Drag Me to Hell
Directed by: Sam Raimi
Release Date: 2009
I loved this the first time it premiered in theaters in 2009 and I enjoyed it, even more, when I re-watched this recently. I've always been a fan of Raimi's work. Especially the Evil Dead trilogy. His roots were in horror and fantasy, which showed in this film and the rest of his works as director. Upon re-watching Drag Me to Hell, I realized he made The Evil Dead again except with a female lead and updated the horror elements to a gypsy curse instead of the dark arts.
Christine (Alison Lohman) works at a bank as a loan officer and is being considered as the next Assistant Manager. Her competition, new guy, Stu Rubin is her fiercest competition who she sees is getting on her boss's good side. When Mrs. Ganush asks for another extension on her loan, Christine wants to show her boss she can make the firm decisions to make her Assistant Management material. When Christine denies her request, Ganush curses her with Lamia, the demon that will drag her to hell in three days. With Christine's boyfriend, Clay (Justin Long) and assistance from a psychic, she tries to ward off this demon so she can survive another day without anymore torment from this demon.
If you haven't seen anything by Sam Raimi, this film is a treat. There are laughs, so much gunk going into poor Christine's mouth, flying bodies in the air, demon voices, demon possession, and great special effects. The first Evil Dead film had Ash (Bruce Campbell) getting possessed, being tossed around, being teased by a demon, flying in the air, and more demon voices and spells. Both of these movies only showcase how much Raimi enjoys the horror genre and likes playing the rules of conventional horror. He has similar tricks but they work and only add to the campiness of the genre.
What makes Drag Me to Hell so memorable is how much we can see ourselves in Christine. Maybe we don't agree with all of her choices in the film but as a person, she's relatable. She tries to do the right thing and fails. We all make mistakes and try to fix them. What stands out is the humor in the film. The gross-out moments that are just funny. There's a scene in the bank that ends in a bloodbath, but not the way you think. It's instances like these that make you want to keep watching to see where else this crazy picture will take you.
Sam Raimi is phenomenal when he's working in the genre that started his career. Yes, I did enjoy the Spiderman trilogy (but not the third one) and how much empathy he managed to elicit from the audience and horror is also his forte. I think what I'm trying to say is, I want him to make another horror campy picture like this. The horror genre is floundering right now and I'm sick of being disappointed. The end result will have you cackling (well, I cackled and loved that ending).
Christine (Alison Lohman) works at a bank as a loan officer and is being considered as the next Assistant Manager. Her competition, new guy, Stu Rubin is her fiercest competition who she sees is getting on her boss's good side. When Mrs. Ganush asks for another extension on her loan, Christine wants to show her boss she can make the firm decisions to make her Assistant Management material. When Christine denies her request, Ganush curses her with Lamia, the demon that will drag her to hell in three days. With Christine's boyfriend, Clay (Justin Long) and assistance from a psychic, she tries to ward off this demon so she can survive another day without anymore torment from this demon.
If you haven't seen anything by Sam Raimi, this film is a treat. There are laughs, so much gunk going into poor Christine's mouth, flying bodies in the air, demon voices, demon possession, and great special effects. The first Evil Dead film had Ash (Bruce Campbell) getting possessed, being tossed around, being teased by a demon, flying in the air, and more demon voices and spells. Both of these movies only showcase how much Raimi enjoys the horror genre and likes playing the rules of conventional horror. He has similar tricks but they work and only add to the campiness of the genre.
What makes Drag Me to Hell so memorable is how much we can see ourselves in Christine. Maybe we don't agree with all of her choices in the film but as a person, she's relatable. She tries to do the right thing and fails. We all make mistakes and try to fix them. What stands out is the humor in the film. The gross-out moments that are just funny. There's a scene in the bank that ends in a bloodbath, but not the way you think. It's instances like these that make you want to keep watching to see where else this crazy picture will take you.
Sam Raimi is phenomenal when he's working in the genre that started his career. Yes, I did enjoy the Spiderman trilogy (but not the third one) and how much empathy he managed to elicit from the audience and horror is also his forte. I think what I'm trying to say is, I want him to make another horror campy picture like this. The horror genre is floundering right now and I'm sick of being disappointed. The end result will have you cackling (well, I cackled and loved that ending).
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