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DRAG ME TO HELL

Starring: Lorna Raver, Dioleep Rao, Alison Lohman, Justin Long, and David Paymer

Directed by: Sam Raimi

Rated PG-13 for sequences of horror violence, terror, disturbing images and language

By John Delia

Hold on to your seat or the person next to you when you go to see Drag Me To Hell, a scary horror flick that had me jumping during nearly every scene. The film is Sam Raimi’s best horror effort with a lot of frightening images; disgusting excretions, evil demons, hideous faces and other things that make you want to cringe or vomit. If I haven’t made you ill from my description of the film, then you want to run to see Drag Me To Hell.

Christine Brown (Lohman) is an ambitious L.A. loan officer with a charming boyfriend, professor Clay Dalton (Long). Life is good until the mysterious Mrs. Ganush (R

aver) arrives at the bank to beg for an extension on her home loan. Should Christine follow her instincts and give the old woman a break? Or should she deny the extension to impress her boss, Mr. Jacks (Paymer), and get a leg-up on a promotion? Christine fatefully chooses the latter, shaming Mrs. Ganush and dispossessing her of her home.

In retaliation, the old woman places the powerful curse of the Lamia on Christine, transforming her life into a living hell. Haunted by an evil spirit and misunderstood by a skeptical boyfriend, she seeks the aid of seer Rham Jas (Rao) to save her soul from eternal damnation. To help the shattered Christine return her life to normal, the psychic sets her on a frantic course to reverse the spell. As evil forces close in, Christine must face the unthinkable: how far will she go to break free of the curse?

The movie plays out like a typical Grind House film and Raimi pulls no punches when it comes to satisfying horror fans that have a fetish for the bizarre. Although predictable in many ways, it’s the getting there that makes this film good. Packed with some great CGI in all the right places, Raimi spins his magic taking the simple storyline to a fiery conclusion.

Lohman does a great job of playing the hapless loan office ladder climber. Raimi pushes her envelope from innocence to damning as he progresses her character from cute to curse. I loved the graveyard scene with Christine drenched in the mire of death and bones.

The film is rated PG-13 for sequences of horror violence, terror, disturbing images and language among other yucky things.

FINAL ANAYSIS: A gory story from a very good director or horror. (3.5 of 5 Palm Trees)