Drag me to horror movie-heaven.

Rating: Null/10 (18 February 2011)

Rating: ***1/2 out of 4.
Critics, audiences, and horror movie buffs are already torn between the consensus of Sam Raimi's return-to-horror-roots effort DRAG ME TO HELL; some critics declared it an instant cult classic while others, some horror movie buffs included, were skeptical. Me, I just thought DRAG ME TO HELL was the most fun I ever had in a horror movie in a long time. Is it a new classic? Only time will tell, but saying DRAG ME TO HELL is more fun than a bucket-load (or maybe even a shipload) of PG-13 horror remakes would be a dead give-away.
At first, I too was very skeptical as to what makes Raimi's latest horror offering worth of high-praise. This not the first time since his EVIL DEAD trilogy that he touched a horror movie since he served as a producer to some crappy PG-13 horror remakes like THE MESSENGERS and THE GRUDGE 2; that's not really a good sign. But this is his first since in the genre both as a director and writer (along with brother Ivan), and finally mys distinctions of Raimi as a bit rusty has been proved wrong. In fact, seeing DRAG ME TO HELL kind of improved my affection for Raimi himself. I liked his earlier SPIDER-MAN pictures, but didn't hold any particularly high affection to them. Now that I've seen DRAG ME TO HELL (after missing out on it in the big-screen), I may have a higher appreciation for Raimi's style in his preferred genre and the manic energy in his earlier films. The EVIL DEAD series were gory, violent, but at the same time twisted funny and maniacally entertaining. DMTH throws us back to that era where Raimi's infant terrible sensibilities are at a high point.
Alison Lohmann plays Christine Brown, a loan officer who longs for the position of an assistant manager position. She gives it her all, but her play-nice sensibilities puts him behind his scheming, butt-kissing competition Stu Rubin (Reggie Lee). It doesn't help when her unlikely position doesn't make an impression on the parents of her boyfriend Clay (Justin Long). Christine gets her chance to prove herself a tough decision maker when a old lady named Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver) begs for an extension to her loan. Christine makes the decision to decline, making a good impression to her boss Jim Jacks (David Paymer, in an amusing straight-faced performance). But something's not right with the old Ganush crone, and after assaulting her in her car, Christine is cursed by the old woman to be sent to hell by demons within a few days.
Like his earlier works, DRAG ME TO HELL pushes every jump scare and gross-out horror to over-the-top heights, serving it up with shock and equal amounts of sadistic humor, but playing it all with a straight-face (Don't worry about laughing during the scenes meant to be scary or solemn, Raimi and co. are laughing along with you). Like The Looney Tunes before him and Peter Jackson and Robert Rodriguez after, Raimi orchestrates his slapstick horror mayhem like a shameless prankster that he is, and there's also I kind of randomness to them; even at its most solemn, Raimi playfully throws in a scare or to unexpectedly. The special effects themselves look relatively low-tech but insanely playful, like the crazy Deadites of his earlier projects. Christopher Young's Elfman-esque score is loud and over-caffeinated, clearly playing those infamous jump-scare tactics of horror movies for laughs. The film may be PG-13, but pushes the envelope to the extremes with it; this is definitely the most fun PG-13 horror movie to date! Think Tourneur's NIGHT OF THE DEMON and THE EXORCIST played out as a Three-Stooges comedy and you got a clear picture of DRAG ME TO HELL.
Lohmann is fun to watch (especially when she goes all tough when the spirits pushed her around too far), and a great sport considering the amount of disgusting, twisted hijinks she had to endure. Justin Long is hilarious playing what seems to be a needless role as the boyfriend, always standing around and "believing in her", but doing very little to actually save her. Dileep Rao is even funnier in a straight-faced performance as the psychic determined to help Christine, but is either useless at providing procedures or conveniently giving them when it's almost too late. Adriana Barraza pops up near the end as the medium hell-bent (pardon the pun) to bring down the demon which she faced before many years ago. And then there's the goat...
Not everyone will succumb to Raimi's stomach-turning craziness and the film is already getting some heavy backlash. but go ahead and just go see DRAG ME TO HELL for yourself. If you, like me, thought the movie is just the usual serving of perfunctory PG-13 horror, you might be surprised after a second look on DVD, and maybe bring a few friends over to have someone jump off your seats and laugh along with you.