The Crow's Nest

Drag Me To Hell Review

So. Sam Raimi is back, and better than ever with his newest film, “Drag Me To Hell”. I love that title by the way. After the mess that was “Spiderman 3” it seems Sam has decided to revisit his horror roots with this inspired, campy, and deliciously diabolical flick.

This is Raimi the way he’s meant to be experienced : bold, in-your-face style, with strong characters and tongue in cheek camp. Oh, the camp! This one is a howler of a film. No one can do the horror genre quite the way Sam can. He gives us memorable characters and outlandish situations sure to stick with even the most jaded movie watcher. I had just about concluded that Sam wasn’t going to come back to the genre, but not only does he come back to it, he gives us (arguably) one of the best horror movies of the last few decades.

Powering Sam and brother Ivan’s terrific script is a powerhouse performance by the always impressive Allison Lohman. I remember being particularly impressed with her performance in Ridley Scott’s “Matchstick Men”. Her tough yet tender heroine carries the movie in places. She’s very ably supported by the very likable and talented Justin Long.

The story concerns Lohman being struck with a curse by a deranged elderly gypsy and subsequently enduring a barrage of demonic torture for the course of three days before being consumed by a particularly nasty demon who will “drag her to hell”. That’s really all you need to know about the plot. Get on the rollercoaster and enjoy the ride.

Raimi doesn’t so much depend on gore here (it is rated PG-13 afterall) rather than he does on that gross-out ick factor. There is a good deal of nastiness that assails the viewer, but Sam knows how to walk the fine line required in horror and not totally offend his audience. He balances his scares with some really fine humor, and attitude to spare. He has focused on his story and kept the structure tight and the scope fairly small. This is the definite way to handle this type of material. It allows him to concentrate more on each scare sequence and gag.

Being a veteran of this genre, Sam knows how to pace his movie, and no scene ever feels to long. He can manipulate the scares here so well. He knows his stuff.

If you are a Raimi fan don’t dare miss it, and if you like a scary movie that harkens back to days gone by in a hip manner, then you’re in for a treat. This is a prototype for horror movies that will appeal to the masses and horror fans alike. I wouldn’t be surprised if it became a sleeper hit, or a cult classic at the least.

Five of five stars