Review: Drag Me To Hell Written By Matthew Watkins on 6.01.09
Drag Me to Hell may as well be called, “Return of the King.” Sam Raimi's return to the genre from whence he came is cause for joyous exclamations alone. The fact that he has produced such a sleek little horror-fest that bears down on you like a freight train of terror and doesn't let up until the credits roll is a reason quit school and form a religion. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll cringe, and you'll have a bloody good time. Raimi has repositioned himself as a modern master of horror, and Drag Me to Hell has all million reasons why.
Drag Me to Hell is a literal roller coaster. The premise is simple, which makes it foolish to even bother unraveling it here. Just suffice it to say that Christine, played by the adorable Alison Lohman, is cursed, and learns that in three days she'll be dragged to Hell to burn for eternity. There's a demon after her, and not a particularly friendly one either. He likes to torture his quarries for all 72 hours leading up to the climactic falling of their proverbial curtains. (This is all revealed in a prologue that sets the suitably manic pace for the rest of this movie.) Naturally, Christine finds the whole situation disagreeable, and races to find a way to shed the curse. She just wants to move on with her life, and with boyfriend Clay, played by Justin Long.
Ultimately, the premise is simple, but it is heavily ornamented. Raimi and his production crew have constructed an audio/visual feast. In fact, I'm going to go ahead and give my imaginary Oscar for sound design to the crew behind this film. The sound work in this movie is downright ballsy. While employing a lot of the traditional deep basses and creepy string work that is expected, the sound tracks work overtime to make sure you're never really comfortable with anything thats going on. Raimi marries his sound gracefully to the images, which have a clean clarity that demonstrates the director's refinement since his days with Ash and the Necronomicon. Audio and visual team together to give punch after punch of unpredictable jumps and scares. I was left perpetually tense for the entire running time. This movie hooks you by the lip and drags even the most sardonic viewer along for the ride; my chest was tight for further 20 minutes after leaving the theater. I've never had such a visceral and real reaction to a film. It couldn't have been a better theater experience.
I was initially wary of the PG-13, knowing that Raimi would have to hold back on the severed limbs and blood spurts. Happily, this didn't stop the film from being both terrifying and gross, all with one elegant stroke. In fact, it probably helped Raimi find the perfect equilibrium for his cartoonish (and bloody) antics. If you're not into horror, you won't be into this movie. It is rather wonderful, however, to be so scared by so little blood and guts. I'm sick of torture porn, and I'm glad to see that Drag Me to Hell is more interested in suspense and unstoppable evil forces, rather than how many different ways its possible to dismember the human body. I'm sick of Saw, and I'm sick of Hostel. Drag Me to Hell stands happily on the other side, cackling to itself about how scary it is, even without tearing any skulls in half.
I couldn't have had a better time watching this film. While I know it will be good on DVD, it certainly won't be the same experience as viewing it in theater. I encourage you to make your way to the local cinema and strap yourself in so that you can enjoy the images and sound in all their unrelenting glory. Bring some friends, because afterward you'll feel like you've really been through something. It's a helluva ride.
