Drag Me To Hell (9/10)

God bless Sam Raimi! He's done it again and I'm glad I never doubted him. I envy all those who saw this in theater. I wish I could have laughed and been scared just like the masses that crowded into the theater wanting to watch something new. Also seeing those faces of confusion would have been gold to me. "Drag Me To Hell" is all that and a bag of chips (Oh yes, we're going cheesy here). It's probably the best horror movie since "The Descent" (of the top of my head at least). Here's the kick in the teeth/dentures though. It's classic Sam Raimi. I love two types of horror movies. Those with dreadful and intoxicating atmospheres such as "The Shining", "Alien" and "The Descent". The other type is Raimi's style. He's the king of comedy horror. You'll see images in his movies that are startling and yet humorous at the same time. Whether your laughing or screaming, Raimi is giving the audience something special, a fantastic time at the movies.

Christine Brown (Alison Lohman perfectly casted) steps in for Ash as Raimi's unfortunate lead. She is a kind woman from the country and works in a bank. She has her eyes on an assistant manager position that is currently vacant. Yet she needs to prove herself in order to get the job. An old woman Sylvia (Lorna Raver) comes in looking for another extension on her mortgage. Christine unfortunately turns her down to show she can make the tough decisions and Sylvia will not go out quietly. Soon the chaotic fun begins as Sylvia chases after Christine and puts a curse on her head. Christine will  confront demons and startling nightmares. What Raimi does so well here is that the violence is gory, scary, funny, and fresh all at the same time. It's truly entertaining.

So many movies just float around and do nothing special. Raimi has put his all into "Drag Me To Hell" and he's done great things. Christine is a fantastic lead that we can really feel for. The curse may be on her but the audience may also be cursed. We see all the scares she does and trust me when I say you'll be nauseated and cheering for every shock. This is a very original twist on the classic horror story. Raimi's direction is flawless, it may be his best work (big words coming from the director of both Evil Dead II and Spider Man 2). It's wickedly scary, outrageously funny, goretastic and just so well done. Why not have the time of your life?

9/10
Recommendation: If you haven't seen it yet please do. It's got so much going for it. I also suggest all of the "Evil Dead" trilogy. The genius of Sam Raimi's work is well deserved cult classic.