Drag Me To Hell Review by deadhorse13

Written by: deadhorse13

Sam Raimi thankfully leaves behind the Hollywood polish of his Spider-manliness to finally return to his roots. Was it worth the wait? For those of us in the know, you will find yourself gleefully welcoming back the director's singular brand of horror/comedy. Almost as fun as its tease of a title, Drag Me To Hell explodes onto the screen, more often than not, while things are exploding out of people's mouths. Raimi is definitely back in his element, and serves up his story (co-written by brother Ivan) as only he can. Those fearing that Raimi might have lost his edge, especially after the disappointing Spiderman 3, need not fear. Or, then again, maybe they should. Drag Me To Hell is a return to form and fires on all cylindars. It's a demonically charged adventure that sticks to the horror basics - creepy sights and sounds, strange shadows, and things that bump and creak in the night. In addition there is enough spine tingling action and ghoulish gimmicks to keep your anticipation and anxiety on high.

Comely and sensitive bank loan officer Christine (Alison Lohman) is about to be out-maneuvered for a big promotion. She is told by her sexist boss that he doubts her competence in being able to make the "hard decisions" compared to her aggressive adversary. When a grotesque gypsy woman named Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver) asks for a third loan extension on her home of thirty years, Christine takes it upon herself to deny the crone in the hopes of proving her aptitude. This becomes the woman's undoing as the shamed spinster puts a curse on the pretty young thing.

Terror grows as Christine beomes mentally and physically assaulted, and her psychology professor boyfriend is of little help in his firm disbelief of the supernatural. She seeks the assistance of a gifted fortune teller who informs her of the dire implications of the curse. To be sure, something is coming for Christine, something awful, and it is hell-bent on dragging her soul straight down to the fiery depths.

Lohman makes the transition from wallflower to aggressor work as she faces numerous moral dilemmas along the way (sorry kitty). Raver, as the witch who brings the wrath of the "Lamia" upon her, is truly horrific. The satellite players all turn in capable (if slightly ineffectual) performances, with the exception of Justin Long, whose portrayal falls flat among all the shock and awe going on around him.

Raimi proves again that he is a master of outrageous sights and sounds. Drag Me To Hell becomes a brisk 99 minute endurance test of nervous tension and jump out of your seat scares. Some may feel that Raimi's pandering to the PG-13 rating might inhibit the film's intended impact, but this rarely becomes an issue. Punches occasionally do feel like they're being pulled during the more violent sequences, but this is small beef considering all that we're treated to. I do feel the story might have benefited some by a darker tone and more serious delivery, but Raimi's assured direction and jocular preferences make the film as entertaining as it is frightening.

Drag Me To Hell is chock full of devilish delights. Flies, fingers, forks, maggots, bodily fluids, effective musical queues, slapstick gags, and a tasteful mix of traditional and CGI imagery all help to propel the simple story to its pull-the-rug-out-from-under-you conclusion. The over the top sequences that punctuate the narrative succeed in giving the film a stop-start mobility that gives the viewer just enough time to catch their breath before the next sucker punch. Those not familiar with Raimi's Evil Dead trilogy (shame on you) might find themselves a little confused on the delivery, however. Its scares don't work on the same level typical of films of a similar ilk, but Drag Me To Hell is a perfect example of Raimi's combustible mix of slapstick comedy and gross-out horror.

Films in this genre really don't get much more entertaining. It stands as one of the most enjoyable American horror films to come along in quite some time. Drag your ass down to your local cinema and join in on the gruesome fun - Raimi style - you won't regret it.

This is a community member review and not a staff member review. We appreciate and respect the opinions of our readers and are gratefull that they took the time to contribute it.

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