Not one of Raimi's better works

Rating: 6/10 (26 October 2009)

Drag Me to Hell has been getting a lot of good pub. in the horror community and frankly after watching it, I really don't see why. I had heard it was a lot like Evil Dead/Evil Dead 2 in tone. I fully see where Raimi was going but ultimately he doesn't get there. First off the tone of the movie is all over the place. The tension is all there but the Evil Dead 2/ Army of Darkness bits don't blend in very well for me. I'm a big fan of Raimi, heck I even like his Quick and the Dead, but for me he didn't go all out. If he wanted a shocker he should of went for it. If he wanted an Army of Darkness clone, go for it, but the blending of the two just pulled me away from the experience. One big scene being where the gypsy lady attacks the leading lady in a tool shed and forces her fist down her throat. The sequence up to that point was well done, then hilarity ensues. Sure I giggled and laughed but really was that the point? The first 20 minutes of setup are top-notch but frankly it's dead serious stuff, and then when the gypsy lady attacks our hero in her car all you can do is laugh, which I'm fine with, but keep that tone going throughout just not in the scare scenes. Evil Dead 2 did this just fine but the material here doesn't warrant this. The camera angles, acting and pacing are dead on though. I sat back and enjoyed it nothing less, it just wasn't as good as it could have been. If your a fanboy of Raimi then you'll want to see this. If you don't like your horror w/comedy then steer clear.