REVIEW: Drag Me To Hell

I’m not sure what’s more frightening, Sam Raimi’s Drag Me To Hell, or that the shit-eating grin I wore for the duration of the film is still on my face, an hour after the film has ended.

To be incredibly frank, and maybe even risk the chance of sounding totally over-dramatic, Drag Me To Hell is one of the best horror films in the last decade… well… how long has horror sucked? Since then.

Sam Raimi, the moving target for all Spider-Man 3 poop-slingers everywhere, clearly had to get this film out of his system. The man is our generation’s horror legend, with the Evil Dead films seared on pop-culture’s brain; but he’s been out of the scare-biz for a while. Drag Me To Hell is so perfectly executed that it is clear as day: this is what Raimi was born to do. This is where Raimi is a supreme artisan. It becomes painfully obvious the difference between the overall quality of the Spider-Man franchise and the sheer fucking craftsmanship of Raimi’s horror. It’s like watching Michelangelo paint… a disgusting, hilarious, edge of your seat painting. I can’t even imagine the catharsis Raimi (director, and co-writer along with brother Ivan Raimi) must have experienced making this film. Drag Me To Hell marks the resurrection of Raimi and I had an absolute goddamn blast.

Drag Me To Hell tells the story of young Christine Brown (Alison Lohman), a good-intentioned, well-rounded loan officer for a bank. When Christine makes a business decision to deny an elderly Gypsy woman a bank loan… kaboom. Gypsy curse. What follows is three days of absolute hell and torment for Ms. Brown as she races to find a way to break the curse before she is, and quite literally, dragged to hell.

Simple story though a relatively untapped sub-genre, the gypsy curse thing. Unless I’m forgetting a big one, the only flick that comes to mind that really focused on the Gypsy curse thing was Thinner, the terrible Stephen King adaptation. When you really think about it, a curse has the potential to be the most terrifying topic to tackle. It could be anything. Any form, any shape. And it keeps going and going, like a face-less Jaws until you’re dead. Or worse, in this case, dragged through a hole in the floor into a fiery pit for all eternity. And Raimi really exploits this. There are multitudes of scares and horrific, gross events going on here; and he uses his surroundings so well. Drag Me To Hell has depth and makes use of its environments. Every pot and pan in the house, every leaf on the street. It captures atmosphere like I haven’t seen since Exorcist. In one scene, Christine is thrown about her bedroom, and just as scary as the invisible beast itself is the chest of drawers and the mirrors that are breaking and flying about. This scene was wonderful, calling upon memories from the aforementioned Exorcist and Nightmare On Elm St.

If you’re a fan of Evil Dead then you are in for a real treat. Drag Me To Hell fits perfectly in the realm of those flicks, while not regurgitating material. Raimi pays homage to his early works – the car, the giggles, the camera-work – but doesn’t beat you over the head with it. If anything, this is the most technically sound horror flick he’s ever done. There’s some really killer shots and angles at work. Another point of note is the film’s score; Christopher Young’s tunes are a throwback to the epic, choir-filled terrors of yore, while also capturing the organic whimsy of a Gypsy curse. The sound-editing is also phenomenal, and Raimi uses it as a monster in itself.

One thing that Raimi truly gets, is submersing the audience in the film; giving us truly an experience. Every sound, every shadow and every ounce of pain and disgusting mouthfull of bugs and dirt or other foul fluids, we as the viewers not only believe it, but we are invested in it and right along for the ride – hopefully you can catch a screening without the obnoxious screamey-talkey valley-girls… I managed to shush the two in the row behind me up quickly. Be forewarned – as ridiculously fun as it is, Drag Me To Hell is not just a write-off, Friday night flick. I really do think this is an important film for the genre as it is today. If you’re ignorant to this after watching it, then you are one of the mass to blame for this shitty stream of horror flicks saturating the market all the time. I digress…

There’s definitely solid performances, most notably from Alison Lohman. Lohman leads the film quite well. She’s got incredible charm, a natural sense of reaction and she’s got that natural and pretty look of innocence. She’s very familiar, we can buy what she’s putting down. Apparently, before Lohman, Ellen Page had nabbed the lead role of Christine. I can see Page in the role, as Lohman is very similar, but honestly think that Page would have been to distanced from the audience. I’m not a big fan of hers after the horribly hip and condescending Juno. Lohman was perfect though. Mr. Mac himself, Justin Long plays Clay, Christine’s perfect-guy boyfriend – I really don’t understand the hate people have for Justin Long. I think he’s got charisma, a great on-screen presence, and I think he’s naturally very funny., Dude just makes me laugh without having to say anything; and I mean that in the most complimentary way. He’s the kind of guy whom I watch and think, “you know… he and I would really get along in real life… no, really… he’s one funny motherfucker, I’ll bet”.  I stand firmly behind Justin Long (in the most hetero way); go watch Zack & Miri Make A Porno if this one still hasn’t sold you on him.

Without felating Raimi and the flick too much, if you’re a fan of horror, or just like having a great time at the theater, you must invest in Drag Me To Hell. It’s quite possibly the most fun I’ve had in a theater since I can remember. It works in being very scary and it works in being genuinely funny. It’s pure and beautiful escapism, and it’s masterful storytelling. I really do hope that Drag Me To Hell is acknowledged for what it is, the measuring stick for modern horror, and what it has done.

What has it done, you ask?

It has done what so many other horror films have poorly, shamelessly and effortlessly tried to do (which Raimi makes it look effortless):

He made a horror film that works perfectly.