The Holten HouseDanvers Hospital
So I’m going to Boston for the weekend and as I’m driving down the interstate I see an exit for Danvers. Now, I am a huge horror movie fan and “Session 9” was a great movie. And filmed entirely on location at the Danvers State Mental Hospital. I had to see it. On my way back home I exited off, stopped at a gas station, and asked for directions. It seems people do it all the time. It took me a couple of tries to find the driveway and I couldn’t see the buildings at all from the bottom of the hill, but when I got to the top-man! The Kirkbride building loomed up in front of me like a gigantic, gothic castle. I couldn’t even fit the whole building into my camera viewer. It was incredible. I’ve seen hundreds of pictures of it and saw it in the movie, but I have to say that seeing it in person was unreal. The creepiest place I’ve ever seen in my life-and I was living in a haunted house at the time. I managed to drive around and get a couple of pictures until security ran me off. Supposedly they’re going to tear it down in the fall so I’m lucky I got what I did.
On the DVD one of the actors said that it’s no so scary being INSIDE Danvers, it’s what follows you when you leave. I totally agreed. I felt like there were all kinds of different energy floating around the place. Some of it good, some of it not so good, but it was all really powerful. All the way back to New Hampshire I was creeped out. I slept with my light on that night, too.
On the other hand, the architecture is unbelievable. It reminded me somewhat of the Biltmore estate in North Carolina.
If you like horror movies and you haven’t seen it then I recommend renting “Session 9.” It’s more of a psychological horror film and incredibly well acted with a shocking ending. And you get to see all aspects of the Danvers buildings.
For you urban explorers out there, remember that security is tight and dozens of people get arrested every year for trying to sneak into the buildings. Just a little FYI. On the other hand, if you make it inside PLEASE send me some photos. I wanted so badly to see the tunnels…
