Drag Me To Hell

Synopsis
After nearly two decades of successful detours into mature thrillers (THE GIFT, A SIMPLE PLAN) and superhero blockbusters (the Spider-Man series), director Sam Raimi returns--full tilt--to his scrappy horror roots with DRAG ME TO HELL. Alison Lohman stars as Christine Brown, a soft-spoken Southern girl with a good heart, a PhD-toting boyfriend (Justin Long), and a job as a loan officer at a bank just outside of Los Angeles. When evicting a vile and negligent old woman named Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver) seems to be the only way to secure an important promotion, Christine pushes her moral flexibility about as far as it can go (not very far at all) only to dearly pay the price as the recipient of a rather nasty curse. The next three days of Christine’s life amount to an unimaginable endurance test in which she is subject to physical and psychological torture while a terrifying demon draws ever closer to take her to hell, where she would burn for eternity.

Raimi manages to keep the feverish awfulness of DRAG ME's central concept palpable while layering on his distinctly disturbing and exhilaratingly kinetic macabre-meets-slapstick portraiture, and the result is an efficient celebration of the art of horror movies that’s campy, scary, and fun. Similar to HBO’s classic TALES FROM THE CRYPT series, HELL feels like a living, breathing EC comic. While it may come as a minor shock that Bruce Campbell, the beloved mouthpiece of the EVIL DEAD franchise, is nowhere to be found in this unabashed horror-comedy, Christine is an excellent twist on Raimi's genre-hero archetype. Fans will get a kick out of seeing her inexplicably leave her gob agape as putrid projectiles pour in, and hearing her, after a bit of pushing, spout a Campbell-ism or two ("I’m gonna get me some!").

Reviews
3 stars out of 5 -- "The humor feels deliciously dark and the film's more thoughtful than a gorefest or a roller coaster ride..." (Box Office)

"As its no-nonsense title suggests, DRAG ME TO HELL offers a kicking-and-screaming riff on the classic curse movie..." (Variety)

"DRAG ME TO HELL is a joyous reconvening of man and bloody-good material that recalls Sweeney Todd's momentous reunion with his gleaming razor blades." (Movieline)

"Sam Raimi has fashioned a slick, old-school scarefest that combines the best of schlocky fright flicks with classic supernatural thrillers." (USA Today)

"[T]he payoff is experiencing a filmmaker totally in his element. Raimi is having the time of his life -- he knows exactly what he's doing with every scene and every scream." (Los Angeles Times)

"As in the best horror movies, DRAG ME TO HELL keeps the audience on the edge of hysteria throughout, so that every thump sets the heart racing and every joke earns a slightly out-of-control laugh." (Washington Post)

"[A] horror flick that's smart and funny, as well as cringeworthy for all the right reasons....The film is cunningly crafted in every detail -- direction, script, performances, comic timing, special effects -- from thunderous start to delicious finish." (Wall Street Journal)

"DRAG ME TO HELL has a tonic playfulness that's unabashedly retro, an indulgent return to Mr. Raimi's goofy, gooey roots." (New York Times)

"[S]uperb....With a tone even more sinister than Raimi's EVIL DEAD trilogy, the tale unfolds like a lost chapter from 1982 George A. Romero/Stephen King collaboration CREEPSHOW (only a good thing)." (Movieline)

"[T]he film relies on shock effects instead of blood, but Raimi pushes those effects to a full-on visceral assault." -- Grade: A- (A.V. Club)

3 stars out of 4 -- "DRAG ME TO HELL is a sometimes funny and often startling horror movie....It's like Sam Raimi is taking some personal time and returning to his hobby." (Chicago Sun-Times)