So, me and my brother went to the library on campus and picked up a bunch of horror movies. We didn't end up watching all of them, but Session 9 really caught our eye so we watched it first. Unfortunately, and I'm just gonna get this out of the way now, I did not entirely enjoy this film, so this review will not be praising this movie. I thought the movie had so much potential, but they omitted just a few details that could have catapulted it from a mediocre, confusing movie and into a memorable film that left the viewers with chills.
I'm not going to fully spoil/go over the whole plot of the movie either (this is just sorta stating how imma be doing movie reviews since I've been watching a lot of horror movies and intend on reviewing them here) I just plan on going over what I liked and what I think they could have done better! Ofc I can't avoid spoiling some of the movies, but I won't be going over the entire movie plot.
Okay, now to get into my gripes with the film. I personally love DID horror, especially if it's done in such a way that does not disrespect or spread information about the very real mental disorder. This is partially why I like Split so much, because it is a film about DID, but it also includes supernatural elements, and it makes sure to state that they are supernatural (not to mention its a superhero film) This movie doesn't have any direct characters who suffer from DID, but the main catalyst does.
I think the concept of something that seems demonic in nature possessing someone with DID and hiding amongst their alters is an insane concept and could seem horrifying if done right. Especially with the concept that Simon was there before the incident that caused Mary to fracture into multiple personalities. I also feel like we didn't get enough gear up to the actual Session 9 tape playing, and it fell kinda flat. They also should have leaned towards the demonic/Catholic horror side of it, and you'll rarely find me saying this because I hate that kind of horror but I think it could have worked here. Especially since Simon was Peter's original name in the Bible, or they could have done a play on Simon Says since he convinces people to kill their loved ones. But instead, they left it so ambiguous and confusing that it fell flat to me. There were even hints with rosaries and items like that everywhere.
When watching the deleted scenes included on the DVD, I really wish they'd kept them in. In the beginning of the movie they put so much emphasis on the fact that many of the asylum inmates, after being kicked out when it shut down, simply returned to the only thing they remember, the now-abandoned building. All of that build up only for them to cut all of the scenes with one of the former inmates, who I feel was implied to be Mary, who, in the deleted scenes, kills the main character in the end as he's possessed by Simon. I also feel they could have revealed him being the killer much earlier by showing the battery being gone when he talked to his wife, like we see in the deleted scene, but also including his wife replying making it more eerie. We do see him fall on the phone, its implied it broke, but not necessarily that it doesn't work at all. It also wasn't clear that he was struggling because of a child in the beginning, my family, while we watched it, thought he'd gotten cancer from asbestos exposure. This, for us, was confirmed when he was sitting on the stairs and there was blood on his nails. We thought he had some type of cancer or disease, not that there was blood because he killed someone. I also feel like when the guy who got the lobotomy was looking out the window and the kid found him, he should have turned around then and then the kid could've ran and then he'd be gone when he brought everyone back. By the time they revealed it, I was honestly quite bored because I'd already guessed it so the reveal was lost.
Now onto what went well. I really loved how they portrayed the nephew's fear of the dark. It's so rare to find a phobia so well-represented in a movie, the fact that he explains its irrationality but still takes steps to avoid it, and the way he panics when the lights shut off is honestly so refreshing, plus the fact that the other guy actually goes down to restart it so the nephew doesn't have to.
Overall, I really wish they'd included the deleted scenes, as it would have wrapped the movie up so much neater and made it far more chilling. Keeping those in and adding a dash more of leaning in to the demonic aspects really would have sent it over the edge as a great horror movie, rather than a mediocre film relegated to the back of a university horror DVD section.
If you guys have any ideas on what movies I should watch next let me know! I intend on watching the Ring, but as a note I tend to avoid demonic horror (with some exceptions ofc) and anything filled with bugs (recently tried to watch the new Silent Hill on a whim and had to stop) as I have a severe bug phobia!
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