You could see the appeal of this film on Sam Raimi. After the dredge that followed Spiderman 3 this is Sam recuperating and regaining his strength . Drag me to hell is the film that should not be scary at all. The script isn’t amazing and the schematics of the film are things we have seen before. But this is in the hands of a master , If not THE Master. I have been sitting and waiting for a decent horror film an Sam has delivered.
Starring Alison Lohman ,after she replaced Ellen Page, as the gold hearted loan officer who acts once out of character and is cursed by a gypsy. Raimi doesn’t play around in the film with useless bask story. No he digs straight into the curse. Setting the film up in the first 10 minutes as a demon takes a child and then as the gypsy curses Lohman
Lohman is the poor girl who is taken through Raimi's gross out comedy of horrors and she genuinely looks like she’s enjoying herself as does most of the cast. The good back up is Justin Long who wins you over by not being the complete obtuse boyfriend. You see he’s the Psychology Professor (he still looks 16) so you think he will be the one who scream “You just a Crazy bitch” but he doesn’t instead Raimi twist the stereotype and makes him open. It is refreshing to see a haunted film where her sanity isn’t constantly in question.
You realise how much you have missed this genius of the horror art. The scares are actually scary as Raimi throws his entire arsenal at you. The witch is the ugliest chick since my Ex and you genuinely fear just seeing her face. That’s why he’s amazing because Raimi knows that horror is of the senses and with close up here and quick cuts there, he makes you just as scared as the characters. His greatest weapon is that of sound. The music churns and squeals as it attacks our senses and when it slows he hits you with a visual that made a girl in front of me scream. It was a high pitch scream that almost made me squeeze out a nugget.
As a fan of Raimi’s the main thing you will love about the film is the Evil deadness of it. There is that filthy comedy moments that will have you turn,not in the Goreporn way but in a genuine Evil dead way. It’s hard to explain but it has that humor and twisted logic to it. Even though if you haven’t seen Evil Dead it won’t change how good the movie is, it just enhances it. I was so happy to have Raimi's brand of horror back on the screen and I felt a bit of nostalgia as I saw some familiar demons. I just missed Bruce Campbell.
The cast are good and they ham it up when they need to .The biggest star is the sound as you hear every slurp and scrap. Raimi is the man of horror as he takes your hand and scares you like they used to when you were a kid. Not more of the modern scares with the creature in the reflection of the closing mirror . No, not here. This is Raimi in your face and down your throat as he grabs your hearts and pumps it when he wants to. This is Old school horror and I have missed it. Dammit go see it. Trailer after the poster
P.S a congratulations to my Fiance for guessing the ending. This is a big milestone for someone who had not even watched any Indian Jones movie until I forced her. Well Done .