Review: Drag Me to Hell

by John Nolte

Director 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. (more…)

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Posted May 29th 2009 at 5:28 pm in Reviews | 59 Comments