The Horror Equivalent of Disturbia

Rating: 8/10 (20 October 2009)

Like 2007's Disturbia, this slick production also borrows heavily from a genre classic. 1957's Curse of the Demon is an obvious inspiration and Raimi takes care to ensure that his modern-day version holds onto at least some the original's charm.
Drag Me To Hell is a straightforward supernatural tale, only now there are a couple of sub-plots to help to keep today's (easily distracted) audience focused on the vulnerability of the main character while at the same time giving plenty of opportunity for Raimi to revisit his trademark slapstick gore circa Evil Dead II.
This is without doubt a film which doesn't take itself too seriously, characters are thin and comic relief abounds, but the central theme is so dark that it manages to anchor the story to a bedrock of dread.
It's good to see the Hollywood success story that is Sam Raimi revisiting his roots and just hopefully (given it's decent box-office) this movie will give horror a nudge in a different direction. Buy this film on DVD and you won't be disappointed! Non horror-fan friends will dig it, audiophiles will love it's amazingly crisp Dolby 5.1 and even hard-nosed critics will likely appreciate the film's pace and sense of fun.