Rent an Apartment at Arkham Asylum!

By Jenni Miller

It's understandable if you don't get a shiver down your spine when you hear the name Danvers unless you're a fan of abandoned insane asylums, horror movies, or H.P. Lovecraft. But if you've caught the criminally underseen Session 9, which was written and directed by Brad Anderson, you'll know an apartment at the newly renovated Avalon Advantage in Danvers is not the hottest property investment on the market.

Session 9 is one of the scariest movies I've ever seen, and it boasts a fine performance from David Caruso as well, with nary a pair of sunglasses in sight. And, most pantswettingly, it was actually filmed on location in the Danvers State Hospital for the Criminally Insane in Danvers, MA. (Anderson also wrote and directed the equally excellent and underseen Transsiberian.)

As per the wonderful website Atlas Obscura, "While it was built with a surprisingly caring and modern attitude toward the mentally ill, by the 1930's the site was crowded, falling into disrepair, and was using shock therapies and lobotomies on a regular basis. The addition of criminals, alcoholics, and the mentally retarded to the overcrowded hospital made it very difficult for the hospital to help cure any of its mental patients. The hospital was shut down in 1992."

Session 9 came out in 2001, and most, if not all, of its creepy decor was already there in full effect -- flaking paint, cold water "treatment" tubs, etc. Anderson himself said in an interview that during filming "my DP practically lost her eye."

The foreboding and super-gothy structure got H.P. Lovecraft's creative juices going and was the inspiration for Arkham Sanitarium, which was featured in his short story "The Thing on the Doorstep." The writers of Batman named their asylum after Lovecraft's as a twisted little tribute.

And now? Thanks to Avalon Advantage, you can rent a one-bedroom at Danvers with all the amenities starting at $1170 a month.

Just watch out for the old graveyard.

(Thanks to Jared Blaut for the tip!)