Review: Drag Me to Hell
by John NolteDirector and co-writer Sam Raimi’s ”Drag Me to Hell,” his first horror film since concluding the iconic “Evil Dead” trilogy with “Army of Darkness” in 1992, feels very much like a Sam Raimi horror film, but one hobbled with a PG-13 rating and slapdash script. The story of Christine Brown (Alison Lohman), an ambitious Los Angeles loan officer fresh off the farm with only a few days to shake a curse that could end with her being literally dragged down to Hell, is presented with the director’s signature style and wit, but lacks the intensity and memorable set pieces that make the adventures of Ash must-see viewing at least once a year.
In a depressingly bright and clinical bank, Chistine’s up for promotion to assistant manager and sees the opportunity to show her manipulative boss (The Great David Paymer) she’s got management chops when a grotesque old woman comes in to ask for a third extension on her mortgage. It’s only after Christine evicts her that she discovers the crone’s as batty as she looks and twice as vengeful.
Vengeance arrives in a parking garage, but a vicious beating isn’t enough to satisfy the old woman. She lays a curse on Christine that means plenty of disturbing and violent visions to come.
With the help of her sympathetic boyfriend (Justin Long) and a street corner fortune teller, Christine gets some bad news. It seems that her decision to toss an old woman out on the street for a rung up on the corporate ladder resulted in more than the figurative selling of her soul, it’s literally in danger and throwing off an ancient curse won’t be easy. But try Christine does and animals beware.
Raimi’s good with this kind of material and uses his camera and edits well to create suspense where none would exist in lesser hands. But the screenplay, co-written with his brother Ivan, just isn’t very good. Nothing much happens and when it does no amount of directorial flourish can lift the material above its Made-for-TV feel. Even the cinematography looks Lifetime Movie-ish.
Like her director, Lohman’s better than the material and much more compelling to watch than a plot that has less going on than most thirty-minute “Twilight Zone” episodes. An episodic, choppy feel slowly takes over the narrative when story threads, such as Christine’s work situation and a tense relationship with her boyfriend’s parents that were made to seem important, suddenly vanish without so much as a nevermind. Same with the film’s one truly intriguing idea, Christine having to choose who to send to Hell in her place.
With very few scares, almost no tension and a PG-13 rating, attempts at horror can only come from that which is disgusting. Someone always seems to be vomiting something, there’s one helluva nosebleed and a housefly with an unhealthy curiosity. Nausea you might feel … suspense, dread and tension, not so much.
After 90-minutes or so, the last ten do kick in and end on a surprising note, but to say I didn’t walk in excited and leave disappointed would be an understatement. There’s little to distinguish “Drag Me to Hell” from every other slap-dash horror film made on the cheap and dropped in 2500 theatres to make back its money before word of mouth kills it off.
I expected more from Raimi.
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59 Comments
OK, it's not rated R. This usually means there's not as much gorenography, fewer nasty words, no ubiqutous sex or torture scene. And that's a problem? Hmmm.
I just finished reading about a hundred pages of the budget documents and the Congressional bill. I'm already in hell. But at least I'm ahead of Waxman (D-California).
I appreciated the bold ending and the nice performances by Alison Lohman and Justin Long, but without the ending it's pretty forgettable.
Also, even as bold as the ending was, I can think of several variations that would have been just as surprising without being nearly as blunt, but then I hadn't realized until I read this interview that Raimi intended this to be a cautionary tale about "greed," and that he considers the nice young woman trying to better herself the film's real villain (because she's "greedy") and not the creepy old woman who thinks cursing people to eternal torment in Hell is a reasonable response to not paying her mortgage.
Knowing that this is where Raimi is coming from really kind of sours me even further on the film.
That's disappointing that Raimi wants us to empathize with the nasy old woman who considers cursing people with Hell was a valid way to handle getting evicted. Maybe the old lady should have applied to the wise latina judge instead of going all out with Hell; I'm sure Christine is pretty reasonable when the US justice dept. gets involved.
You're equating an R-rating with exploitation, which is a little simplistic.
The Exorcist, Halloween, Dawn of the Dead, Texas Chainsaw Massacre (originals), and the like — are all top-flight R-rated horror films that used the R-rating to create an intensity, not to exploit. This is also true for Raimi's first two Evil Dead films.
I couldn't believe that's where he was coming from until I read that interview. Not to be too trite about it, but only a liberal could make that kind of moronic moral calculation.
I've never understood the whole ultra gore concept, despite claims of 'style and wit' (Oh, it stars Cary Grant and Irene Dunne? Cool!). I view people who enjoy such goings-on as somewhat problematic. The above review and comments prove out the fact that without the gore, NO ONE finds such movies attractive. Call Raimi's effort "Bore Me to Hell"
Terrible movie. I'm astonished that it's getting rave reviews from both fans and critics alike. It's generic, predictable and extremely Hollywood, which I wasn't expecting from the director behind the Evil Dead trilogy (one of my favorite film series of all time).
I mean, its horror, right? The stuff that you probably shouldn't be seeing if you are a kid. I don't see the problem with horror movies being rated R.
