Raimi's Triumphant Return to Horror

Rating: 8/10 (24 October 2009)

After the disappointment that was SPIDER-MAN 3, I was glad to see Sam Raimi taking a break from the web-slinger saga to return to what helped make him famous: campy B-grade horror. Here, he has total creative control and as a result we're given one of the most fun horror movies I've seen in recent years. Without relying heavily on gore effects, the film manages to send a chill down your spine while at the same time making you laugh at some great camp moments. The premise is simple: Christine (Alison Lohman) is a loan officer who refuses an extension to an old woman on the verge of losing her home. The old woman, Sylvia Ganush (Lorna Raver), just so happens to be a gypsy who doesn't take the news so well and places the curse of the Lamia on Christine, leaving her three days to find a way to rid herself of the curse or her soul will be dragged to Hell.
Keep in mind, I said the movies doesn't rely on gore but it does have it's share. Regrettably some of the gore is blatant CGI (the anvil moment) but it adds to the camp and doesn't hurt the movie. You can tell Raimi tried to rely on practical effects, only resorting to CGI when he had no other option. My absolute favorite moment in the movie is the goat in the séance (a bit of good old-fashioned animatronics) which always seems to get a laugh. Over the course of the movie, you'll see Raimi hasn't lost his EVIL DEAD touch.
As for the cast, Lohman was a perfect choice for the role of Christine. She plays the character as so innocent and pure, a victim of circumstance who would've helped Ganush if she weren't so worried about a possible promotion. She creates a soft-spoken country girl in extreme circumstances (receiving more than her fair share of stomach-churning punishment) who's easy to feel for. Just as talented is Raver as the Ganush; while her screen time isn't as much, she manages to leave an impression as one of the creepiest old women I've ever seen in horror. Rounding out the cast are Justin Long (mildly amusing though hard to accept in a role as a college professor) and relative newcomer Dileep Rao as Rham Jhas, Christine's spiritual adviser throughout her dilemma.
To sum it up, the movies comes off to me as equal parts creepy and funny and is a fun 90 minutes. For those who miss the over-the-top horror movies of the 80's, this'll be right up your alley.