Review of Session 9 (2001) by Eva D — 27 Apr 2010

With a brilliantly understated cast, a perfect location, and an unbelievable balance of terror, this film seems to have everything going for it until, like almost every other horror film made in the last twenty years, the makers felt it necessary to pull the rug out from under us in the last reel.

It's a shame that such an expertly mounted film should fail so completely based on the final fifteen minutes, but the onus falls completely on the writing and not one bit on the acting or directing. Suffice it to say that elucidating might ruin the viewing experience, but as the end draws near, the motivations of one of the main characters completely disappears to serve the plot thanks to irritatingly idiotic writing and the intention to shock the audience is lost in the basic questions raised by these changes. When you realize that the screenwriters just assumed that their audience would be gullible enough to accept the plot twist, you can't help but feel betrayed, and this betrayal comes because everything leading up to the ending was so good.

Anyone willing to watch will be treated to a terrifying and frustrating experience that still manages to reward the time spent watching it.