LOL.
isn't it like roller coasters? its thrilling because if it were real it would be WAY TOO thrilling. So thank god its just a movie which makes it fun? I think that's the logic. I think we're evolutionarily predisposed to enjoy the adrenaline.
Actually, Evil Dead II was released unrated with no one under 18 admitted.
There's a concept: the congressional bill as reading material in Hell's waiting room. If they put it in dentist's offices, there'd be no need for anesthesia.
My gosh, imagine if Dickens had written "A Christmas Carol" that way!
Actually, you're close. I'm equating an R-rating with being simplistic. You don't need R-rated crutches to make something intense (Rear Window, Freaks, et. al.).
Films are not rated "R" for intensity. They're rated "R" for: gorenography, nasty words, ubiqutous sex, torture scenes. I'm more interested in a modern movie making a horror movie without all of the R-staples.
Dawn of the Dead and Texas Chainsaw Massacre, that said, are two of my favorites.
If a movie has to gross out the audience, that's usually a pretty good indication that the plot is weak. I'll pass.
What a letdown … clearly a project made on the quick by Raimi and a truly uninspired script.
And yet … it's getting raves in some quarters. Hmmm.
In essense you are saying you want Hitchcock, right
LawhawkSF,
Do you know any website where I could get a pdf of the Tarp bills. Specifically the first one. When they announced it in the campaign they put the first one out on FNC website. This was the one they did not pass. I remember at around page 25 to 30 the first paragraph that was the meat of the document (after all the definitions of everything you lawyers have to out in first) it stated that the Secretary of the Treasury shall have the authority to do whatever is deemed necessary without impediment. End of Paragraph. I remember thinking to myself "Is the Constitution considered an 'impediment'". I never did get to see the second bill anywhere. (The one the passed). I looked but gave up.
I am thinking I probably should get it and check to see if that paragraph is still there.
Just a question……….
Someone came and took half my 401K away in the last six months. Should I seek a witch doctor.
I guessing I got a list of people to curse. The number coincidently enough agrees to the number of congressmen and women that voted for the stimulus plan.
Since I'm never going to see a horror movie, feel free to actually tell me the ending.
It wouldn't work. Other than Lawhawk, no one has ever read a Congressional budget bill.
I'll do better than that. Go here for a complete synopsis.
You're welcome!
Individualist: I've gotten up to about page one hundred twenty of the January 6, 2009 House version of the stimulus bill that Henry Waxman admitted he hadn't read. Now I see why. Here's the link for that:
http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cg...
I don't have a .pdf link for anything more recent on TARP. I'm sorry I don't have anything newer, but I wouldn't have time to read it anyway. I've already got a blinding headache just from what I've read so far. I hope you have better luck on your search.
I dunno…many's the time I've wanted to curse people to Hell and it was TOTALLY justified! Still, you'd think the gypsy lady would just use her mojo to conjure the mortgage money.
This is an utter disappointment. What more is there to say? First Terminator, now this. Just a run of bad summer-film luck, if you ask me. At least I get to see 'Up' tomorrow.
Thanks
It appears to be a list of pork barrel projects. Just reading the first few pages it seems they are fond of th number 50,000,000……..
Ain't that the truth?! When you get done reading, could you please send me a summary so I can get some sleep and get out from under having to read the rest of it? LOL 407 pages. They're out of their minds.
Sounds like it might be underperforming, with only $6.5 million today, projected to make only $16 for the weekend. Hmm.
I clicked the link (and the link to the Sam Raimi interview) and both of them just launched another page to this blog posting. What gives?
I saw this film and couldn't disagree more. This was the most fun I had at the movies in a long time.
Drag Me To Hell's plot reminds me of an episode from Tales from the Darkside; the woman is a loan officer who is reminding a minority tenent her rent is due. The minority tenent commits suicide. A strange man appears to the loan officer woman as her life slowly falls apart. Eventually, the strange man literally gives her the life of the woman who died. Drag Me To Hell is just an extension of this plot.
The people ragging on this movie can 't appreciate a good horror film. The opening and closing scenes were pure horror. Everything in-between those was Raimi's own special blend of horror and "splatstick." After Raimi does his two more Spiderman films and banks another 50 million or so, I hope he makes another horror film. Easily one of my top 10 theater experiences.
CGI isn't scary.
Dawn of the Dead (the original Romero version) was originally released unrated but with a "No one under 18 admitted" tag. You must be thinking of the remake.
Huh. How about that? Let's try again, without actually embedding the links.
Here's the interview:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8068620….
Here's the synopsis:
http://www.themoviespoiler.com/Spoilers/dragmetoh...
Even if those don't come through as clickable links, you can copy the addresses.
I love the Evil Dead films, so I had high hopes for this one. Knowing that Raimi views his protagonist as the true villain, however, makes me want to save my money. I am sick to death of Hollywood falling back on the tired, ridiculous old wheeze that the "real" bad guys are the wealthy, productive members of society. Wasn't it bad enough that the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise became an essay on the evil of corporations?
Who do these pinheads think fund their movies? Small non-profits? Co-ops? People like Sam Raimi have become fantastically wealthy because of hardworking capitalists, yet they paint them eternally as the worst part of our society. Why doesn't Raimi hold a bake sale the next time he wants to shoot a film?
