What can be said of the latest horror film: Drag Me to Hell that hasn’t already been espoused across the web? For one, it’s not perfect. Two, while not exactly Gone with the wind-meet-the exorcist; this film has single handedly assured the convalescence of the languishing PG-13 Horror genre. I’m sure Director Sam Raimi had less lofty goals for his summer flick, but Drag Me succeeds where it counts by blending slapstick, over-the-top Army of Darkness style sight gags with, gag-inducing moments so full of goo and bodily fluids that the Garbage Pail Gang would double-take. And Believe-IT-OR-NOT, both of these elements are so craftily intertwined that the film feels fresh; and Drag Me’s liberal use of slime –and plegmy drool— seems a yoke breaker, liberating the genre from the SAW/HOSTEL pact-of-gore. Besides the gross-out factor though, the film also has its well crafted and unique moments of creepiness and terror, making it quite a fun summer romp.
As we all know, Drag me to Hell places actress’ Alison Lohman’s Christine Brown into a fight for her life—and eternal soul—against a centuries old Roma curse which plagues its victim for three days and, salvation barring, drags the afflicted kicking and screaming into Lucifer’s barbecue pit. As a well tempered Loan officer tasked with making money for the bank, Brown denies the sickeningly monstrous old gypsy Mrs. Ganush (played to devastating effect by actress Lorna Ravor) an extension on her
defaulted home loan, starting a chain of events which are both exciting and terrifying. When a livid and crazed Ganush attacks Christine in a parking deck, the tension gushes from the screen like a fly-induced nosebleed. And lest you have any doubt that a PG-13 horror film will pack the punch that genre fans crave, watch Brown turn a common stapler and ruler into deadly weapons.
Moments like this show that the wildly imaginative director is willing to take risks with his work. These risks however, are oft times counterbalanced by safe plot shelters, and duly foreshadowed plot devices; both of which detract from the overall edginess of the work and foil the ending. Case-in-point Brown’s boyfriend, Clay Dalton—played competently by actor Justin long—is the film’s skeptic with a heart-of-gold. When his love interest begins to invest time and money in ridding herself of the satanic curse, Dalton is always two steps behind ready to inject kind-spirited cynicism. Allow me to say that while these two complaints strip the film of a perfect rating, they are not enough to detract from my overall reverence for “Drag Me”.
Drag me to Hell’s most significant meat can be found in the mythical Gypsy curse which plagues our protagonist—and her plans to get rid of it. To do so, Brown consults with psychic-guru Rham Jas, played by actor Dileep Rao, and eventually has an “exorcism” performed by Shaun San Dena, portrayed by the fabulous Adriana Barraza. Both of these characters are well placed, and interactions between them lead to some funny—and haunting moments. One complaint I have is the insistence Raimi placed on keeping the curses’ cure locked within the confines of the occult community. It seems that the Hell construct is one leased by the Christian church, thus, a zany priest would have added some real world continuity to the film.
Drag Me to Hell is an incredible, imaginative film that ought not be missed. In this rough economy where our retirement plans have all been Dragged into the beyond, Director Sam Raimi has given all moviegoers a gift, one that promises to change the horror landscape for years
8.5/10—Aaron
Strange and I are horror fans. So when we screened Drag me to hell last week, the inevitable video game question reared its ugly head "how can we fit some gaming into a DMTH weekend?" Strange asked. I thought that I could at least answer the call for some video game horror news with snippets and tidbits from Capcom's upcoming Survival horror game, Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles. This blog is quite friendly with the Resident Evil series, so here's the scoop. The Darkside Chronicles is a re-interpretation of fan favorite Resident Evil 2. Its an "on rails" shooter--read rail shooter--and will be released on the Wii. Graphically the game looks tight, Lets hope the "Wii HD" will be around in time for its future (dont know when people) release . BTW, Resident Evil is known as Biohazard in Japan and Europe.
