DeniDVD Vault: Drag Me To Hell (2009)
July 15th 2010 04:33
Category: Horror
The lovely Alison Lohan, plays Christine Brown. She's a sweet little thing with her flowered dresses, blonde hair and innocent demeanor who's determined to be promoted to assistant manager at her bank. But there are two things that stand in her way - her lack of aggressiveness and her competitor Stu who has the aggressiveness that she lacks.
One day when an old gypsy, Sylvia Ganush (Lorna Raver) comes calling, looking to get an extension to her loan so that she doesn't lose her house, Christine decides to show her boss that she has what it takes for the promotion. She turns down the gypsy women, but little did she know that she was picking on the wrong person to prove her self-worth. Raimi did an excellent job with the repulsive factor for Sylvia, she had fungus ridden nails, false teeth, and probably bad breath along with a drool problem, and not to mention gurgling
Later that evening as she leaves work and walks to her car - in an empty parking garage, where there is coincidentally no one else around, she is confronted by Sylvia in one of the films spookiest and comical scenes. From here it goes down hill. After an all out brawl, Sylvia manages to rip a button off Christine's coat and put a hex on it. For the rest of the film Christine does everything to try and get this "evil spirit" off her back. She tries to make amends, which doesn't work because the crone ends up dying; she tries sacrificing an animal; and then she tries a seance, all to no avail.
The audience is riddled with CGI scare tactics and in your face moments, so much so that it becomes less scary and more "meh". It's sad that Christine's only hope is in the advice of a fortune teller, Rham Jas (Dileep Rao) who's suggestions are hardly worth anything as nothing seems to work but for the low price of $10,000 he just might be able to get someone to help Christine get rid of the Lamia demon or she will
I've become so familiar with the Lamia jumping or popping out of nowhere and making appearances at the most inconvenient times that it just became boring and the overuse of CGI made it all less creepy and more of an extravaganza. There were a few funny scenes and cringe-worthy moments like, my favorite, bug up the nose. And the funny thing is - call it irony or something like it but we never know if Rham's last suggestion for Christine appeasing the Lamia would have actually worked had Christine and Clay not accidentally switched the gift that would have supposedly rid herself of the demon.
I've only recently developed an appreciation for the horror genre now that I'm mature enough to handle them, so I'm not really familiar with Sam Raimi's previous work. I'm learning things more or less as I go along but when I see a horror film I expect the thrills and chills to far outway anything else and with this film that just didn't happen.
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Comment by ShaunK
Screen Adventure
check out my review for Sam Raimi's first film Evil Dead (all three links are on the title of the films I'm mentioning)
I've actually done a lot of reviews for horror films recently check out my reviews in particularly for Kwadian - very important influential old horror film and Martyrs - a real horror film!
Comment by Deni
Abstract Magick
Cinema Herald
For me, the momentum of fear just went down the drain. I guess when I see a horror movie, I expect one. This was just "blah".
I'll check out your blog.
Cheers,
Deni
Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
I thought this one was a great campfire yarn. Not a reinvention of genre just a loving tribute to what had come before. The slapstick worked real well too and i found it a fun ride, not designed to scare but entertain.
From my own review:
"Controlling tensions with solidly constructed suspense, then achieving laughs seconds later with over the top gross out gags, Raimi’s deft direction shows a flawless fluency in cinema language. From human frailty to visceral thrills, the pedestrian sounding set up is testament to the old adage that a good filmmaker can bring life to even the most overused of devices.
Right from the start when the 1980’s style Universal Pictures logo first appears and the fatalistic art of the opening credits, the film proudly displays its love of traditional, old fashioned supernatural thrillers. You know, the kind that make you fidget as the strings are pulled tighter and then give you quick relief in the form of farcical happenings."
If your interested you can read my Drag me To Hell review HERE
Comment by Deni
Abstract Magick
Cinema Herald
I read your review and I guess we were watching this movie with different glasses
After that first scene in the parking lot, it went downhill in a hand-basket.
Oh well.
Cheers,
Deni