Actually, for this genre an R rating is pretty much the gold standard. True horror fans want at least that much gore. BTW if you are a fan of good horror films rent "Martyrs". Highly recommended.
Another review that is completely wrong. Best theater-going experienced of the year.
You should read some of the comments over at the IMDB message board for this film. You'll find lots of vapid lefties taking Raimi's dopey moral calculus even further. I truly worry about the fact that eventually the world is going to be run by these feral sociopaths who can't see any complexities beyond what Raimi is putting forth here.
Who knew the tolerant Left could be so judgmental? *snicker*
The commercials are scary enough.
I remember reading it was a motif of Hitchcock that people would not accept a truly innocent person having evil things done to them so they had to be guilty of something bad. That is why the woman from the shower scene was an embezzler. I wish Raimi would not have picked something as topical as a bank employee. Now a 30-something woman who takes advantage of a 15 year old boy, who also used to work at a Nazi death camp, that would be warranted.
Links are screwed up by ID when first posting. Finish writing, then mark everything (ctrl-a), copy (ctrl-c), Submit. Immediately hit Edit, mark everything (note the garbaged URL), delete, then paste (ctrl-v) the original as it should be, Submit. Deleting is optional as it should overwrite everything when you paste with everything in the box already marked.
PS: Needless to say this only works for registered users since unregistered ones cannot Edit.
Come to think of it, I would like a slice of bleeding heart pie.
Hitchcock may have a point, but only an idiot lefty with no moral compass could find the actions of Drag Me To Hell's heroine villainous.
Over at IMDB, the message board goons are crowing that she deserves to go to Hell because she reluctantly kills a cat at one point.
I hope I will get a reprieve since the one I put down was a mercy kill.
I find the commercials funny. I don't see anything scary about the film except useless, predictable cliches. I am a horror fan so I know what I'm talking about…
You would have to Drag Me to Hell to see this movie.
"People like Sam Raimi have become fantastically wealthy because of hardworking capitalists, yet they paint them eternally as the worst part of our society. Why doesn't Raimi hold a bake sale the next time he wants to shoot a film?
Hey Andrew – if I quote you, where do I send royalty checks? :>)
I love the original Evil Dead; all of Ash's friends & sister are eventually possessed by the Deadites; I loved his sister getting "raped" by the tree. Also the Deadites are quite scary given they appear to have no physical form until they possess someone. And of the special effects are done without CGI!
I really want directors to stop using CGI; it has become a crutch.
[...] John Nolte reviews the movie. var addthis_pub = ‘kansasprogress’; var addthis_language = ‘en’;var addthis_options = ‘email, favorites, digg, delicious, myspace, google, facebook, reddit, live, more’; [...]
Also reminds me of Stephen King's Thinner. A gypsy wronged by "the system" curses a wealthy person who then has an opportunity to transfer the curse.
This was the best horror movie Ive seen since 28 days later. Beats the hell out of the saws,hostels,and every other gore flick they label as horror. My wife was so scared she wanted to leave 20 minutes into it.
I disagree, respectively of course. "Drag Me To Hell" was balls to the wall awesomeness! It had that great feeling of an Evil Dead film, and if Raimi doesn't make Evil Dead 4 (which he better), 'Drag Me To Hell" is the closest we'll get to an Evil Dead 4.
"Since I'm never going to see a horror movie, feel free to actually tell me the ending. "
It's called Drag Me to Hell. How do you think it ends?
Some of you really don't like using your heads, do you.
Count me in on the pro-Drag Me side. This is clearly Raimi's homage to the classic Curse of the Demon, and a very enjoyable one at that. Really good stuff.
DITTO DITTO
"Best theater-going experienced of the year." Seen it twice and hope to make it a third. I have only seen 2 movies 3x: Spidy 2 and Pirates 2. This maybe the 3rd.
cheers folks & enjoy with a clear conscience. Think of it like a good little paperback of short stories, and this movie contains one or two of the short stores. a very cozy intense little flick that has not one throw away scene in it.
…and "cautionary tale" is exactly how I thought of it as. be careful what you wish or desire. choices have consequences…
I´m a bit late to the party but what the heck. This is probably the most ridiculous, over the top silly movie I have ever seen. Scary? It would be funny – Army of Darkness funny – if it had tried to be a comedy. I understand that it´s basically a revisiting of EC comics territory but these comics weren´t scary either.
Besides all the stunning lapses in logic, I resented the paganism (gypsies decide who goes to hell?) and vastly outsized retribution for the basically innocent main character (another exercise in sadism) which we are clearly meant to snicker at. I lost count at how many times the girl is forced to swallow some disgusting effluent or rotten body part. That´s not horror.
Yes, the girl didn´t deserve it. If anyone deserves to go to hell it is the old crone who has magical powers even from beyond the grave but can´t afford to pay for her house? And what about her army of relatives which the movie shows in disgusting detail? What did they do for her except stuff themselves at her wake?
Movie COULD be read a graphic illustration of the long-term dangers of illegal immigration but I doubt it.
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