Drag Me to Hell (Sam Raimi, 2008)

[Dylan]

So there was a test screening yesterday that got some very positive reviews. This opens on May 29th.

I haven't been very interested in Sam Raimi since early high school, but man, this sounds like a lot of fun!

You knew Sam Raimi in high school?

That isn't what I said.

[Antoine Doinel]

Judging by the trailer, Raimi's film a is cautionary tale for heartless bank employees.

[domino harvey]

I don't understand. Why does a witch who can successfully curse young bank employees to Hell need to beg for her mortgage to not be foreclosed? Are you telling me a demon-summoning old crone couldn't summon some dollar dollar bills y'all

[Cde.]

This looks like a blast.

Raimi has my $10+.

[Dylan]

[scalesojustice]

I'm really looking forward to this one.

But ugh, that poster. The tag line is cool, but the treatment screams "GhostHouse!" Are those Grudge arms?

[domino harvey]

she's going to hell

So, it's a metaphorical journey

[Antoine Doinel]

Scenes involving a stapler and a gummy smile had to be cut to ensure a PG-13 rating.

[Cold Bishop]

Fans of the Evil Dead movies might be put off by the PG-13 rating. Why didn’t you just shoot an R?
Because those are just letters that people have prejudices about. It's not about the rating; it's about the intent of the film. If people want to see a blood-and-guts picture, this will not satisfy them and they should see an R. In fact, why not an X-rated or unrated film? R is for wussies if you're talking about blood and guts.

Did you cut anything to get the rating?
In one scene, Christine uses a stapler to defend herself. We had to cut out one of the staples she delivers to the old lady. Also, we had to cut down a scene where the woman bites Christine without her dentures. Why gumming would be R-rated, I don't know.

Oh yes, say that ratings are meaningless letters with no relation to the intent of the film THEN admit to making concessions and compromises for the rating.

[oldsheperd]

Raimi would know something about wussies, he did support Bush!

[mfunk9786]

Just go see this movie as soon as possible. If you don't see it in the theaters, wait until the neighbors are out of town so you can pump your 6.1 DTS to the maximum volume and take the phone off the hook. A genre masterpiece - fuck Star Trek, this is the most fun you can possibly have at a movie theater. Bravo, Raimi! Please don't take 4 more years out of your life to make another Spider-Man, just keep making incredible, hilarious 'roller-coaster horror' films like this.

What a year for mainstream movies. While the indie scene seems drier than ever, films like this, Observe and Report, Adventureland, Star Trek (as well as simply the trailers for the upcoming Mike Judge and Todd Phillips movies, among others) are overachieving like crazy. The quality of film you can manage to see at your local Regal or AMC on any given weekend is much higher in 2009 than I can ever recall it being. Drag Me to Hell is yet another film that couldn't possibly have turned out better (within the constraints of its concept).

[tenia]

I've just seen it yesterday, and honestly, I'm very far from thinking it's a masterpiece.
It's a lot of fun, it's quite funny, it's well done, but it's just like the Ghost House from Disneyland : some scary yet funny rollercoaster, but it's not the best feature of the park.

And, despite the fact that it's quite dumb-funny (the old teethless gipsy, the running gag of the hair, and so on), it seemed very forgettable for me, though I think it will be a nice Blu Ray for beer and buddied evenings.

[LQ]

I can only echo mfunk here; it was amazing. So unlike typical horror films nowadays, bent only on the amount of gore and sadism they can stack up in a 2 hours. Drag Me To Hell was so refreshing!

[Finch]

Thought it was enjoyable but for my liking, Raimi relied on too many jump scares with music and sound cranked up to 11 (I really disliked Christopher Young's score and wonder what someone like Elliott Goldenthal might have done with this material). The practical effects are so good that the CGI really sticks out negatively on the few occasions that they use it. For me, the film peaks with three scenes/setpieces: Lamia's first daylight appearance when Chris locks herself in the bedroom was expertly built up and very suspenseful; Mrs Ganush's attack on Chris in the barn was a nice throwback to the Looney Tunes/Stooges inspired violence and pitch-black humour of Evil Dead 2, and I loved the dinner scene with her boyfriend's parents which was by turns touching, surreal and, typically for Raimi, gleefully icky. And yet I felt a little bit disappointed: Drag Me is definitely fun but I wanted it to be great and I came out of it thinking that it was on the level of Army of Darkness (solid but a minor work) rather than the first two Evil Dead films. I will say though the film proves that Raimi has not abandoned his roots after his mainstream acceptance with the Spiderman films (anyone else feel that his style feels rather sanitised in those films, yes, even in the second one with its Evil Dead 2 nods?). Chances are that this one, Public Enemies and Up are going to be the only worthwhile studio films this year.

[Bloody Benten]

Did anyone else catch on that this was a pure comedy? I thought so the horror element was only a backdrop in my opinion.

