One hell of a movie!

Rating: 9/10 (4 June 2009)

When a movie trailer excites me, half of the time I am disappointed when I go to see the film. Drag me to hell certainly did not disappoint! This is a fantastic horror film that owes its success to the "folk-tale" simplicity of its plot. I find that most of today's horror films are reminiscent of S & M porn which is so awfully banal. In the West, we live in a bubble of atheism and technology where we seem to have forgotten that Hansel & Gretel was a f****** scary bedtime story - this is what the film has gotten right.
Christine Brown is like any other ambitious country bumpkin who will find success in the city and marry out of the "farm". The idea of a sinister old gypsy placing such a terrible curse on her - well that's out of the question, it just couldn't happen in a life so normal, so Apple Mac. She's a girl with a good heart but, alas, society has brainwashed her and she is plagued by human weaknesses such as vanity and greed which momentarily stunts her compassion towards Mrs Ganush. Unfortunately, she pays for it dearly and no promotion, generous boyfriend or new coat can gloss over her mistake.
This is a great story that makes us ponder on whether we should drop a coin in the hat of a passing beggar even if he is a nuisance or give up our seat for an invalid on the subway. We toil hard to remain groomed and smelling good to escape the stink and grittiness that lies so close to home. This is the power in the film. However commercial the script is, you can't say it isn't clever about hitting that point. This is highlighted throughout the film in the constant presence of a fly and especially in the scene of Mrs Ganush's wake, when Christine suddenly finds herself in the heart of Eastern Europe's filthy beer drinking gypsies.
Lorna Raver delivers a fantastic performance as Mrs Ganush, she is able to extract empathy from the audience as well as utter disgust and loathing. Alison Lohman is also perfectly cast as Christine Brown, average looking and timid but through mental torture she develops some backbone. Yes there are some moments of comedy where you can picture Raimi getting a little over excited with the CGI crew but on the whole, it keeps you on the edge of your seat.
This is not a movie I expect to see in an OAP nursing home's DVD collection, so hurry up and watch it!