A Unique Blend Of Startling Horror & Ludicrous Comedy That Actually Works.

Rating: Null/10 (27 August 2016)

After freeing himself from the exhausting production schedule of big-budget blockbusters while he was working on those Spider-Man movies for nearly a decade, director Sam Raimi returns to a less hectic, low-budget & much simpler project and carves a thrilling mix of horror & comedy that's as jumpy as it is ludicrous.
Drag Me to Hell tells the story of a bank loan officer who, in order to convince her boss that she is perfectly capable of making the tough decisions, refuses to grant loan extension to an old woman who, in retaliation, places a deadly curse on her. As the supernatural forces begin to torment her, she turns to a seer for help.
Co-written & directed by Sam Raimi, the film delivers the shocks & laughs in equal doses and while the scares are spine-tingling, their impact is instantly doused by the absurdity of what follows next. Raimi clearly had a lot of fun while crafting this feature and the campy tone is evident in every frame. And if that wasn't enough, there are enough moments to simply gross its viewers out.
I mean, every now n then, stuff keeps going in or coming out of people's mouth from start to finish. Characters aren't that well-defined but they are still serviceable. Technical aspects work in tandem to encapsulate the whole picture with a tense & unnerving atmosphere. Jump scares are effective, laughs are plentiful, and the slightly exaggerated performances from its cast only contributes to its wicked tone.
On an overall scale, Drag Me to Hell is one of those rare entities that scores high in both horror & comedy aspects, finds its filmmaker in a much-relaxed yet creatively active mode, and is almost as frightening as it is funny. Its climax takes things a tad too far and pretty much kills all the suspense but it still manages to end on a satisfying note. In short, this unique hybrid of frights & laughter is a hellacious ride that actually works. Delightfully recommended.