[Barmy]

One of the most boring, bland pictures I have ever seen. You have no "investment" in what happens to the characters. Way too much of the "scary stuff" is dream sequences and the like. The plot is totally "whatever"--zero narrative drive or inventiveness, let alone coherency. I know it's intended to be silly, but it's kindergarten silly, not smoke-some-weed silly. As someone pointed out, a witch who can do all that shit doesn't need a mortgage, let alone an extension. All that meh tilting made me nostalgic for "Star Trek's" gonzo flaring. And Alison Lohman is so blah she makes Sasha Grey look like Melina Mercouri.

The audience booed at the end.

F

[zombeaner]

I really enjoyed this. I don't think it was completely horror any more than Evil Dead 2 was straight horror. I thought the sound design was awesome, and really added to the experience. I talked on another forum about Raimi's timing and how good it is, he manages to drag out the horror beats just a little bit longer than you'd expect, possibly so that the viewer would relax because they thought it was a false scare, and then hit you in a face with something awesomely gross. I might have to go see it again in a theater, certainly once it hits the dollar theater at least. The rating didn't bother me at all, in fact, like almost everyone here, I'm sure, I'm amazed at the violence they can pack into PG-13 films while if there had been a boob, it would've been R in a heartbeat.

[Finch]

The film is shown uncut here in the UK (15 certificate): considering what else happens in the film I am surprised that it was the gumming and the two shots of the stapler in Mrs Ganush's forehead that would have given the film an R rating if Raimi hadn't cut them voluntarily (don't be fooled by the inevitable "Unrated" sticker if the film is released on DVD in the uncut version: it really amounts to nothing more than a few seconds with either scene). I suppose the anvil was acceptable in the context of the whole scene being so evidently cartoonish that the MPAA didn't see a problem with that scene.

[Michael]

One of the most boring, bland pictures I have ever seen. You have no "investment" in what happens to the characters. Way too much of the "scary stuff" is dream sequences and the like. The plot is totally "whatever"--zero narrative drive or inventiveness, let alone coherency. I know it's intended to be silly, but it's kindergarten silly, not smoke-some-weed silly. As someone pointed out, a witch who can do all that shit doesn't need a mortgage, let alone an extension. All that meh tilting made me nostalgic for "Star Trek's" gonzo flaring. And Alison Lohman is so blah she makes Sasha Grey look like Melina Mercouri.

The audience booed at the end.

I would not want to live in your town. Seriously, Barmy. What were you expecting from this movie? Repulsion or something? The biggest clue of the movie we all should not ignore is Raimi. It's a Raimi movie and its his return to his 70s/80s horror roots. So that means loads of cheese and no character investment required. How many horror films made in that era required character investment? It was all about the RIDE. Drag Me to Hell is a rollercoaster, theme park horror at its best. Being a fan of Evil Dead since I was little, watching this movie brought me back to the 80s summers, sneaking into freshly-built multiplexes after playing some Pac Man at an arcade next door. I went to see it by myself, almost feeling like a geek thrown back to that time. It was great. My friend asked me if it was superior to Evil Dead. I'd say yes but judging my experience of watching Evil Dead through my 10 year old eyes vs Drag Me to Hell through my 40 year old eyes seems kinda unfair.

Actually I thought Alison Lohman was great for that type of role - perfectly blank - she had to fill. I was rooting for her so much that I ended up feeling awful for her. The gypsy was downright scary - the eyes! It was interesting that the movie magnified the creepiness of her eyes because that was pretty much one of the staples of 70s/80s horror - fucked up eyes, eye gouging, etc.

[Barmy]

I find myself invested in some characters, victims or villains, in virtually all decent horror flix, including dross like Saw. You can actually care about a cartoon, too.

Here the villain has no rules or backstory. So there's nothing to latch onto. That would be fine if there were compelling victims

But the only "victim" is a blah girl with a blah job in a blah relationship with a blah boyfriend. I know it's INTENDED to be blah, but so what.

It's telling that the 2 best scenes are the most "real"--the fight in the car and the "meet the parents" bit before she (again) starts fantasizing some shite.

I'm very surprised at how positive the reviews have been.

[oldsheperd]

This movie sounded like a rehash of "Thinner". I guess I'm probably waay off base.
If she wouldn't give the lady a morgage extension than she deserves all she gets. Damn mortgage companies!

[starmanof51]

As someone pointed out, a witch who can do all that shit doesn't need a mortgage, let alone an extension.

Why it's as if these people don't know the first thing about witch-powers! Weren't they paying attention in eighth grade Witch-Physics class?

And Alison Lohman is so blah she makes Sasha Grey look like Melina Mercouri.

I can't decide if this is a dig or a compliment.

The audience booed at the end.

I'm sure at least one person there whose name starts with B did, but does that really constitute "The audience"?

[Antoine Doinel]

"I was saying Boo-urns"

[kaujot]

Off-topic, but I will never tire of Moleman and "Boo-urns."

[domino harvey]

Why it's as if these people don't know the first thing about witch-powers! Weren't they paying attention in eighth grade Witch-Physics class?

Are you saying a witch wouldn't know how to use her powers in a movie in which she uses her powers?