Drag Me To Hell (Universal Pictures)
A Funny Horror Movie
Drag Me To Hell is one wild ride of a movie. It is a Sam Evil Dead Raimi horror flick told in a campy manner. The audience gets a chance to laugh between the gasps and screams. Allison Lohman and Justin Long star in the film but the one who steals the show is Lorna Raver.
Christine Brown (Lohman) works as a loan officer at a bank. She is in the running for an Assistant Manager position but her boss (David Paymer) tells her she has to be more aggressive if she wants the new position. When an old lady named Mrs. Ganush (Raver) comes in and asks for an extension on her home loan Christine says no.
Mrs. Ganush becomes so incensed that she puts a curse on Christine. She later puts up a fight that is an amazing scene to watch. After being cursed Christine finds her life unraveling. She convinces her boyfriend Clay to take her to a psychic (Dileep Rau). He tells her that a demon will come and drag her to hell if she doesnt get the curse lifted.
The rest of the movie shows Christine being attacked by otherworldly forces and trying to come up with a way to get the curse reversed. Oh, and she also tries to just go on with her life. She really does come across as nave and dumb.
Lohman does a good job of conveying Christines insecurities and desperation. She is convincing in her portrayal and has you cheering for Christine to succeed. Long is strangely bland as the boyfriend. He has a few humorous lines but they dont even justify him being in the movie. Plus there is zero chemistry between him and Lohman.
The star of the movie is Raver. She is a demon and a half as Mrs. Ganush. The role requires her to suffer quite a few indignities but she is always ready to do whatever is necessary for her art. If that means taking out her teeth or taking out her eye, shes willing.
The movie is rated PG-13 for profanity and violence.
Drag Me To Hell goes a little bit over the top before it ends, and loses any semblance of reality in the cursed setting. The jokes tend to get better but the plot gets worse. The audience should be able to rely on the story at least making sense as to what works against the occult and what doesnt.
When the movie ends it is with disappointment as to how it all turned out. It is a funny, horror ride that breaks down in the end.
I scored Drag Me To Hell a scraped 6 out of 10.
