Drag Me to Hell DVD Review

**Brando** · **10-22-09, 09:08 PM**

Starring: Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver
Directed by: Sam Raimi
Written by: Sam Raimi, Ivan Raimi
Rated: PG-13
Runtime: 99 mins
DVD Release Date: October 13, 2009

Written and directed by Sam Raimi, the man behind Evil Dead and Army of Darkness, Drag Me to Hell is an over-the-top, gross out, suspense thriller that is sure to get some attention as we creep closer and closer to Halloween. It is creative and stylistically original, offering unexpected sequences that break dramatically from the standard scarefest template. Unfortunately, it’s often too original; Raimi’s hybrid slapstick/gooey-gorefest theme is rarely frightening, and even when the atmosphere does border on the spine-tinglingly suspenseful, awful writing by Raimi and brother Ivan makes the overarching story and the characters feel cheap, even superficial. Too often I expected Anna Faris to pop out and convince me this was Scary Movie 17 (or whatever number they’re currently excreting straight to DVD).

Drag Me to Hell’s story is not particularly novel. In 1969, a young Mexican couple bring their troubled young son to the home of, for lack of a better word, exorcist Shaun San Dena. Tortured by nightmarish voices and images of demonic shadows, the boy, caught stealing by a collection of gypsy riff-raff, is cursed, condemned to spend eternity in the bowels of Satan’s lair. Despite attempts to free the boy’s soul of the curse, he is dragged into the underworld before San Dena’s very eyes. She then vows to thwart the gypsies on their next attempt.

Fast forward to 2009 and Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) is a promising young loan officer with her heart set on a big promotion. Most of the time she plays fair with loan applicants, doing her darndest to keep people from losing their homes or to help mom and pop start a new store downtown. However, when a sycophantic competitor challenges for the new assistant manager position Christine has been hoping to land, she’s forced to take a new and more cutthroat approach to customers. When a rather pathetic (but mostly disgusting) old woman (Lara Raver) comes into the bank pleading with Christine to extend her mortgage payment a third time, the young loan officer, convinced that showing some backbone is the best way to land the new promotion, promptly turfs the old crone out on her duff. After fumbling her plasmatic dentures back into place, the old woman, as if she were the long-lost grandmother of Tony Soprano, confronts Christine in the parking lot for a Battle Royale. Bitter and homeless, the old gypsy lays down the mother of all curses upon poor Ms. Brown.

The curse, which torments the victim with three days of demonic imagery and screeching noise pollution before Satan’s minions, you guessed it, drag her to hell, soon takes effect. Alone in her kitchen, Christine is attacked by unseen entities, she receives monstrous noise bleeds, and during an unfortunately timed meet-the-parents night with boyfriend Clay (Justin Long), coughs up a fly and reacts to inexplicable wall pounding by shattering her potential mother-in-law’s fine glassware.
Confused, Christine visits a remarkably talented palm reader who is able to inform her of the curse. Though Clay, a professor, is understandably sceptical, within twelve hours he undergoes a remarkable change of face and agrees to put up the $10,000 required so that Christine might consult our old exorcist friend San Dena about the problem. If you ask me, it’s a steep price for someone who’s 0/1 in situations where demons are in scoring position.

I will not ruin the movie’s final 1/3, but suffice it to say, I felt the action, like the story, was predictable and the computer-generated nasties laughable. No, seriously – I had more laughs while watching this movie than Year One, the incredibly un-funny “comedy” starring Jack Black I reviewed not long ago. Much of the problem is the writing, which is exceptionally shallow. Gypsies? Really? I thought we got past blaming them for underworld doings back in the 1980s. Then again, there hasn’t been an Evil Dead movie for 17 years, so perhaps this one has been in the Raimis’ pipeline since the Bill Clinton era. Some writing humdingers found in this one: despite being exceptionally cynical at first Clay is so convinced Christine is indeed possessed (after witnessing absolutely no paranormal activity while with her) that he gives a witchdoctor $10,000 to help find a cure. Number two: how is it that a successful young loan officer can’t come up with 10 Gs when the devil’s knocking down her door?
Most of the dialogue is terrible. We can blame both the acting and writing for that; Lohman is most definitely not ready for prime time, and Long, although having his moments in this one, also needs a few more years in the minors working those pleasant Mac ads.

Surprisingly, at 92% on Rotten Tomatoes’ tomato-meter, this is one of the highest-rated horror films in some time. However, part of me wonders if critics went in expecting another atrocious Evil Dead or Army of Darkness, and when the production quality simply wasn’t that bad, they produced a much-relieved thumbs up.

Video

Although the CGI sequences are a bit corny, the strength of this movie is in its visuals and its action. There are some semi-amusing battle sequences between Christine and living and dead versions of the same gypsy, and several clashes between earthly and demonic forces. Many of these moments feature bright colors and moody old mansions. Those convinced this is worth watching may as well make the upgrade to HD.

Sound

Despite some painful dialogue, the movie sounds good. The thump-thump-thump of invisible demons crawling up Christine’s staircase and the guttural roars of the more life-like versions are well choreographed.

Overall (the movie itself)

While it is a technically impressive film with strong audio notes and some creative visual sequences, the film’s troubled acting and writing tip the thematic scale of Drag Me to Hell too much towards the comedic. In no way am I trying to be a big man by denying my fright – Drag Me to Hell simply isn’t at all scary and only marginally more entertaining.

**Jon Liu** · **10-22-09, 09:53 PM**

Nice review, Brando. I just got this one in the mail today via Netflix so we'll see if I think it is as awful as you do.

**Jon Liu** · **10-23-09, 12:13 PM**

What a bunch of tripe. I started watching this movie last night. Watched about half of the movie and then just had to turn it off. How in the world did this movie get such a high rotten tomato score?! Like you said, Brando, there were so many laughable moments.

**the_diyr** · **10-23-09, 12:41 PM**

When I watch Horror I require alot af gore.. This movie was awful... But it was slightly better than letting my wife watch yet another Lifetime movie

**Jon Liu** · **10-23-09, 12:50 PM**

I don't necessarily require a lot of gore, but I don't want to be rolling my eyes every 5-10 minutes like I did for the time I was watching this film.

**recruit** · **10-23-09, 02:31 PM**

I love Sam Raimi films and actually really enjoyed this one, enough to say I bought it

**Brando** · **10-23-09, 06:10 PM**

Ha, I'm glad you agree Jon. I was very surprised at the rating it received -- in fact, had it not been blessed with a 92% score, I almost certainly wouldn't have rented it. Ah well, there will be people who love the slapstick/horror blend, but I'm not one of them.

**Jon Liu** · **10-23-09, 10:23 PM**

Brando, it was because of the "high reviews" that I ended up putting it in my netflix queue. I'm glad I only got it on netflix and I didn't blind buy it.

John, I'm curious, what was it about the film that you really liked?

**recruit** · **10-24-09, 02:52 AM**

I have always liked the way Sam Raimi does his films...quite mad and different to others, Darkman is another one I really liked, I do not mind horrors and he makes them a bit different to the usual...

**thewire** · **11-18-09, 02:31 PM**

I found myself enjoying this one even more the second time I sat to it. Never a dull moment.

**Lordoftherings** · **11-19-09, 09:40 AM**

I've watched this Blu-ray couple weeks ago, and I like it then. But now, I seem to not remember it!
I don't know why! Picture & Sound were great, that I do remember.

I Like Sam, but this one somehow escaped me. Must be the end, perhaps... Sequel anyone?

* Oh, and I needed to update the firmware in my Panny BD55, to version 2.0, in order to play that title! Version 1.7 did not play it.

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