A liberation from the hell of mainstream horror

Rating: 7/10 (7 July 2009)

After surrendering to the temptation that was Drag Me to Hell, I jokingly announced to a friend that it was 1/3 horror, 1/3 gross, 1/3 funny and 100% fun! Yet as wholly cheesy as that proclamation is, it is no less true. Ultimate B movie director Sami Rami's first horror film in years, having dedicated himself to the Spiderman franchise, succeeds in putting almost all recent horror films to shame. Drag Me to Hell proves that an R rating is not needed for shock scares, nor does a PG-13 rating mean that the film must feel stunted and incomplete, only that it takes a dedicated and competent director to pull all the elements together.
I recently called 2009 the-year-of-the-almost-good-horror-movie, with films like Friday the 13th, The Haunting in Connecticut, My Bloody Valentine, The Last House on the Left et al, simply not measuring up. While I am still hesitant to drop that moniker, the thrills Drag me to Hell brings to the horror genre certainly improves the spread. Aside from the tantalizing premise itself, Rami masterfully constructs atmosphere and amazes even further with a rousing and terrifying score and an absolutely chilling use of sound. Many tense sequences drift between an eerie quiet and a cacophony of anguish born from everyday objects and occurrences such as pots, the wind and garden gates and this is the very best part of the film, even if some other elements don't measure up as aptly.
As a alluded to, aside from Rami's fan base the real reason you would be drawn to this film is the premise; and hell dragging there is. The unsuspecting victim is a young loan officer named Christine Brown (Allison Lohman) who in order to secure a spot in the managers chair denies an elderly lady a third extension on her mortgage. But her timing could not be worse, as the gypsy mystic curses her to burn in hell for her shameful display. Christine now has only three days to rid herself of the terrible curse, garnering the aid of a psychic, Rham Jas (Dileep Rao) and her boyfriend (Justin Long) while trying to ward off the tormenting demon on her remaining days. Lohman is very good in this, creating a character of equal parts spunk and sweetness. Long seems tailor made for a Rami film, as his ability to drift between comedy and drama is a huge asset and is excellent as a result.
The only real determent I found in this film was the ending, which I will not spoil. It was actually a rather odd feeling that came over me when the credits rolled as usually a sub-par ending leaves me either infuriated or disgusted. Drag me to Hell's ending left me feeling mostly indifferent and numb to the events of the entire film by which it was preceded. Many will disagree with me and I am glad, as I thoroughly enjoyed the film and wish the ending had satisfied me accordingly. But the good certainly outweighs and bad and this schlocky gross and funny horror flick is very re-watchable, and above all unique. If Rami can still turn out quality B movie thrills after all these years, perhaps there is hope for liberation from the true hell; which is the Hollywood horror scene of today.
Read all my reviews at simonsaysmovies.blogspot.com