Disappointing

Rating: 2/10 (30 May 2009)

This has been regarded as Sam Raimi's triumphant return to horror, but the only thing that this movie has in spades is a high degree of ripping off Raimi's previous hits and using the sound system to create cheap scares. While the movie has a lot of Raimi's classic camera work and a few good performances (ignoring Justin Long, who seems grossly miscast), the movie itself seems like it should be more but isn't. Raimi can and should do better than this, and should focus his trademark dark humor on a project that has more to offer than a combination of 'Thinner' and a standard EC Comic tale.
All and all, I wanted to go in and be impressed. I came out partially deaf and wondering where Sam Raimi had gone wrong with the film. The conclusion I came to is that the script was just not up to snuff. The boasting of Raimi's name alongside of the film makes me wonder if the movie's uneven tone and execution was a cunning way to disguise a bad film.
A real shame. Hopefully next time he'll get it right. But right now, I just feel cheated out of a ticket and a lack of faith in a good director.