Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
I love horror movies in theory.
But I hate most horror films I see.
It's a terrible place to be as a fan. It's nothing but heartbreak. For years, I've found myself pinning my hopes on films I know little about, simply because mainstream horror is all the same. In the wake of SCREAM, everything is self-referential, full of jokes, overpacked with bad teen actors I don't care about in situations I don't believe. It's depressing. It's one of the reasons BLAIR WITCH PROJECT felt like such a breath of fresh air. At least it took its premise seriously.
When I first heard the description of SESSION 9, the new film by Brad Anderson, I was immediately interested. Once I saw the trailer and the posters, I knew I had to see the film as soon as possible. Last Thursday night at the USA screening room in Beverly Hills, I got a chance to see the film with a fairly light crowd, and I'm pleased to report that although it's not a classic, it's a smart film with a great slow burn that delivers maximum mood and features strong adult performances.
The description in the press notes is pretty simple:
SESSION 9 is a contemporary tale of terror set in an abandoned insane asylum.
Yes, it is. The Danvers State Mental Hospital is one of the best locations for a horror film I've ever seen someone luck into. Brad Anderson and his co-writer Stephen Gevedon wrote this script around the location, and it's easy to see where their ideas came from. It's a sprawling cluster of buildings all built off of one main central hall, run down and abandoned since the mid-80s. One stroll through this place under the brightest of conditions could give you nightmares, so when Anderson starts to turn up the heat as the film wears on, there is a delicious feeling of dread that creeps into the viewer.
Gordon Fleming (Peter Mullan) is a Scottish emigrant who has his own company that helps prepare old buildings for rennovation. The rest of the Hazmat Elimination Co. is Phil (David Caruso), Hank (Josh Lucas), Mike (co-writer Gevedon), and Gordon's nephew Jeff (Brendan Sexton III). They outbid the other companies in town and promise that they're going to finish the three week job in one week. Gordon needs the work due to his new baby and the mounting pressures from his wife, and he promises something he's not sure he can deliver, never thinking about the toll it might take on him or his crew.
It's a simple, even elegant framework to hang the film on, and what we're treated to is basic human horror, the things that we all carry with us made manifest in this place where such terrible feelings still resonate from every wall. There's existing tension between Phil and Hank over a woman, and Mike becomes obsessed with a series of tapes he finds in one of the storerooms that detail nine psychiatric sessions with a woman suffering from multiple personality disorder. In particular, he becomes determined to learn the secret of "Simon," her most frightening inner voice.
It's a strong cast, guys we've seen in indie films like MAD DOG & GLORY, KING OF NEW YORK, SMOKE, BLUE IN THE FACE, LOOKING FOR RICHARD, YOU CAN COUNT ON ME, AMERICAN PSYCHO, MY NAME IS JOE, THE CLAIM, MISS JULIE, TRAINSPOTTING, SHALLOW GRAVE, RIFF RAFF, WELCOME TO THE DOLLHOUSE, BOYS DON'T CRY, and THE DEEP END. This isn't just another standard teen slasher flick. This is aiming at something deeper.
In the end, the film is frustrating precisely because of that. The slow burn doesn't pay off in a way that is ultimately satisfying. It's an okay ending, but it feels like a convenience, like it's just time to end the film, so let's just wrap it up and not really pay it off. That's a shame, because the journey ends up being more important than the destination, and if equal care had been taken with both, this could very well stand next to films like DON'T LOOK NOW and REPULSION and ROSEMARY'S BABY, all films Anderson used as templates when putting this together.
For Anderson, this is a pretty significant step as a filmmaker. Up until now, he's been thought of primarily as a director of small romantic comedies. NEXT STOP WONDERLAND with Hope Davis was a hit at the 1998 Sundance Festival, and at the 2000 Sundance Fest, he premiered HAPPY ACCIDENTS, which is also being released this summer. That's described as a "sci-fi romance," and after seeing him stretch stylistically here, I'm excited to see that film as well. One thing's for sure... he doesn't fall into the typical trap of the indie rom-com director by relying more on his script than his visual style. Anderson has struck a strong balance between the two here, and that may be the film's greatest accomplishment.
Y'see, this was shot using Sony's CineAlta 24P HD camera, the same system that George Lucas is using for EPISODE II. I didn't know that until I arrived at the screening, so it was a pleasant surprise. It was also shot widescreen, so it's a good indicator of what we can expect from Lucas and company next summer.
If I had to boil it down to one word, it would be "amazing."
I know the debate continues to rage throughout the industry right now about whether HD can ever supplant film, but the evidence of one's own eyes pretty much renders the debate moot, I think. SESSION 9 is jaw-droppingly gorgeous, rich with visual atmosphere in both the brightest daylight and the darkest corner of the asylum at night. There's a grain and a texture to the image that carries all the emotional resonance of film, and there are places where even the most discerning eye would be hard-pressed to tell the difference.
Even though this is a tiny film, I would say Uta Briesewitz should be strongly considered as a nominee for Best Cinematography next March, simply because of the pioneering nature of the work she's done here. She's managed to prove that HD is just as strong a medium for "painting with light," as Vittorio Storaro once put it, as film is. In some ways, it's the perfect format for this film. There's so many tiny details at the edge of the frame that crowd in, adding to the mounting sense of horror, that the clarity becomes part of what scares you. A ripple in a puddle as if someone was just in the room. The way the dust hangs in the air as the crew pulls the building apart. The shadows of the tunnels beneath the buildings at night. It all adds up, and there's one sequence in particular that had both Harry Lime and I ready to crawl out of our seats at the sheer oppressive animal fear of it all.
When this film goes into limited release in August, it will be worth the effort for genre fans to seek it out. It's a rewarding experience with some flaws, but it stands head and shoulders above most of what we see in the genre. Anderson says he's working on another horror project right now, and that's good news indeed. Here's hoping he builds on the work he's done here to create something truly magnificent his next time out.
"Moriarty" out.
