My kids have been getting a lot of props these past few blogs. Another film I watched with them is the 2009 Sam Raimi horror / comedy Drag Me to Hell. I first saw this film on a horrible date. The movie was my only escape for the total disinterest my companion and I shared towards one another. I remember that the screening I attended was one of my favorite from that year. The audience was totally into the movie and was screaming and laughing at all the right times and it really made the film that much better. I love it when the experience of going to a theater plays a positive part in the movie.
But this blog is about the movie and watching it this year with my kids. I got a free weekend of HBO and other channels from my cable provider and that is the format in which we watched the movie. I am not a big horror buff and my tween daughters aren't much for scary movies. I though it would be ok for them to watch this movies because of the way Raimi used comedy to make the horror on screen seem silly and over the top.
I love the Evil Dead trilogy and think that the first film is the best in the series because it it the most pure and true to the genre. It is almost a perfect movie for what it is going for. With Drag Me to Hell I feel like Raimi was back on form. It is not as good as the Evil Dead movies, and it is definitely prettier and the budget was much higher, but the heart and soul are still there.
Drag Me to Hell is about a young woman, Christine played by Alison Lohman, trying to movie up in the bank where she works. A gypsy woman tries to get an extension on a loan and Christine declines her request. The gypsy woman the puts a curse on her which will eventually send a demon to "drag her to hell" if she can't break the curse. In attempts to do this she meets with a fortune teller and a medium who give her guidance and instructions.
Drag Me is a great example of the subtly and extremeness of well made horror movies. The only times I think this film mis-steps is when they add too many CGI effects. For my money the creaky door or the lurking shadows is far more suggestive and therefor scary.
Another point to mention is that this film is yet another example of a finical institution really being the bad guy. As I said this movie came out in 2009, along with many other movies that depicted the ugly side of capitalism. The is a wonderful fun movie. The scares as well as the laughs are there. We enjoyed it as a family and I consider it a fine bookmark in Sam Raimi's career. I give Drag Me to Hell 3.5/5 stars. Check out the Trailer Park to see for your self.
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