A fine horror/comedy

Rating: 9/10 (7 June 2009)

The latest from Raimi mixes elements of his most notable works, The Evil Dead and Spider-Man trilogies. Luckily there's more Evil Dead here than the latter and Drag Me to Hell didn't disappoint. Although it loses steam about halfway through, the screen writing and fright scenes could already be considered some of the best in it's genre.
Christine (Alison Lohman) is a good-intentioned bank loan officer who we first meet listening to life coaching seminars in her car. "There is no friction, with the proper diction." the recording says, and Christine repeats. Tired of being taken advantage of and wanting to get ahead at work, Christine denies a loan extension to the wrong crazy lady who in turn curses her. Lohman (Matchstick Men) does a great job as Christine and even handles lines such as the Campbell -esque , "I'm gonna get some!". Justin Long (Live Free, Die Hard), Dileep Rao, and David Paymer (Get Shorty) all turn in admirable performances and round out a great cast.
There was a whole lot more toothless-face-mawing than I was expecting, but the cinematography and special effects are mostly excellent. Raimi sets up many great set-pieces and manages to have only a few odd ones. The horror genre can be tricky though, as there's a thin line between genuinely terrifying and over-the-top. But I guess the only important thing is that I'm slightly more terrified of gypsy curses now than ever before, and that means I just watched a fine horror film.
Final Score – ***1/2