CNET Networks Entertainment GameSpot | GameFAQs | SportsGamer | Metacritic | MP3.com | TV.com
Home | About Metacritic | About Metascores | What's New | Wireless Versions | Discussion Forums | Advertising Inquiries | Contact Us | RSS
Metacritic.com: We Deal With Criticism
     Help
> Switch to Advanced Search  
Film Video/DVD Music Games TV

Film

Upcoming Release Calendar
Weekend Box Office
Film Awards & Top 10s By Year
All-Time High Scores
All-Time Low Scores
How Metascores Are Calculated
Discuss Film In Our Forums

 

Wide Releases

sort by name sort by score

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

 

Limited Releases

sort by name sort by score

85 Alexandra
40 America the Beautiful
66 American Teen
74 Anita O'Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer
65 August Evening
xx Bachna Ae Haseeno
62 Baghead
58 Beautiful Losers
xx Beer for My Horses
47 Before the Rains
80 Bigger, Stronger, Faster*
56 Bottle Shock
75 Boy A
55 Bra Boys
61 Brick Lane
64 Brideshead Revisited
47 Burn After Reading
61 Bustin' Down the Door
49 Children of Huang Shi, The
54 CSNY: Déjà Vu
xx Cthulhu
86 Edge of Heaven, The
66 Elegy
52 Elsa & Fred
80 Encounters at the End of the World
26 Everybody Wants to Be Italian
64 Fall, The
86 Flight of the Red Balloon, The
82 Frozen River
71 Girl Cut in Two, A
62 Girls Rock!
xx Goal II: Living the Dream
73 Gonzo: The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
54 Hamlet 2
25 Hell Ride
44 Henry Poole is Here
76 I Served the King of England
72 I.O.U.S. A
63 In Search of a Midnight Kiss
46 Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer
67 Jellyfish
62 Kabluey
63 Kit Kittredge: An American Girl
78 Last Mistress, The
50 Last Stop for Paul
70 Love Songs
61 Man Named Pearl, A
89 Man on Wire
62 Mister Foe
85 Momma's Man
74 Mongol
46 My Mexican Shivah
80 Order of Myths, The
66 Patti Smith: Dream of Life
54 Ping Pong Playa
77 Pool, The
72 Priceless
61 Red
71 Roman de gare
78 Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired
51 Savage Grace
55 Save Me
73 Secret, A
57 Sixty Six
58 Sukiyaki Western Django
xx Surfer, Dude
83 Tell No One
56 Then She Found Me
71 To the Limit
72 Transsiberian
81 Trouble the Water
83 U2 3D
86 Up the Yangtze
79 Visitor, The
61 Wackness, The
54 What We Do Is Secret
66 When Did You Last See Your Father?
67 XXY
54 Year of the Fish
xx Young People F**king
75 Young@Heart

Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed movies.

 



Printer-Friendly Version Email This Page Discuss In Our Forums

Session 9
USA Films

Session 9 reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 58 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
8.8 out of 10
based on 16 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 39 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

MPAA RATING: R for language and brief strong violence

Starring David Caruso, Stephen Gevedon, Paul Guilfoyle, Peter Mullan, Josh Lucas, Brendan Sexton III, and Charley Broderick

A contemporary tale of terror set in an abandoned insane asylum. (USA Films)


GENRE(S): Suspense/Thriller  
WRITTEN BY: Brad Anderson
Stephen Gevedon
 
DIRECTED BY: Brad Anderson  
RELEASE DATE: DVD: February 26, 2002 
Video: February 26, 2002 
Theatrical: August 10, 2001 
RUNNING TIME: 100 minutes, Color 
ORIGIN: USA 

