Amazing

Rating: 9/10 (14 March 2014)

"Drag Me to Hell" is a sometimes funny and often startling horror movie. That is what it wants to be, and that is what it is. Raimi mastered the art of the screeching, zombie hag in The Evil Dead, and 28 years and three Spider-Mans later, he's still got it.
Christine Brown is a young and determined loan officer on the fast track to success. When she makes a tough decision which results in the eviction of an elderly lady, she finds herself victim to an evil curse, and finds she has only three days to persuade the dark spirit to relent, otherwise she'll be dragged to Hell to be tormented for all eternity.
Pretty simple, basic plot, sure, but Raimi gets quite a bit of mileage out of it, and it really is a nice return of sorts to the darkly comedic tongue-in-cheek, horror schlock he cut his teeth on. He employs every kind of trick imaginable, and the result is a pretty fun and slick supernatural coaster ride. However, even though the film has a nice creepy vibe, it mostly relies on jump scares, shock moments, and gross outs instead of pure outright terror.
Alison Lohman takes the lead, and she really gets put through the ringer here. She is also to be commended for doing her own stunt work as well. She gives a nice, and backing her up are Justin Long as Christine's supportive boyfriend, Dileep Rao as a spiritual adviser who tries to help her, and Lorna Raver as the old woman who unleashes the curse. She's the real breakout her, and makes for a quite creepy and memorable presence.
It's a little tough at first who the audience should sympathize with, but the case is made for each side, and there is some development instead of just being a showcase for effects and directorial flair. It's not really anything more than light fare, but it does have a strong ending, and proves quite entertaining, so give it a shot.