‘Session 1’ – Brad Anderson Is Developing a Prequel to Horror Classic ‘Session 9’

More than 25 years after Session 9 first terrified audiences, director Brad Anderson is looking to return to the world of his cult horror classic.

During a special 25th anniversary screening at Mass Mini Con over the weekend, Anderson and writer/actor Stephen Gevedon revealed that they’re actively developing a prequel titled Session 1.

The news came during a Q&A following the anniversary screening, where Anderson teased the project to the audience.

“So we’ve been toying with this for a while,” Anderson explained. “We have a pitch for a movie that’s sort of a prequel to Session 9. It’s called Session 1.”

Anderson revealed that the movie would explore the backstory of Mary Hobbes, the troubled young woman at the center of the unsettling recordings that haunt the original film.

“It’s really about the origin story of Mary Hobbes,” Anderson said, explaining that the story would follow her life growing up in Boston during the late 1960s, exploring what happened to her, how she became possessed, and the events that ultimately led to the murder of her family.

Anderson added that the team is currently trying to get the project off the ground and believes there is an audience for it.

Released in 2001, Session 9 follows a group of hazardous-material workers hired to clean up an abandoned mental hospital in Massachusetts. What begins as a straightforward job quickly turns into a psychological nightmare as the workers uncover disturbing recordings connected to the hospital’s past.

As the crew spends more time inside the building, paranoia and tension begin to take over, with the line between psychological breakdown and something genuinely supernatural becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish.

The movie initially struggled to find a wide audience but eventually developed a devoted cult following and is now regarded as one of the most unsettling horror films of its era.

Now, Anderson wants to go back to where it all began.

Session 1 is still in development, so there’s no word yet on a production timeline, cast, or release date. But if the project moves forward, fans could finally get a closer look at the disturbing story behind Mary Hobbes.

We’ll be keeping an eye on this one.

Session 9 creators Brad Anderson and Stephen Gevedon are developing a prequel titled Session 1!

The origin story shows how Mary Hobbes got possessed and killed her family in 1960s Boston. https://t.co/c28acG4O0i

— Broke Horror Fan (@brokehorrorfan) September 14, 2026