MPAA Rating: PG-13/Genre: Supernatural Horror/Stars: Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver, Dileep Rao, David Paymer, Adriana Barraza, Bojana Novakovic, Reggie Lee, Chelcie Ross, Molly Cheek, Octavia Spencer, Alex Veadov; Voice of: Art Kimbro/Runtime: 99 minutes
I think it is safe to say that, among the film helmers in the land of movie magic, there are great ones, there are good ones, there’s Uwe Boll who is in a class all by himself and definitely NOT for the right reasons, but there is and always will be only one Sam Raimi. Indeed here is a man who may be mostly known by the masses for his work on the first three Spider-Man movies or on the recently released second Doctor Strange movie, but what really put this man’s name on the Hollywood map was his work in the horror genre of movie magic. Specifically, a pair of films known as The Evil Dead and Evil Dead II. Indeed from the retro style on display and the cartoonish yet still quite visceral gore on display to potent work done by Raimi himself in the helmer’s chair and an instant icon-in-the-making turn from Bruce Campbell in the lead role of Ash Williams one could say, if they so choose, that Raimi definitely has quite the…..groovy knack for horror. Yet even though he had, in the years since those slices of cinema came out, attached his name to quite a few horror films it was only merely as a producer/executive producer. As a result, those of us who wished for this genuine cinematic maestro to make his grand reentrance into that distinct realm were constantly finding ourselves let down and growing steadily more frustrated/disappointed as the years toiled by and the odds of him stepping back into the director’s chair on a horror film grew less and less in our favor. Or so we thought. I say that because in 2009, old-school horror fans the world over were ecstatic at the news that Raimi would be coming back to helm a new journey into the heart of horror known as Drag Me to Hell. However, upon seeing it I must admit to having been a bit confused since not only was it the over-the-top spooky and visceral zaniness that I expected from the guy who gave us The Evil Dead, but it also had a degree of surprising solemnity and integrity that I last saw in his vastly underrated crime thriller from 1998 A Simple Plan. Yet after thinking about it for a while, I now realize what he was trying to achieve with this film and in my opinion, I feel that he succeeded admirably. Suffice it to say that if you are the kind of person who wants their horror films to be just straight up blood, guts, booze, and dumb people with nothing else between its ears to go back and ponder then I hate to say it, but I really don’t know if this particular nightmare is up your alley. However, if you want a slice of cinema that not only has some wonderful performances in front of the camera and a lot of the delightful tricks on display that made Raimi a household name back in the day operating behind the camera, but also leave you both amused a fair bit and even with a surprisingly decent-size morsel of material to low-key contemplate on long after the credits have begun to roll then trust me when I say that Drag Me to Hell is one nightmarish odyssey that is definitely worth embarking on.
The plot is as follows: Drag Me to Hell gets its spooky yarn underway by introducing us to our main protagonist who takes the form of a young woman by the name of Christine Brown. Miss Brown, we are quickly able to perceive, is a loan officer of some skill at a bank in the city of Los Angeles. We also see that she is one of two people who is in the running for the prized position of Assistant Branch Manager. The only thing that is really keeping her from just getting the job outright, as her boss sees it, is that she is just unable to make the proverbial really tough calls that sometimes need to be made. Put another way dear reader: she is simply too nice for her own good. Yet despite this being a seemingly run of the mill style day for our heroine, we soon see that it is put to a test. A test that takes the shape and form of a slightly up there in years woman from Romani by the name of Mrs. Ganush and who we quickly learn is at the bank due to wishing to request for yet another time extension for her to be able to make payments on her mortgage. Unfortunately, we see that Christine, desperate to prove her boss wrong and show that she does have what it takes, decides to firmly turn the old woman down thus leaving her (for all intents and purposes) without a home. Now normally this would be the end of the story, but in this case it’s only the prelude for more terrifying things to come. Terrifying things that begin to make themselves apparent when Ganush horrifically assaults our heroine in the parking lot and during the assault yanks a button off of her coat and proceeds to place a twisted curse on it. One that, unless satisfied in some way, will see our heroine taken to a certain place in no less a time period than three days’ time. Suffice it to say with the clock ticking and weird things happening to her, we see our heroine enlist the aid of her boyfriend and a psychic to find any way possible to not only rid herself of this curse that has been placed on her neck, but also to desperately avoid at any cost the truly terrifying first-class trip that has been unwelcomely gifted to her as well….
