A decent enough horror but, more importantly, a satire and a fable

Rating: Null/10 (28 July 2009)

You won't find a movie title that is more literal. At the prologue of a happening 40 years ago, we witness a medium's losing battle against a dark spirit that torn open a hole right in the middle of the grand hall in her mansion and drag her charge (a young boy), screaming and kicking, right down to the depth of the bowels of the earth. Now, 40 years later, she (Adriana Barraza) has a second chance to get even, with our protagonist Christine (Alison Lohman) as bait. The grand scheme is to trap the spirit in the body of a goat which will then be swiftly slaughtered.
Let's back up a little. Our protagonist is an ordinary young woman, with ordinary good looks, an ordinary ambition (tantalizing promotion prospects, from loan officer to assistant manager), an ordinary romance (boyfriend with a mother that wants his son to marry a more influential woman) - an ordinary life, in sum. The adventure starts with her refusal of a mortgage extension to a desperate old woman, an action driven by ambition overriding compassion. It turns out that the old woman is not only desperate, but also dangerous, cursing Christine's soul away to the dark spirit that will claim it after three days of harassing terrorizing. That's the general state of affairs.
What makes this horror one cut above the others in the genre is that it is not a horror at heart, but rather a satire and a fable. The thrills are decently delivered but far too mild for the general state of the genre today, and depends far too much on loud noises and sudden images - techniques that some critics jeer as the lowest form of horror. The significant thing is that they are intended to be funny rather than frightening. I even sense a subtle tribute paid to the Steven Spielberg (as producer) style of horror in the 80s such as "Poltergeist". Even more significant is the shaping and modeling and shaping of our heroine that leans more and more towards comical as the plot progresses. Director Raimi, taking a break from the Spiderman franchise, appearing to be enjoying a little bit of retro on himself, does not seem too keen to make her a damsel-in-distress that the audience would root for. With the final twist, you understand why: this is, as I said, a satire and a fable, with a moral lesson.
One smart, funny horror that will give you some delightful surprises.