I just saw Session 9, an apparently direct-to-video horror movie and it was amazing. After seeing a movie I enjoy I usually like to read some reviews of it- compare my reaction with others who presumably have some insight into film.Apparently no one else “got” this movie, because all of the reviews were way off base.
It seems as if none of the critics understood the ending, or the character motivations.
Mike opens the evidence box because he is thinking of moving on- going back to school. He is drawn to the evidense box because his father was a DA who tried an important case against Danvers. Phil was probably selling drugs to the punks Gordan sees him with- note how Hank tells “Mullet Head” that Phil will probably introduce him to his “escape plan”.
The ending is purposefully ambiguous, but my feeling is that Simon was a demon or spirit of some sort. He tells the doctor that Mary let him make her do bad things “they all do”, implying that Mary at least believed she was posessed. Mary’s “Simon” voice is the same voice Gordon hears at the beginning of the movie. Simon says he lives in “the weak and the wounded”, all of mary’s other personalities claim to live in different body parts.
Anyone agree or dissagree with my theories?
I thought Phil was buying drugs, not selling. I hadn’t thought about the escape plan though. You may be right.
The demon or spirit thing I don’t agree with. The film’s story is about the evil that men do. The supernatural is avoided. Were you thinking Simon possessed Mike? I thought this too, but upon further reflection I came to believe that the Mary tapes were more of an interesting parallel story to the main story, without a supernatural connection. Simon is a metaphor for the evil, born of despair, that has come to live in Mike’s heart.
Substitute “Gordon” for “Mike” in the above post. Gordon was the boss, Mike was the intellectual.
I agree somewhat about the lack of supernatural stuff, the only moment that “tipped the hand” as it were is when Gordon hears Simon’s voice, it is the same voice as is on the tape
I think the idea of evil within is creepier, certainly than a “mad slasher” which is what some critics accused the ending of being.
Also some complained that you don’t see the crew rushing to meet the deadline, I mentioned Mike’s reason for that- the others are working, it just isn’t shown.
Damn, now I’m even more creeped out. I don’t remember noticing that. Good eye, grendel, good eye. You’re in love with the spoiler tags, arentcha? It’s making me shy about discussing the story. 
You did put the warning in the title, after all.
I’m presuming you watched a VHS tape. The DVD has commentary from the creators (the actor that played Mike also cowrote the screenplay). IIRC they initially avoided the supernatural, but did throw some in as an afterthought, in order to take the horror up a notch.
It wasn’t straight-to-video, it was an indie film that had a very limited release. I heard about it last year on AICN, and I fully intended to see it on a big screen, but it never made it to Chicago theaters AFAIK.
The revelation about Gordon’s phone conversations filled me with dread. ::shudder::
Another thing mentioned in the commentary was a new camera technology they used, which is why the color is so good, even in non-optimal light conditions. Anyone know more about this?
I think your interpretation is spot-on Grendel.
I only got to see the first 15 minutes 'cause the tape we rented ended up being one that someone else’s VCR ate and they didn’t mention it to the video store!! 
I did not like this film, mostly because of the ending.
The beginning was a bit slow, but okay. The bit with Hank was very frightening, but that’s the best it got. The ending was just slasher stereotypes galore, no real chills or thrills.
This is what I don’t like about modern horror films - scares are provided by slashing alone, and often, the films simply leave you depressed because they involve sympathetic characters who destroy their lives and the lives of those they love, much as Gordo does. I found this story too much like some real news stories, and thus, I just got very saddened by the story.
I like horror films where bad people/unsympathetic characters get what they “deserve.” Even in Psycho, where Janet Leigh gets slashed, Hitchcock was careful to make her seem like a good girl gone bad, thus, making her death more palatable. In Session 9, all these really decent, hardworking people get murdered or murder others - ??? That’s no fun.