Drag Me to Hell is Sam Raimi at his best....BEFORE he went all "Hollywood". The film offers a Retro Raimi feel that takes you back to the glorious days of the 1980's when Evil Dead and Army of Darkness reigned the Horror scene. Of course it IS Sam Raimi so when I say horror scene what I really mean is SLAPSTICK horror! Yes, Raimi has updated his style and added some steroids to his predictable jack-in-the box scares, but there is still that good ol' chuckle factor that we haven't seen in a good horror flick in a while.
The plot is largely weak and predictable and the acting is mediocre but that's not the point. It's FUN. Christopher Young's score sets us up in the opening credits with screeching violins and creepy images of goat demons dragging innocent victims to hell throughout the ages. He continues to punch us in the gut at every turn, keeping us on edge and ready for that next shadow to appear, door to creak, light to go out...oh yeah and for pretty little Alison Lohman to get thrown across the room by some unseen force.
After the music dies down we meet Christine Brown (Lohman), a quiet and hapless blonde just trying to make it big in the boring world of banking. She's in competition for a promotion; trying to show the boss she can be tough. This tough girl attitude doesn't sit well for Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver) the creepiest gypsy you'll ever meet while cashing your check on payday. Ganush comes in to ask for an extension on her mortgage and is turned down by Christine. Whoops....Christine spends the rest of the film fighting off a pretty badass gypsy curse. For three days she will be tormented by an evil demon spirit until it becomes strong enough to what??? You guessed it..Drag her to hell. I must say for a frail looking old hag who can't seem to keep her teeth in her mouth - or any of her body fluids for that matter (they always seem to end up either on or IN Lohman), she fights like a champ!
Drag Me to Hell is full of cliche horror moments that have you both jumping and smiling. Full of long knowing glances, shadowy figures, one side kick fortune teller, one skeptic bumbling boyfriend (Justin Long) one dancing demon, one talking devil goat, and one Mexican Mystic (charged with banishing the curse), Drag Me provides the typical cast of characters of good and evil. As for actual scares, the best part of the film is the gross out factor due to the gratuitous amounts of goo Lohman ingests while fighting off creepy gypsy lady. From bugs and blood to mud and embalming fluid, Lohman takes it like a champ all while keeping her angelic blond sensuality in tact.
I will admit that I actually closed my eyes twice! I can honestly say that Raimi, along with one very happy foley artist, did a damn good job building suspense.
The "twist" at the end can be seen by a blind man but again..it's all in good classic horror fun. You KNOW it's coming but you still jump when it happens!
In short, Drag Me is the perfect scary summer flick. Raimi provides plenty of sucker punch scary moments complete with a little bit of fluidy gore, classic horror cinematography, and just enough giggles to get you through it. This movie is best enjoyed by an audience who knows what they're going for. Don't expect serious thrills, blood curdling screams, and unecessary titty shots. This is not THAT kind of horror film. Go for fun, a couple of scares, and a few laughs.
Oh, and see how many MAC products you spot every time Justin Long appears on screen.....
Cast: Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver, David Paymer
Ellen "Juno" Page was to play the lead in this, but was unable to commit due to scheduling conflicts.
ReplyDeleteI felt the movie seemed to have resulted from familiarity with CURSE/NIGHT OF THE DEMON, and an effort to do something roughly similar (while updating it), though there's no ripoff going on.
Although it's often funny, I don't consider this a comedy.