Drag me to Hell (film): Not great, but entertaining to fans of Raimi
DMTH is classified as a supernatural horror film but I think it is important to note that there is also some comedy mixed in there. This has a lot to do with the style of directing that Sam Raimi enjoys utilizing and for the right type of person (like me) it works just wonderfully.
When i say "comedy" I definitely am not saying this is a good film to park in front of the kids while you try to get some work done, not unless you enjoy traumatizing them and giving them night-terrors for years to come. This film is definitely scary and gruesome. I mean it is comical in some of the situations and puppetry that is used in the movie such as the completely over-the-top fight scenes that take place with an elderly gypsy woman.
Oh yeah, the plot of the movie centers around a curse placed on Christine Brown (played by the lovely Alison Lohman) who works at a bank. She is seeking a promotion and in an effort to impress her boss she ignores her sympathetic instincts and wont give an extension on an old gypsy woman's house loan. Seeing no other option because her house will be taken away from her, Sylvia Ganush (the gypsy) attacks Christine in her car after work and a ridiculous fight ensues in the conveniently empty car park. Knowing she is bested in the fight, Sylvia Ganush instead places a curse on Christine and the removal of said curse is the major focus of the film.
I find it ironic that a gypsy has a house loan since that kinda makes her not a gypsy, right? I wonder if Raimi did that on purpose... probably.
Anyway, for people who are unfamiliar with Raimi's earlier work, he specialized in making fantastic films with little to no CGI. The primary example of this is a movie called Evil Dead, where with an almost non-existent budget he managed to make what is largely considered one of the best horror films of all time.
When i first started watching this movie I didn't know Raimi directed and co-wrote it but it doesn't take a very long time to figure out that he was involved. I think that most old-school horror fans have a soft spot in their heart for Raimi's comical gore-fest directing style. Plus certain parts of the movie are genuinely terrifying. This movie has jump-scares as well as duration-dread-scares (i made that second term up, i bet it doesn't catch on.) The thing i like about Sam Raimi is that by making certain parts of the movie a bit comical it's almost as though he is trying to ease the tension a bit - I think he created this style, or if he didn't create it he certainly mastered it.
I can't rate this film too terribly high because some of the actors are kind of annoying and well, the storyline is something that would fit into a short story but they made it an hour and a half long. The fact that the bank teller just happens to be great pals with a psychic is a bit corny, but i suppose i can deal with that. I am not saying the movie is bad because it is definitely not. I like it a lot. However, we cant just rate everything nine or ten out of ten. We need to be a little more impartial.
"a soft spot in their heart for Raimi's comical gore-fest directing style"
That's where I'm coming from, and that's where this movie falls short for me.
The main reason why comedy and horror can work so well together, I think, is that they both puncture society's norms. They are a relief from the tensions and strictures of everyday conventions and life. They are a joyful rebellion against societal expectations.
Yet this movie guts the full on freedom of comedy and horror by playing each element just shy of it's potential:-
(1) The horror was gutted by the PG13 rating. Horror really needs to go all out;
(2) The comedy was weakened by an overly strict adherence to it's "do wrong, get punished" morality tale conceit, but even more so by it's po-faced leading lady, who lacked that crazy Bruce-Campbell-OTT-gleefully-fights-with-his-own-hand mania, that can really liberate a viewer from conventions.
I mean, the movie got part way, the horror was pretty gory and scary, certainly for it's kid friendly rating, and the comedy, involving a possessed goat and loose dentures, was on point when it appeared in the movie. But that crazy, anything-can-happen liberating nuttiness that you got with Raimi's earlier movies never really happened for me.
If this was directed by anybody but Raimi, I'd say, "awesome effort buddy," But Raimi's "Evil Dead 2" pretty much made the comedy horror genre, and Bruce Campbell is the comedy horror poster child, so from Raimi, this offering was simply too conventional and too restrained to be exceptional.
I agree with your rating. :)
For those of you old enough to recall watching "The Evil dead" when you were a cub, you might remember what a scary and traumatic experience that might have been. I could not sleep for days and when I did, I slept with the door open with a clear path into my parents room if something out of the normal approached. Drag me to hell, drags us all back to the good old days of horror where true impactful scares are made yet the film takes you on a roller coaster ride where you just don't know where or when it will end. With a flawless story and well crafted, sound design was outstanding and therefore helped deliver the chills, this film will feel like going to a very expensive restaurant and eating meal where you feel so satisfied, you bask in the experience
What's so special about "Drag Me to Hell" is that it knows its roots. It takes us back to the days when it was a true "experience" to see a horror/terror movie. When you went into a movie theater and the audience jumped, yelled at the screen and quivered in shock and disgust. At the conclusion it brought them to their feet with a standing ovation and all along with the mindset of, "Okay, we're all in this together, let's make it out in one piece." "Drag Me to Hell" is what a good experience at the movies is all about. There will be those who hate it, loath it even, but for the handful of us that were transformed into obsessed fans of this niche market by a master director, it will validate our love for the genre and will forever stand as a true testament of the best it has to offer. As for myself, for a short moment in time I was a thirteen again, curled up under my covers, frozen with fear, and loving every single minute of it.
Yes this one was a little strange. When I first went to see it I thought it was going to be a horror, as (maybe to my misunderstanding) the trailer portrayed a horror. Then I was confused during watching it but the ending confirmed it to me when that ghost/guy starts dancing weirdly. I actually think this would’ve been better without the comedy aspect
Honestly, I do not understand how you can take this film seriously. When I saw it for the first time, I could not understand the first minute is it such a bad horror film or is it so good and thin banter? And I stopped on the second option in the end.
Indeed, as a horror film this movie is simply disgusting. If you watch it in this way, you can be very confused and disappointed by the "banal" plot, fountains of "unnatural" blood, sucking and constantly tearing out the hair of the main heroine of the old woman, a fly buzzing in the stomach, a talking goat and much more. But if you take it as a thrash with a view to irony over mystical horror films, then you get a completely different picture. And its beauty is that it is made so finely that not everyone realizes this side, but if they realize, they are delighted.
It may seem that the main character is too simple. Someone impresses the image of the old woman, who turned out very colorful. The psychic behaves very typically for such films. Too disgusting Chinese colleague? - Yes! Even the plot is too trivial. And on top of all this easy busting are wound "unnatural", but, it must be admitted, very qualitatively made special effects.
Just the beauty of the film is that it is made very high quality for regular films of the "B" category.
And do not forget about morality - and it is in this movie! A complex ethical choice between career and human compassion ...
I only like the super scary part of the end in the movie. Other than that, it was just okay.
Hey @gooddream, also noticed you don't engage as such anymore, hope you're good?
i respond to almost everyone who makes a coherent statement, don't I?
I asked some questions in previous articles and didn't get a reply...thought maybe you were having an engagement recess or something
oh sorry man. i wasn't ignoring you. I'll try to be more attentive next time :)
Hiii... Gooddream
Great Post with perfect review.
My 100 % upvote for this post.
I see this movie.
But, some time you feel tire.
This movie has some comedy and funny moments.
This movie I like to watch with my wife because she is very scared and always snuggles between my legs since this movie is really scary.
I love horror movies, can't wait to see this one
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STOPTo support your work, I also upvoted your post!
i feel scared.
hey @gooddream i am new in here so please upvote my post and help me