31 Fates Worth Than Death! (#2: Session 9)

Session 9 is my favorite movie. I consider it to be the standard of psychological horror and what every horror filmmaker should strive to emulate when making a film. It is a perfect example of the slow burn, a crescendo of unbridled tension that focuses solely on the scariest thing imaginable: the frailty of the human condition.

Session 9 introduces us to the crew of a Hazmat team sent inside the walls of Danvers State Hospital, an old mental institution that harbors a sinister past. The dark history of the building resonates in a unique way with each member of the crew, and as tension among them begins to boil (including the disappearance of one crew member), things begin to take a sinister turn.

Much of the appreciation of this fate is contingent on having seen the film, so naturally spoilers dwell within.
Gordon, the leader of the Hazmat crew, has been "possessed" by Simon, a sinister "spirit" that has connections with a former patient, and begins to lose his grasp on reality. He's talking to his dead wife (whom he killed) on the phone and firmly believes his second-in-command Phil is responsible for the disappearance of Hank. Eventually, the mounting pressure becomes too much and he kills everyone on his crew, including poor little McManus who was just coming to lend a helping hand. But their fate doesn't hold a candle to what lies in store for Gordon.

Throughout the film Gordon is slowly going insane. He is completely detached from reality, and by the time he has killed everyone, he is alone except for him and his shattered mind, now fit to call the confines of the Danvers State Hospital home. The harsh reality of the situation is revealed when Simon unveils his reason for being:

"I live in the weak and the wounded."

Gordon no longer exists in the real world, and that is a Fate Worse Than Death!