This is the stuff cult classics are made of.

Rating: 10/10 (24 August 2010)

This comment may contain "spoilers." I've tried to tell just enough to glean your interest and convey the premise of the plot -- but in doing this, I may reveal more than you want me to.
This film caught me from the very beginning. A young Mexican boy is attacked by an unseen entity as his parents and an unidentified woman look on helplessly. He plummets from a balcony, falling on the tile floor below. But, he is not killed by the fall. I expected him to get up and run. Suddenly, the floor itself begins to crack open, I could see the flames from Hell, and then the boy is literally "dragged to Hell." The unidentified Mexican woman who witnessed all this hangs over the edge of the balcony watching the boy's fate. The demon has won. The woman has one thing to say, "We will meet again." Fade out. Credits. Action continues years later. At least one person was hooked already (me).
The story centers on Christine who works for a bank. She is hoping to get a promotion, but faces competition from another, a male, employee. She wants to convince her boss that she is "tough enough" to take on the responsibilities of the new position. Enter an elderly woman. The bank is about to foreclose on her house. She entreats our heroine for mercy (literally getting on her knees at one point) so she doesn't lose her home. Please, give her just a little more time to pay. Not wanting to look "soft," Christine refuses more time.
The old woman is "escorted" from the bank by two armed guards! I don't want to include too many "spoilers." It suffices to add that the old woman is not happy with Christine's treatment of her. She places a curse on Christine. The curse involves the unseen demon who killed the Mexican boy in the opening scene. The curse will take exactly 3 days to culminate. In methodic fashion, Christine experiences increasingly blatant demonic manifestations. A likable fortune teller/medium becomes involved. This medium takes Christine to the Mexican woman of the opening scene.
Christine has 3 days to either doom or to overcome The Curse.
Sheesh! It really hurts me to read some of the reviews here. Horror films are MORE than blood & gore -- they are a genre. As a genre (like Westerns, SciFi, Romances, Comedies) they come in many sizes and shapes. It amazes me how pompous and (almost) cruel some people can sound in their critiques. I guess some people love to "bash." I found this to be one of most fun, interesting, original, and camp horror films of the past decade or so. I believe it will become a cult favorite, and it is worthy to become a "classic." The writing was excellent. It was in no way "overdone." There is a LOT of tongue in cheek humor. I've viewed this again and again (about 8 times now), and continue to pick up on little nuances.
I do not believe this horror film was necessarily meant to "terrify" the audience; I believe it was meant to DELIGHT them and to elicit a balance of humor, expectation, and satisfaction. Perhaps those last two words "expectation" and "satisfaction" are beyond the appreciation of some of those who have posted here.
When it comes to horror, most of it has been "done before" in some shape or fashion. The key to excellence rests not on originality of subject matter as much as on originality of presentation. Give this a moment's thought. Take films such as the original FRANKENSTIEN, ROSEMARY'S BABY, INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, or THE EXORCIST. Each of these films has had ample imitators and "wanna be"s. What distinguishes each of these classics is their originality. In each case, that originality is different. These films presented material in a new and different way -- that is what makes them classics.
I said that, in each case, the originality was "different." At first, that may baffle some readers; the simple truth is: ORIGINALITY, by definition, is ALWAYS "different," that's what makes something original.
I found this film refreshing and original in how it was scripted and presented. It is an excellent balance of humor, spoof, earnest acting, and sheer delight.
I encourage anyone interested enough to read this to check it out for yourself. "To Hell" with all the would be critics (pun intended) -- that includes me. You may find it a fun, rewarding experience.