Drag MeTo Hell

Drag Me To Hell...2009...99 minutes...rated PG-13...starring Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver, Dileep Rao, and David Paymer...written by Sam and Ivan Raimi...directed by Sam Raimi

What's an up-and-coming bank executive to do? Loan officer Christine Brown is trying to get a lock on an assistant manager position, as well as make sure her relationship with Clay Dalton is solid as well. How can she show she has the right stuff for the job and get ahead of the other applicant? It's time not to be so nice, and tighten up on giving out loans...even to the old Gypsy woman wanting to keep her house. After all, what could the old crone do? Certainly not summon an evil spirit called a lamia to torment Christine and drag her into the depths of Hell itself in three days time. Except of course that Mrs. Ganush can...and she does. NOW what's Christine going to do?

"Drag Me To Hell" is Sam Raimi's most recent foray into the horror genre, and the movie has much of the same pacing that made the last two Evil Dead movies so unique. With Raimi, the difference between comedy and horror is slight...and seems to have more to do with timing then anything else. Well, timing and an unflinching camera when it comes to showing things you might not expect in a typical horror film. For example, there's a scene where Mrs. Ganush is waiting for Christine inside her car...and the ensuing struggle is both hard to watch and occasionally funny. I'll admit that the laughter may be because as a viewer, I'm just not sure how else to react.

I think that my biggest problem with the movie is that the main character isn't the most sympathetic protagonist I've come across. Now, if I were seriously being stalked by a malefic presence, I'd be the first to admit that I would indeed take some drastic steps to shake said spirit off my trail. All animal lovers should take note that Christine takes some VERY drastic steps...and at least as far as my wife (who loves animals and mostly tolerates the bulk of humanity) was concerned, those steps were much too much.  Still, some of the moments in the movie are first rate in terms of both dark humor and chills as well, and I recommend that if you start this movie, you see it through to the very end...which is a bit of a surprise if you're not paying attention.

There's nothing horribly original in this movie, but the execution is what makes a Raimi film the experience it is. If you liked Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness, you will probably enjoy this movie...but to be honest, for some reason I was expecting more and just didn't quite get it. I'm not even sure what I was looking for, but whatever it was, I felt its absence.

I give Drag Me To Hell 3 floating handkerchiefs out of 5.