10 Terrifying Horror Movies Set In Asylums

9. Session 9 (2001)

A Cure For Wellness (2016)
USA Films

When Gordon (Peter Mullan) and his crew are hired to clear an abandoned hospital of asbestos, strange events start to occur within the rundown facility as tensions grow between the team in director and co-writer Brad Anderson’s chilling cult classic Session 9.

Only hours after starting on the job, the crew are met with strange (and possibly supernatural) circumstances. Gordon hears a crackly, disembodied voice that addresses him by name while another, Mike (Stephen Gevedon), finds a series of nine unsettling recordings which account the treatment of a former patient suffering from dissociative personality disorder. As their work continues darker secrets are unveiled about the hospital’s past as well as some of Gordan's, too.

There are enough supernatural happenings to satisfy horror hounds in this flick. However, the real terror lies in its unrelentingly oppressive atmosphere. Every corner of the desolated facility is full of the horrific ghosts of its past. Lobotomy needles, patient rooms that have been long abandoned, and rusted medical equipment are powerful reminders of the inhumane treatments that took place in hospitals like this.

What makes Session 9 even more chilling, though, is that it was filmed in a real-life abandoned asylum in Massachusetts.

Contributor
Contributor

Glasgow-based cinephile who earned a Masters degree in film studies to spend their time writing about cinema, video games, and horror.