a good sign. Like any rational person would do, they decide to continue down the dirt road on foot, which leads them to the Wayside Inn, which looks like a crackhouse in disrepair. They've gotta have a phone though, right? And probably ghosts.

YEP. GHOSTS.

Turns out that the Wayside Inn is some sort of spiritual way station for evil souls, and those evil souls like to eat troubled souls, or stranded motorists, or some such shit like that. All I know is that Jack and Stephanie, along with another stranded couple, have to fight for their lives against the Inn's homicidal staff, and some creepy dude named The Tin Man, who writes messages on tin cans, and wants a sacrifice before dawn, or everyone dies.

Don't ask.

YEAH, IT'S ONE OF THOSE.

House is nothing you haven't seen before. It's a very typical Backwoods Horror story, that kinda reminded us of Wrong Turn. It also felt a bit like The Hills Run Red, as The Tin Man kinda gave off a Babyface vibe with his mask and the way that he talked, which was cool. There was also a strong hint of Saw thrown in there with the way that The Tin Man wanted everyone to "play his game" and pitted them against each other.

But it's also based on a fairly successful book that has a Christian bent to it, so I suppose it is different in a way. Now, I'm not all about being preached to while I watch a movie, which is why Kirk Cameron and his shitty rapture movies can suck it, but this one was pretty subtle about it until the ending. The part with the white light was kinda neat in a way, and even though it ended on one of those "You have to appreciate the life that you've got" notes, it didn't piss us off all that much.

I know that doesn't sound like much of a ringing endorsement, but trust me; when a movie like this doesn't piss us off, that's a good thing, because so many do.

The cast did a pretty good job here too, with Bill Moseley being his usual, awesome self; and Michael Madsen, Leslie Easterbrook and Lew Temple doing their genre shtick fairly well.

HOW MUCH PIE CAN A GIRL EAT?!?

There was no shortage of violence throughout this one, although none of it was particularly over-the-top; heads are smashed, people are shot, stabbed, and cut. People also bleed black smoke and white light in this one too, so...

A MEAT LOCKER IS NEVER A GOOD SIGN IN A MOVIE LIKE THIS.

No nudity in this one, but damn does Julie Ann Emery ever know how to wear a low-cut outfit to perfection.

GOD BLESS HER.

I'm not saying that House is a great movie at all, but it is a decent movie, and one that surprised us by not making us want to throw the remote through our TV screen. Don't pay to see it, but if you ever find yourself looking through your On Demand menu for something to kill time with, you could do worse than giving this one a go.

C

We watched House on Cinemax On Demand, but it's also available on DVD and VOD.

We had no idea while watching this one that Julie Ann Emery was the chick from both Better Call Saul and Fargo.

Blu-ray Review: Ghosts of Mars (2001)

"A guilty pleasure of the highest order."

(aka Big Daddy Mars.)
Release Date: August 24th, 2001.
Country: USA.
Rating: R.
Written by: Larry Sulkis and John Carpenter.
Directed by: John Carpenter.
Starring: Natasha Henstridge, Ice Cube, Jason Statham, Clea Duvall, Pam Grier, and Joanna Cassidy.

Of all the movies that John Carpenter has directed over the curse of his career, none has met with more negativity than Ghosts of Mars, and I just don't understand the hate. I mean I understand it, because this is not one of his better efforts, and it's got all kinds of script issues, but it's still one hell of a fun flick, flaws and all.

In 2176 A.D., Mars has been colonized by 640,000 human beings, and has been 84% terraformed. Society is Matriarchal on Mars, which means that women are in charge, which means that shit is bound to go wrong, because we all know that men do stuff better. I'm kidding, feminists, calm down. Everything is going just fine on Mars.

I'M KIDDING, NATASHA!