Now right off the bat it should come as no surprise to learn that film helmer Raimi is obviously intending to go very old school for his return jaunt to horror cinema due in large part to operating with an affliction passed on by a gypsy trope that, if I am being honest, would have made for fantastic viewing material back in the 70s yet in this case also causes this slice of cinema to run the risk of feeling a bit on the dated side. Fortunately, we see that Raimi and his wonderful crew do a terrific job of ensuring that this does not happen courtesy of inserting so many present-day flourishes that never once did I feel like this slice of cinema was antiquated in any way, shape, or form. On top of that, it should also be noted that Raimi still manages to show that, despite his foray into mainstream filmmaking, he still hadn’t lost his touch when it came to intriguing visuals, ensuring the film runs at just the right tempo, and also in utilizing the concept of sound design to its most potent potential imaginable (a perfect time incidentally to warn you that this slice of cinema does tend to get a wee bit on the loud side so if you have sensitive hearing and/or don’t wish to lose the ability to hear sounds at a certain octave then you might wish to NOT utilize the speakers for this one. You might thank me later). Yet as astonishing as those other components are, there is one element that I found just as fantastic. That element being that Raimi is in possession of a brilliant sense of comedic timing that manages to hit every note perfectly in order to make you laugh as hard as you possibly can. Along with that I suppose you should also know that, in the interest of fairness, there are some neutered frights in this that may toy with some of our most basic terrors, but thankfully they also most of the time function as just a prelude to something far more surprising and visceral that I am honestly quite astonished Raimi was able to slip by the MPAA and still get them to stamp this slice of cinema with a “milder” rating of PG-13 as opposed to his other endeavors in the realm of horror cinema. Indeed, if you are someone who just knows this guy for the work he did on his Spider-Man trilogy, then trust me when I say you are in for quite the shock when it comes to some of the more visceral imagery on display here that involves waves of creepy crawlies as well as odorous and disgusting meat to name but a couple of examples. Yet even with that in mind, I am delighted to say that all of this visceral content is still very much able to be just as humorously exaggerated as it was in the Evil Dead series despite improvements having made to Raimi’s technical skills as evidenced by how the gore is a wonderful and nearly indistinguishable blend of both CG and old-school methods. Ultimately though, what makes this slice of cinema so enjoyable is how Raimi is very much aware that to be genuinely terrifying sometimes horror doesn’t have to be particularly somber. Indeed, not since the time I reviewed “The Cabin in the Woods” had I gotten the chance to see a slice of cinema wonderfully mix together comedy, visceral content, and terror quite like this one and I predict this is one that you will always be able to watch time and time again with the same level of enjoyment as that very first time.
It is also worth pointing out that the terrific work on display in this slice of cinema is by no means limited to the various departments behind the camera. I say that because there are also some performances in front of the camera as well that are nothing short of fantastic. This starts with Alison Lohman in the lead role of Christine Brown and honestly, she is wonderful in this. Indeed the character of Christine is one that I could see a lot of you maybe having mixed emotions about because while yes what is happening to her is certainly terrifying, it is also very much in a way her fault that all of this is happening to her also. Even with that in mind, there is no denying that Lohman does terrific in the moments where she is supposed to be simply a “heroine in a horror film”, but also in some of the less horror-tinged moments where we see that this character is simply a decent and kind of heart young woman trying to make her way in the world the best that she can, but who in a moment of ignoring who she truly is and trading it for who her boss wants her to be found her life becoming a living Hell (pun intended). Suffice it to say that I know Lohman retired for all intents and purposes after making this, but what a performance to go out on! I also really liked the work here done by Justin Long in the role of Christine’s boyfriend Clay. Indeed Long has always been an actor I enjoyed seeing pop up in things and here he does a fantastic job at playing a guy who might not fully understand what is happening with his girlfriend, but is willing to stand by her side and do whatever he can to help her fight this. I also really enjoyed the work done here by both wonderful character actor David Paymer as well as Reggie Lee as Christine’s hard-nosed boss and her slimy co-worker at the bank respectively. Finally, there is one other performance that I would like to point out in this section and that would be Lorna Raver in the pivotal role of Mrs. Ganush. Indeed Raver does a chillingly good job at playing this up there in years woman who may start out appearing seemingly mild and meek, but soon evolves (or rather devolves) into no less than the kind of antagonist that is instantly iconic in the realm of horror cinema and one that I promise will leave you with chills running up and down your spine like nobody’s business. Suffice it to say that it might not be the biggest role in terms of screentime (for reasons I shan’t spoil here), but it is one of the most important narrative-wise and Raver just knocks it out of the park and then some. Suffice it to say that there may be issues with this slice of cinema, but the performances do go a long way towards making up for them.
All in all is Drag Me to Hell the next big revelation in horror cinema the way that the original Evil Dead (or even Evil Dead II for that matter) proved to be back in the day? Sadly no. By the same token is this a perfect slice of cinema? Again sadly no though if I am being honest with you dear reader THAT is one objective that a lot of movies simply aren’t able to achieve though not for lack of effort. Thus, with all of those no’s being dropped you are most likely wondering then just where DOES that leave this particular slice of cinema? With that in mind, I must confess therefore that while it might not be a perfect slice of cinema by any stretch, this is still one that nevertheless I did find myself having an absolute blast watching. Indeed only Sam Raimi I feel could take the story of a young woman struggling to avoid embarking on a cursed one-way trip to Hell that was only warranted due to the self-centric choices (however non-malevolent as she may have perceived them to be) she made and make it this much twistedly gonzo fun and yet also genuinely visceral, spooky, well-acted, and even a bit on the insightful side as well with an ending that, without going into spoilers, you most assuredly have to see to believe. Suffice it to say that with fantastic work from the various departments behind the camera and a collection of top-flight performances in front, Drag Me to Hell is one cinematic horror trip that, unlike our poor helpless heroine, you will find yourself definitely wanting to embark on time and time again. Make of that dear reader what thou will. On a scale of 1-5 I give Drag Me to Hell “09” a solid 3.5 out of 5.
