Drag Me to Hell

Directed by: Sam Raimi

Starring: Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver, Dileep Rao, David Paymer

Synopsis: In a bid to secure an Assistant Manager position at her bank, Christine Brown tries to show her boss that she can make tough decisions by declining a third deferment on the mortgage of little old lady Mrs Ganesh. Unfortunately for Christine, Mrs Ganesh is a gypsy who places a powerful and horrific curse on her – Christine will suffer three days of demonic torment before she is dragged down to Hell. With the help of her cynical but loyal boyfriend and a mystic, Christine finds herself going to more and more extreme lengths in order to break the curse...



Review:

I have to admit that I went into this movie with some serious doubts as to whether it really deserved the hyperbole and rave reviews it was getting. Was it really that good, or were people just feeling nostalgic about Sam Raimi’s much-vaunted return to horror? After all, its just a PG-13 (or 15 here in the UK), so just how scary could it really be?

Turns out it can be really, really, damn scary.

My scepticism left without me, about one minute into the movie. Sam Raimi wastes no time at all in giving the audience a taste of the fate to befall poor Christine if she can’t break the curse. You know straight away that these demons – and Raimi –are playing for keeps.

Drag Me to Hell really pushes the envelope of the PG-13 rating about as far as it will go. I’m not surprised that it was upgraded here in the UK to a 15 rating. There were more than a couple of moments when I was really contemplating my lunch – I had my hand over my mouth for the whole of the “fly scene”. But at the same time, the slapstick nature of some of the scares were so funny I found myself wanting to puke and laugh at the same time.

Sam Raimi has retained all the neat tricks from his Evil Dead movies, but they really benefit from his experiences since, so they feel more refined, less brash and in-your-face. He remains a master of slapstick horror and creating an amazing aural experience.

In addition, there are no FALSE scares. At all. No “oh, its just the cat/wind/boyfriend jumping out to scare me”. Every build-up of tension and atmosphere has a pay-off, and that is probably the most rare facet of this terrific movie.

Alison Lohman proves to be a very game girl, following in the footsteps of Bruce Campbell as Raimi’s fall-girl. She has an excellent story-arc and does some rather dark and desperate things in her bid for freedom from the curse. Justin Long is at his least annoying here, for once not playing a geek/loser, but feels more like Ross from Friends. But then there is Lorna Raver, who plays Mrs Ganesh. She is absolutely amazing. When we first meet her she seems so sweet and timid you’d think Little Red Riding Hood comes to visit her at weekends with a picnic basket. But then in the parking lot...good grief.

Verdict:

Over-hyped films tend to disappoint because they can’t live up to expectation. This isn’t some nostalgic trip we critics are on – Raimi is still one of the best horror directors around.

8 out of 10 (MikeOutWest)