Drag Me To Hell

Drag Me To Hell - Dir. Sam Raimi (2009)

Drag Me To Hell was hyped as a return to true horror. It also marks the return of Sam Raimi to the genre which kicked off his career. Raimi found initial success by rounding up friends and family to film, Evil Dead, a low-budget B-movie which spawned two sequels, comic books, video games, t-shirts, action figures, and made Bruce Campbell into a hero for countless fanboys all over the world. To this day, Raimi and Campbell still get asked at conventions and interviews about the possibilities of Evil Dead 4. Since the conclusion of the Evil Dead trilogy, Raimi has dabbled with various genres such as the Western (The Quick and the Dead) and even sports schmaltz (For the Love of the Game). He found his biggest success with the Spider-Man franchise, but the third film met with a lukewarm response from critics and die-hard fans. Clearly, Raimi was looking for a way to recharge his batteries before launching head first into the currently-in-development Spider-Man 4.

Raimi proves to have found his A-game from the opening moments of the film, featuring a vintage version of the Universal logo. Drag Me To Hell mines the current economic woes and mortgage crisis for its premise which centers on loan officer Christine Brown (Alison Lohman). Brown is bucking for the promotion to her branch’s assistant manager position, but her boss, Mr. Jacks (David Paymer), is also eyeing a shameless brown-noser named Stu Rubin (Reggie Lee). When an old Gypsy woman, Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver), begs for an extension on her overdue mortgage, Christine can only eye the empty desk and turns her down. As usual, pissing off a crazy old Gypsy woman turns out to be a bad idea as Mrs. Ganush attacks Christine in the parking garage and places a curse on her. In three days time, a demon called the Lamia will come and drag her to Hell. Christine looks for help from her disbelieving boyfriend, Clay Dalton (Justin Long), and strip mall psychic, Rham Jas (Dileep Rao).

Drag Me To Hell is a welcome breath of fresh air as the horror genre stagnates amidst the rampant glut of torture porn, endless remakes, and the cannibalization of the once trendsetting Asian market. The film is rated PG-13 which seems to be the popular target for studios today. However, Raimi isn’t hampered by the limitations choosing to work within PG-13 standards. He is in rare form using many of his trademark techniques (quick zooms, titled angles) to create a fun and creepy horror film without relying on buckets of blood and gore. It’s a testament to Raimi’s skills that he can make a handkerchief scarier than any dismembered torsos.

Raimi’s penchant for gallows’ humor and over-the-top grotesqueries are in full effect here. Drag features a down and dirty brawl between Christine and Mrs. Ganush. You’d think a fight between a banker and an elderly lady would be rather tame. Instead, this is one nasty scuffle with Ganush even attempting to gum Christine to death. There are other sequences involving a corpse full of formaldehyde and the desecration of a grave that are both wicked and innovative.

If Drag has any weak points, it’s a completely predictable twist in the third act and the film’s fairly nondescript characters that keep it from being a true classic. Still, there’s never a dull moment and this is definitely one of the best horror films to the screens in years.

Rating: ***1/2