Raimi's Retro-Horror Ride Straight to Hell.

Rating: 9/10 (29 May 2009)

"Drag Me to Hell" focuses on a young loan officer, Christine (Alison Lohman), who is yearning for a new promotion as assistant manager in her office. One morning, an elderly gypsy woman named Sylvia Ganush arrives at the office and asks Christine for a third extension on her mortgage payment. Christine, in an attempt to impress her boss and increase her chance of promotion, turns the begging old woman down - bad mistake. That evening, the woman attacks Christine in her parking garage, and places a curse on her. After contacting a psychic, Christine discovers she has been placed under a dark-spirited curse that materializes in various forms, and after three days, will take her soul to hell. To the dismay of her psychology professor boyfriend, Clay (Justin Long), she goes to extremes to rid herself of the curse before time runs out.
Sam Raimi, more often nowadays known for his "Spider Man" films, debuted back in the 1980s with his low-budget cult favorite "The Evil Dead" - a modest but gory zombie film that has gained a large following in the horror genre. Now, some twenty years later, he returns with "Drag Me to Hell", and I can say that he won't be disappointing most of his fans. "Drag Me to Hell" has all the makings of a classic 1970s supernatural horror movie - gypsies, curses, séances, and a handful of gooey and gross splatter scenes. While at times it is a bit over- the-top, the film manages to find a solid stance between flat out horror and outlandish "ew" moments which border on dark humor (take for instance the iron anvil scene in the tool shed). But this is Raimi's own style, which was established from his first "Evil Dead" film - chances are you will either like it or you won't.
Visually, the audience has a lot to chew on here. The Los Angeles sets and gypsy-esquire buildings are atmospheric, and Christine's demonic encounters pop up all over the place, many of them in broad daylight, which was a nice switch-up from the typical nighttime terror scenes. I also liked the throwback feel it had, which was evident from the vintage Universal logo displayed at the beginning of the film. While it may be a high-budget Hollywood horror show set in present day, Raimi retained a sort of retro-feel to the entire thing, which was a nice nod for fans of not just his films, but for the old school horror lovers out there as well.
As for the witch herself, Mrs. Ganush - wow - the filmmakers did quite the job with her. After the audience is first introduced to her, we can't help but be uncomfortable. And that discomfort turns to hiding our faces behind our hands as she terrorizes Christine during the remainder of the film. The first attack scene in the parking garage was my personal favorite; it was spooky, intense, and startling to boot. All of the scares were well-executed, and some of them were so drenched in outrageousness and body fluids that the audience can't help but scream and laugh at the same time. The film is able to take itself seriously while simultaneously not take itself seriously - which may sound like a bit of a paradox, but the formula works nonetheless.
Our performers are up-to-par as well, with the lovely Alison Lohman leading the cast as our cursed protagonist. She plays the role gracefully, but is also very stern when necessary. The quirky Justin Long plays her boyfriend, who is a product of a wealthy, "old money, Yale"-type family, who we are introduced to in a grotesque and oddly funny dinner scene with the characters of Christine and Clay. And we can't forget Lorna Raver, who plays the haggish gypsy who is the centerpiece to it all - she's mean, scary, and relentless. As far as the conclusion goes, it works in terms of the film's style. It will have some audience members gasping with their hands over their mouths, and some cheering in honor of the film's old-fashioned kick, Sam Raimi style.
Overall, "Drag Me to Hell" is a jolting, spooky horror show peppered with humor and over-the-top thrills and spills. These things alone justify the film's throwback status, giving it the feel of a 1970s-1980s grindhouse horror flick with a glossy coat of modernism. If you enjoy anything along the lines of Raimi's "Evil Dead" to Lucio Fulci's "The Beyond", chances are you will enjoy this movie. I believe that some audience members may not mingle well with Raimi's tongue-in-cheek horror style, but if you're willing to sit down and enjoy it for pure entertainment's sake, this is a very well-made carnival ride straight to hell. 9/10.