Drag Me to Hell

Recently there has been an influx of generally terrible horror movies that have been adapted from the style of ghost story films from Japan. Even Sam Raimi couldn’t resist getting a piece of the action and produced the “Grudge” franchise which is of that same genre. But Raimi had early success with his “Evil Dead” films, which aside from being great horror films had many amazing and original directorial elements. He has proven himself many times to be an amazing director but has a particular knack for the subversive and ludicrous nature of horror. The “Evil Dead” movies range from terrifying to absurdly hilarious. He has just the right touch and knows exactly the right time to blend humor into otherwise nightmarish scenes. Lately Raimi has been stuck doing the “Spiderman” films, and while the first two may have been good, it was the irreconcilable “Spiderman 3” that showed how creatively stunted those films had actually made him. He has returned in rare form to the horror genre and created a masterpiece worthy of his talent with his latest film “Drag Me to Hell.”

“Drag Me to Hell” is the story of a young bank employee who after denying and old gypsy woman a loan is cursed to be tormented by a demon until it tries to, as the title demands, drag her to hell. The story in the film is topical but classic, and amazingly well structured. The decision to use the current mortgage crisis as the impetus for a classic horror convention like a gypsy curse is a nice touch that gives the film relevance to the times we live in. The directing is outstanding. The use of Dutch angles throughout the film is inspired; many shots were akin to Hitchcock with regard to creating tension. Ever since I took the SATs in high school I have been waiting to use the word ‘cacophony’ in a sentence and thanks to Raimi and can safely do just that. This film uses a cacophony of sound very effectively to terrify the viewer.

This film was a surprise that totally delivered in every way imaginable. It has the usual quick cuts that are intended to startle, but they are achieved with a tremendous amount of creativity in the film. There are some scenes that are so grotesque and disturbing that they are stomach churning. There are others that are so oddly silly that it’s hard to believe they actually work in this film. The performance by the lead Alison Lohman is great and the supporting cast does their job well. There is very little if anything in this film that doesn’t work, and the ending is abrupt which was very bold even if what actually happens is somewhat predictable. This is the best horror film to come around in a very long time and is destined to be a classic of the genre.