Session 9 and Creepy Insane Asylums

I recently watched the horror film Session 9, which has been around for about 10 years. I was surprised I never heard of it before. Either you’ll think it is brilliant or you’ll hate it for being a slow film. Personally, I thought it was a very interesting film. It’s not about gore or cheap thrills – it’s more atmospheric. What makes the film is the location – the former Danvers State Hospital, aka the Danvers Lunatic Asylum or the Danvers State Insane Asylum. Session 9 was filmed in the decrepit and abandoned Danvers prior to most of it being torn down in 2005 to make way for luxury apartments (you can see the new Danvers here). With top-notch cinematography showcasing the disturbing, peeling walls of Danvers, Session 9 isn’t about the characters so much as the mental hospital being the main character.

After watching Session 9, I was curious about the location and found out that prior to being torn down in 2005, the abandoned Danvers was known for being a hot bed of paranormal activity. According to one person commenting on IMDB, “Back when it was active, the site was well known for more violent activity such as shoving, scratch marks, etc.”

While Danvers is mostly gone now, the cemetery and the creepy tunnels under the property still exist. Would you live in a building situated on top of a former insane asylum?

How about living in a former insane asylum? “The Village at Grand Traverse Commons” is a fancy name for an apartment complex built in another old lunatic asylum – but this time they kept the old buildings and renovated them. Take a look at the before and after photos here.

Fast Company has a slideshow of former asylums that now house “sane” residents – it’s worth a look.