"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." This time-tested adage has usually been used in a conversation about an unfaithful partner. I am using it however to describe the relationship between movie-goers, like myself, and the Horror film genre. For years we have been tricked and bamboozled by scary movie trailers promising us the shock and thrill of the year, when in all actuality, it is a carbon copy of a film either made in Japan or had been made shot for shot a few decades ago. With so much deception, how can a horror film fanatic learn to love the genre again? When will a blood drenched knight come riding in on a red eyed dark horse? I can confidently tell you to look over the horizon: Drag me to Hell by Sam Raimi is coming just over the hill!
I can sense your hesitation to let this film in already, but before you are quick to pass judgment on it, let's have a quick glance at the plot. The film follows Christine Brown (Alison Lohman), an L.A. loan officer who has an all around good life. She has a secure job, a loving boyfriend played by "the MAC guy" Justin Long, and a kind heart. Things change for Christine one day when an old mysterious woman named Mrs. Ganush comes in begging for a third extension on her housing loan. Christine is torn between what her heart is telling her (to help this poor woman out) and what her ambitious side is saying (to deny it so that her boss can see she can make "tough calls" required for the promotion she has been eyeing). In the end, she chooses to deny the woman. The woman is shamed and in her final act, curses Christine with the darkest demon in the dark arts- The Lamia. The demon is said to haunt and plague its victims for two days and on the third day, drag them to Hell. As the days pass, Christine becomes more and more desperate, seeking the help of a psychic along the way. With each passing day she is faced with the question, "How far will I go to stay alive?"
This movie delivers on so many levels. Director and writer Sam Raimi sets the film's tensions high from the opening credits. His classic style of filming, editing, and sound can be found in every scene (unlike in the atrocious Spiderman 3). He does not use cheap tricks on his viewers either, each and every noise, shadow, and movement serve a tension building purpose. The plot has a driving force of not only scares, but of laughs. Raimi knows how to mix his horror and comedy. The film is twistedly delightful in a way that few horror movies can match. The cast was chosen wisely. This could have easily been a movie about the actors who are in it and not the story itself. The actors serve as willing vessels to let the story become a character of its own.
Drag me to Hell is rated PG-13 for sequences of horror, violence, terror, disturbing images and language, but I am QUITE surprised it received only a PG-13 rating. I had a hard time taking in some of the scenes, and I can only imagine a 13-year old doing the same. I would definitely keep anyone under 13 away from this film because it will most likely scar them for life and I do not want to be responsible for therapy bills in the future. There is not much blood in this film (but when used, it is done in a comical sense), but there is some stomach turning scenes. I recommend not eating too much before the film, and don't eat during the film: you will thank me later!
With a twisted tale, a seasoned horror director, and a willing and open cast, Drag me to Hell will easily become a horror favorite. Raimi creates a heroine you root for and believe every step of the way, while keeping every person in the theater on the edge of their seat, and even getting some laughs. I give this movie 4 and a half out of 5 flies. Horror lovers, I know you have been burned before, but I think its time to love again, and get ready for one hell of a ride.
