Raimi empties his whole bag of horror tricks... but the ghost train rides way over the top!

Rating: 5/10 (21 July 2010)

Career-hungry bank loan officer Lohman refuses a loan to a creepy old gypsy woman. Very soon, she is tormented by a demonic curse that refuses to be meddled with. Entertaining, colorful and genre-simply set up, as writer-director Raimi empties his whole bag of clichéd and CGI-enhanced horror tricks (demon séances, mudwater-filled graves, crawling insects - sometimes with a twist, and sometimes not) for the sake of a good ghost train ride.
But with the high quota of not exactly subtle character byplay and equally over-the-top, almost slapstick shock material, it's hard to judge when to laugh or gasp (especially the scenes with the gypsy woman's teeth...). What worked for "Poltergeist" and "An American werewolf in London", doesn't quite work here due to lack of that deftness. I do personally prefer horror flicks that are meant to scare straight first and foremost, rather than tickle your funny-bone for better impact, ever since "Scream" crossed that boundary once too often for my liking.
And for any experienced moviegoer who has seen just a couple of shockers up the same alley, can't that final outcome be seen coming a mile away, really?
5 out of 10 from Ozjeppe