Drag Me to Hell

Director: Sam Raimi
Cast: Justin Long, Alison Lohman, Lorna Raver
DVD release: 29 December 2009
Rated: MA

Shock treatment

What must be the most amusing horror flick in years comes your way with Drag Me to Hell, Sam Raimi’s latest excursion into the dark arts. Not since Shaun of the Dead have shockingly abhorrent scenes been filmed with such over-the-top enthusiasm it becomes unconscionably funny. The horror purists may baulk at going down the slippery slide of of risible shock, but Hollywood has been doing it since the forties, when they discovered Abbott and Costello could send up Frankenstein. Must quickly add, the suspense and shocks are full bore - it’s up-front and unsubtle as its name.

The film starts with a teaser which would certainly scare Faust out of signing on with Mephistopheles. This sets the scene for the story to come and the level of shocks. The movie doesn’t let you down on that score, even the opening title appears with a bang.

Christine (Alison Lohman), a bank loans officer desperately trying to get the assistant manager’s position, unwisely decides to further her career by officiously refusing a loan extension to a hideous Gypsy crone Mrs. Sylvia Ganush (Lorna Raver). Ganush is a less than charming ancient who does dreadful things with her vampiric dentures. Naturally the old girl condemned to lose her home is suitably offended and - bearing a passing resemblance to Bela Lugosi - delivers a very nasty curse on the dismayed Christine.

As the curse begins to work with terrifying visions and very loud sound, Christine enlists the aid of her skeptical but wealthy boyfriend Clay (Justin Long) and a mysterious psychic Rham Jas (Dileep Rao). They have to overcome the powerful forces of evil determined to drag poor Christine’s soul down below. It’s a big ask.

Some notable scenes along the way include the Gypsy wake with Mrs. Ganush’s sinister daughter sounding if Lugosi gave her English lessons; Christine meeting Clay’s parents for the first time; and of course the final seance. Don’t even think about asking what happens to Christine’s cute little kitten: I just promise you’ll remember Christine calling ‘Kitty, Kitty Kitty.’

Director Sam Raimi returns to horror he did so well in the Evil Dead films, after a detour through Spider-Man. The competent screenplay is by Sam and his brother Ivan. They open all stops in this bout of horrors aided by excellent digital effects. The potent soundtrack contributes as much shock as the images. The cast have a tough call but Alison Lohman (Big Fish) is up to the job, effecting her wide-eyed ‘it can’t get much worse’ look.

Surely Lorna Raver (The Young and the Restless) will go down as one of the screen’s memorable monsters; the make-up department doesn’t spare the ugly stick, while her performance verges on the psychotic. Raver steals every scene from her co-players. Denture-less she’s even more threatening, managing unthinkable things with her mouth. There’s an awful lot of barfing bodily fluids. The weak link is Justin Clay (Zack and Miri Make a Porno); he might as well be appearing in an episode of The Bad and The Beautiful with this lacklustre wimpy portrayal that he could have phoned in. Dileep Rao provides a degree of gravitas with a studious mysticism.

Raimi pays homage to many classic horror films from the past, right back to F. W. Murnau’s Nosferatu (1922) using elongated shadows of claw-like hands. The fly doing a detour up Christine’s nose is a belligerent descendant of the flies in The Amityville Horror, and the flooded grave is reminiscent of Poltergeist. Film buffs may catch other references including The Exorcist and The Omen. Raimi makes these supernatural icons his own by elevating the originals to new levels of abhorrence.

The elaborate sets, cinematography and editing are all spot on, with the production values commendably high. Drag Me to Hell is a hoot of a gothic thriller with dollops of laughter, but it's still genuinely scary. How many shocks can one movie contain? I quickly lost count. This film is fully recommended to fans of the genre, although less horror-dedicated filmgoers may be uncomfortable with the more squeamish moments.

John Bale

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