Directed by: Sam Raimi
Written By: Sam Raimi & Ivan Raimi
Cast: Alison Lohman, Justin Long, & Lorna Raver
Runtime: 99 min
Rating: PG-13
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Full disclosure: I hated Spider-Man 3. I staggered out of the theater, head in my hands, wondering how Sam Raimi, revered genre auteur of the cult classic Evil Dead trilogy, fell so far. How his usually loving touch bastardized Venom and reduced Peter Parker to an emo embarrassment. How hurt I was, seeing my summer blockbuster season so soon ruined. Simply put, I felt Raimi owed me, owed his fans, a great debt. With Drag Me To Hell, he has atoned in every imaginable way.

For those bothered by the flat characters in Spidey’s third outing, worry no more. For all its scares, screams, and séances, Drag Me To Hell pays surprising attention to character. Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) is determined to leave her small-town roots behind and make something of herself. Her first step on the corporate ladder is on the face of one-eyed gypsy Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver), denying her a loan and costing her her home. Victim of this vile recession, Ganush retaliates by cursing Christine to be dragged to hell in three days. Many might wish the same for AIG.

Christine’s psychologist boyfriend Clay (Justin “I’m A Mac” Long) refuses to believe. He cannot see the horrifying visions afflicting her – shadows crawl along walls, Ganush appears from thin air, invisible spirits fling Christine like a ragdoll. A soothsayer (Dileep Rao) discovers the ancient demon that is pursuing Christine, and will not stop until it claims her soul. To tell you any more of the plot would be redundant. You’ve seen this movie before. And you’ll want to see it again. From the throwback Universal logo that opens the film, to nubile co-ed Christine or the campy, clearly fake special effects, right down to the presence of an Ennio Morricone music cue, this is a film from thirty years ago. Good, old-fashioned horror, concerned only with how high it can make you jump and how loud it can make you scream. Working with a budget substantially smaller than Spider-Man 3’s, Raimi’s economic visual style allows the over-the-top proceedings to play out with little stylistic interference. Raimi has returned to his roots, mixing horror and comedy with a skillful hand and backing it all up with characters we actually give a damn about.

Lohman is pitch-perfect as a loveable ex-country bumpkin fighting for survival in the big city. When her Southern twang slips out in times of distress, your heart will break, knowing the grim fate she faces. The supporting cast, most notably Adriana Barraza as the Medium charged with dispelling the spirit for good, shines in a tour-de-force séance set piece near the end of the film. Raimi knows we expect nothing less than insanity here, and he delivers, with gushing blood, airborne devils, and possessed goats (yes, goats). Raimi, like his 70s predecessors, knows how seriously this film should be taken (read: not much) and, instead of layering every shot with subtext about the current state of religion or racism or some self-righteous cause, gives us scene after scene of flat-out fun at a pedal-to-the-medal pace that never sacrifices story for scares.

And this film is scary, in that good ole look-over-your-shoulder, lock-the-door-behind-you kind of way. The night goes bump from every speaker in the Dolby setup, just before God-knows-what jumps right at your face, straight out of hell. And what we don’t see, Lohman’s naïve, precious eyes communicate just as effectively. We, like her, know death is right around the corner. We, unlike her, can’t wait to see it. Summer is the perfect time for this movie. It’s as good a reason as any for multiple trips into the air-conditioned theater. Word-of-frightened mouth should make this another cult classic notch in Raimi’s belt. Because it succeeds at doing what all great horror should – making you want to be scared; to keep you from shutting your eyes, no matter how hair-raising a sight might await them. The best horror, more than anything else, is damned good fun. Drag Me To Hell is that, and so much more. And it’s definitely not Spider-Man 3.

Clarence Hammond
© Cinephile Magazine, 2009