During a routine dig, some miners uncover a doorway buried deep beneath the mars (we use the term "the earth" to describe the ground here on Earth, so it seems fitting), and unwittingly unleash some evil spirits that have been hidden away for centuries. Not sure how anyone on Mars knows any of this, because there's no way that anyone could "know" that kind of thing since it takes the ghosts 10 seconds to overwhelm the camp and possess the miners, but we digress.

[LOUD GIBBERISH INTENSIFIES]

A team of Mars Police arrive at the Shining Canyon outpost to transport the murderous criminal Desolation Williams to the outpost of Chryse, to stand trial for his crimes. The normally bustling outpost is appears to be deserted, which is because those very same Ghost of Mars have shown up, possessed everyone in town, and turned them into some kind of a defense mechanism for the planet to use to repel invaders.

LISTEN, THE STORY DOESN'T MAKE MUCH SENSE TO US EITHER, JUST GO WITH IT.

So it's basically humans vs. the ghosts of ancient martians, who all look like members of a Norwegian Death Metal band, who have all been heavily body-modded with sharp instruments and barbed wire.

SHE APPARENTLY DOESN'T LIKE NORWEGIAN DEATH METAL.

I can totally see why Ghosts of Mars has been so derided by critics and audiences alike. The script is messy and plagued with bad dialogue; the acting isn't exactly the best; there's plot-holes galore (why do they keep shooting the "ghosts" when they know doing so will release them from their hosts, and put themselves at risk for being possessed) throughout; the whole flashback within a flashback within a flashback feels odd; drugs dispel the ghosts from their host, which kind of sends a pro-drug message...

But you know what? This is still one hell of a fun movie, flaws and all. It's not a "So bad it's good" type of fun, because it's not that bad to begin with, but it's definitely a "I don't know what in the hell went wrong with this movie, but I like it!" kind of thing. Big stupid action is what it is.

The cast is pretty great in this one, and they did their best with the material that they were given. Not only did Ghosts of Mars feature Natasha Henstridge in her prime, but it was one of Jason Statham's first roles. It also features 70's icon Pam Grier; N.W.A. founder Ice Cube; Carpenter mainstay Peter Jason makes an appearance; and it's even got Joanna Cassidy and Robert Carradine.

"FUCK THE POLICE, HUH, CUBE?"

Some of the dialogue in this movie made us cringe. For example, when Pam Grier yells "Who goes there!" at a fleeing shadow, we wondered if they wanted it to play cheesy, or if it just somehow got away from them.

HE HAD THE BEST DIALOGUE OF THEM ALL.

Ice Cube has said that Ghosts of Mars is the worst movie that he ever made, which begs the question: Has he ever seen his other films like Are We There Yet?; Are We Done Yet?: Dangerous Ground; Ride Along; Ride Along 2; First Sunday; Torque; All About the Benjamins; or Lottery Ticket?

We love Cube, but he's starred in some shitty movies over the years, and every single one of them listed above is way worse that Ghosts of Mars.

YEAH, I SAID IT.

Most of the gore in this one is of the quick-cut variety, but there are some cool decapitations and slashings throughout.

THIS REMINDS US OF IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS. NOT SURE WHY.

No sex or nudity in this one. Natasha Henstridge looks great in a tank top though.

THE MOUNDS OF MARS.

Courtney Love was originally set to play the role Ballard until she hurt her foot and was replaced by Natasha Henstridge at the last minute. True Story.

WE'RE GLAD WE GOT NATASHA THOUGH. WHAT A QT.

Yes, Ghosts of Mars would have been a way better movie if someone had taken another pass or two at the script and tightened it up a bit, but as it stands, it's a fun B-movie that deserves far more love than it gets... or at least far less hate. If we were grading this movie like we normally do, it would probably be an objective C, although as far as its fun-factor goes, it's more of a B+.

As it stands though, this is a Guilty Pleasure of the highest order. Watch accordingly. 

Ghosts of Mars is available now on Blu-ray, DVD, and VOD.

Natasha Henstridge was one of the best Horror Hotties of the 90's.