| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Movie Name | DRAG ME TO HELL (2009) |
| Director | Sam Raimi |
| Writer | Sam Raimi, Ivan Raimi |
| Lead Actor | Alison Lohman |
| Cast | Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Ruth Livier |
| Genre | Horror |
| Release Date | May 29, 2009 (United States) |
| Duration | 1 hour 39 minutes |
| Budget | $30 million |
| Language | English |
| IMDB Rating | 6.6/10 |
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Positive Aspects of DRAG ME TO HELL (2009)
Horror films have degenerated into torture and blood lust of late (see the Saw films as an example). The pleasure of watching Director Sam Raimi’s return to the world of horror is that it is very entertaining and fun. This film will scare you, make you laugh and entertain right up until the final scare. The idea is simplicity itself a young woman crosses an old gypsy woman who curses her with a demonic spirit, who proceeds to torment the girl for three days until the spirit comes to drag her to hell. Raimi’s special touch for delivering the scares and laughs is ultimately what makes this journey so worth while.
The fight sequence between Christine (Alison Lohman) and Mrs Ganush (Lorna Raver) in a desolate car park has to rate as one of the creepiest and funniest for a long time, and goes well beyond anything you might expect, complete with detaching eyeballs. The show stopping scene of the film however is the séance mid-way through where Christine seeks the help of a powerful seer to summon the evil demon and plead for her life. The sequence begins in a very creepy and scary place with the demon possessing the body of the seer, but then manages to multiple that creepiness, with scares and laughs as the demon jumps gleefully between bodies, including that of a poor goat offered as a sacrifice.
Lohman is effective in the lead role of Christine, generating a lot of sympathy and sincerity for her character which make her plight believable and ultimately tragic. Justin Long manages well in the supporting role of boyfriend, taking some otherwise clichéd material and making it believable. Lorna Raver is downright spooky as the old gypsy Mrs Ganush.
Although appearing several times to scare the hell out of Christine (and us), her most effective scene is in the bank the moment where she stops begging Christine to help her, with the soundtrack dialling down to silence, the look on her face is extremely creepy, foretelling what is to come. Perhaps the big star here though is Raimi himself, showcasing his commanding ability to tell a good old-fashioned horror yarn that is well timed, scary and funny, all at the same time.
Drawbacks of DRAG ME TO HELL (2009)
For all its good points, “Drag Me To Hell” does feel at times a little long, despite only clocking in at 99 minutes. The film is based on a very simple concept. The first scenes of the demon tormenting Christine are where the problem lies although necessary in building the tension with strange noises and shadows, there is ultimately too much of it, becoming very repetitive. Only when the demon starts showing up in the form of a disgusting and rotten Mrs Ganush does the film start to kick in to high gear. As a result, the overall experience does not quite hit the ball out of the park, not because of its concepts, story and fantastic scenes, but because of the pace.
Final Verdict
Director Sam Raimi leaves the relative safe world of Spiderman to return to his roots in this cleverly crafted, old-fashioned style horror film that manages to really scare, surprise and make you laugh all at the same time.
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