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

90
Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas
Anderson, his superb ensemble cast and inspired cinematographer Uta Briesewitz, appeal at once to the intellect and the emotions as they build suspense and tension mercilessly.
Read Full Review
90
Wall Street Journal Joe Morgenstern
Pulls you in with smooth assurance, then holds you hostage to extremely creepy developments in the most awesome haunted house since "The Shining."
90
New Times (L.A.) Luke Y. Thompson
Horror fans and those who just plain enjoy a well-told story should thank the cinematic gods. Session 9 is not only the scariest movie of the year, but also perhaps the most easy to believe since the first "Blair Witch."
Read Full Review
80
Rolling Stone Peter Travers
A spine-tingler directed with fierce finesse.
Read Full Review
80
Mr. Showbiz Michael Atkinson
May not quite be more than the sum of its creepy parts, but as a reality-is-fear launch into workaday darkness, it clearly points toward the horror genre's best destiny.
75
New York Daily News Jami Bernard
A natural successor to "The Blair Witch Project" in terms of its small suggestions of horror past and future.
Read Full Review
70
LA Weekly Paul Malcolm
A deft exercise in atmospheric horror and insanity. Which is why it's unfortunate that, ultimately, Anderson steps back from the brink.
Read Full Review
67
Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman
A marvel of vérité nightmare atmosphere.
Read Full Review
50
New York Post Lou Lumenick
The film isn't remotely scary. That's a shame, because it has top-notch performances by Peter Mullan and David Caruso.
Read Full Review
50
San Francisco Chronicle Edward Guthmann
The story doesn't quite pay off, characters are underwritten and the surprise ending is contrived and unconvincing.
Read Full Review
50
TV Guide Maitland McDonagh
The climactic revelation is a real disappointment, humdrum rather than chilling.
Read Full Review
50
The New York Times Dave Kehr
The film, too artfully conceived to deliver many overt shocks, often feels long and aimless.
Read Full Review
40
Village Voice Amy Taubin
The script for Session 9 is so underwritten that even such lively character actors as David Caruso, Peter Mullan, and Brendan Sexton III are left stranded.
Read Full Review
38
Boston Globe Jay Carr
You couldn't ask for a better setting for a horror movie. What you could ask for is a better script.
30
Slate David Edelstein
The final illuminations (people have demons, a mind is a terrible thing to lose) are a poor return on nearly two hours of ear-buckling, eye-stabbing incoherence.
Read Full Review
30
Variety Robert Koehler
Little more than an overworked exercise in jostling red herrings, and not particularly fresh herrings at that.
Read Full Review

What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this movie is 8.8 (out of 10) based on 39 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Neil S. gave it a10:
One of the best scary/spooky flicks ever.

Doug S. gave it a10:
Easily one of the scariest movies in years. Solid performances by all in the cast. Brilliantly shot and edited, this movie will creep you out and stay with you. Not for the slasher-movie fan, but if you like The Shining and Blair Witch, this movie is a must-see.

Andren M. gave it a9:
SPOOOOOKY!!!!!! FYI, Danvers State Hospital (location of movie) is now being converted into Condos! A beautiful Victorian building. I'm glad they gave it a great send off with "Session 9". A last tribute to it's original useage. Wish I could afford a condo there!

Michael M gave it a10:
One of the finest horror movies ever. Inspirational enough to have the makers of "Silent Hill 3" create an homage to the upside down wheelchair seen in the opening shot. Perhaps too cerebral for fans of the same-old horror genre. Sound design is incredible, and the HD cameras used really help to bring out details in the decrepit hospital.

Mark W. gave it an8:
...For me, this movie was a little bit spookier & close-to-home then it would be for most people...where the main characters in this movie are workers removing Asbestos from an Abandoned insane Asylum somewhere in the state of MA (I think it's Chelmsford, MA...) & me & a few of my friends have been breaking into a boarded-up abandoned Worcester State Mental Hospital, which is up on a hill in the woods about a mile off of Route 9 in Worcester, MA near UMass Memorial Hospital....I Drive my Chevelle up the hill with the lights off @ night, all 5 of us get out of my Chevelle all dressed in Black, all of us carrying some kind of weapon for self defense against anything we might encounter inside (one of us holds a Crow-Bar, one of us with a Medieval Style Sword, Large Knives, & I go in with a fully loaded .38 Special in a holster on my right hip....

Cris gave it a10:
I just loved this movie... danvers hospital... what more could you ask for? i highly recommend it. an abandoned mental facility is the best place to make a good horror/thriller.

[Anonymous] gave it a0:
Nothing ever came together...impossible to understand, no development.

Read more user comments...

Discuss this movie in our forums

Return to top of page
Home | FILM | DVD/VIDEO | MUSIC | GAMES | TV | Forums | About Metacritic metacritic.com

Popular on CBS sites: Fantasy Football | Miley Cyrus | MLB | iPhone 3G | GPS | Recipes | Shwayze | NFL

About CNET Networks | Jobs | Advertise

© 2008 CNET Networks, Inc., a CBS Company. All rights reserved. | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use