Sam Raimi directed this somewhat lower budget film, and upon its release everyone I knew was telling me how good it was. I refused to believe it and didn't really go to the movies, and decided to just wait for dvd. I think in someways I was justified, with the pg-13 rating and the weak story, I can safely say that Drag Me To Hell is not as good as people wanted to say it was, however, that's not saying it was terrible.
Drag Me To Hell is a slick horror film, that moves fast, and takes no prisoners. It starts off with one of the horror taboo's I've talked about in the past. A lot of horror films stray from showing children being killed on camera. Well, Drag Me To Hell, jumps the gun and pushes you over the edge by showcasing the taboo in such a graphic way that you'll swear you're watching a different movie.
The movie's premise is simple. A young woman is after a promotion at her work, and when she refuses to give a loan to an elderly gypsy she is cursed and her soul will be taken from her, if she doesn't follow some instructions. The movie then progresses through the panic of the main character as she realizes that she has in fact been cursed. There are moments of jump scares, and there are great effects shown in regards to the spirit that is chasing her. The demon is reminiscent of the demons that attack evil people in the movie "Ghost". I know, it's a hard reference, but it's true, the demon is mostly in shadow and manifested in humans only when it over takes the body.
There is CG blood, which I thought was done poorly at times. The other CG is done crisp, and you can barely tell that there's been touch ups done for dramatic effect. Like I said in the beginning, this is a slick film with fast moving plot and good overall effects. While I thought the liquid cg was not done well, I did find it creepy enough of an addition to the story to make things worth watching.
Is Drag Me To Hell A Scary Film ? : No.
I didn't find Drag Me To Hell that scary. I found it entertaining, but definitely not scary. The film has a distinct vibe to it that makes me want to think that it's too long. It feels and progresses like an episode of Tales From The Crypt. It also ends exactly like one of thoe films or television shows that featured the Crypt Keeper, because you are almost shoved with a moral. The ambiguity of the ending and response to the overall tone is done with a bit of comedy, which makes you realize that you're not necessarily watching a Wes Craven film or something along the lines of Clive Barker.
The movie has some gripping moments of suspense, and while I wasn't scared, some people might find the supernatural elements extremely scary. I was surprised to see that the main characters didn't immediately ask a priest or a pastor for an exorcism or anything like that. They seem to trust Easter philosophical arts instead of Christianity, which is fine, but in Horror there's definitely a bone thrown towards Priests and others that fight supernatural elements.
Drag Me To Hell is a good movie. It's not a great movie, like many people said, but it's a good and tight horror movie. It features everything you want in a horror film, sans the blood. There is some blood, but no real gore, and everything is done to quite a disturbing effect. The ending was definitely a classic, the twists and turns are done in time, and you never really get bored, even though I said it was a bit on the long side. Sam Raimi really did a good job with this one as it feels like a bigger film, it has that "mainstream" movie feel, and while I didn't think it deserved as much praise as it did, this film does pack a serious punch to the horror nerve. Just like "The Exorcist" hit many people strong, Drag Me To Hell has some legs, and it will probably shock a new generation of horror movie fans.
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