Five out of
Five stars
Running time:
100 mins
Hugely enjoyable, genuinely scary and frequently hilarious, this is a superbly acted horror flick with terrific special effects that shows director Sam Raimi joyfully returning to his Evil Dead roots.
What's it all about?
Director Sam Raimi makes a delightful return to his schlock horror roots with Drag Me To Hell, starring Alison Lohman as ambitious LA loans officer Christine, whose seemingly perfect life is shattered when she denies a home loan extension to a mysterious old lady (Lorna Raver), in order to impress her boss (David Paymer). In retaliation, the old woman places a deadly curse upon Christine, in which she'll be haunted by an evil spirit for three days before literally being dragged to Hell.
In desperation, Christine turns first to her loving, if skeptical, boyfriend Clay (Justin Long) and then to spiritual seer Rham Jas (Dileep Rao), who helps her identify the curse but warns that the outlook isn't good. Does Christine have what it takes to rid herself of the curse before it's too late?
The Good
As you'd expect from the director of the Evil Dead trilogy, Raimi gets the tone of the gore effects exactly right, ensuring that you're laughing out loud, even as you're recoiling in fear or disgust. They're also brilliantly done, using an indistinguishable combination of traditional man-made props, puppets, prosthetics, green screen and CGI.
Lohman is terrific as Christine, bringing a sweetness and a vulnerability to her character that keeps her sympathetic even after a series of morally dubious decisions. There's also strong support from Long (playing it straight, to good effect) and from a suitably slimy Paymer as Mister Jacks.
The Great
The script is excellent and the timing of the plot couldn't be more perfect in these credit crunching times. Similarly, Raimi maintains a decent pace and an extremely tense atmosphere throughout, while ensuring that even the nastiest horror moments are shot through with a streak of jet black humour.
Worth seeing?
It's a treat to see Raimi back to what he does best and this is a thoroughly enjoyable experience from start to finish. Unmissable entertainment.