Dragged Me From Dull (Drag Me To Hell (DVD))

Member Name: samueltyler

Product:	Drag Me To Hell (DVD)
Date:	04/09/09 (73 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Scary, fun, fast

Disadvantages: Silly, too twee?

*Film only review*

It's 2004 and the horror genre has lost its way. This is the year that witnessed the release of the first in a new horror franchise that would change the face of the genre for years to come. 'Saw' was not the first film to feature 'torture porn', as it became known, but it was the first break out hit. I am actually a fan of the 'Saw' series as the character of Jigsaw raises it above the mindless dross it inspired. It is all these other films that are empty headed gorathons that are nothing more than excuses to show increasingly grim torture. I am not adverse to the crimson, but I do want motive or supernatural elements behind it. How I wish for the days were video nasties were nasty, but also had at least a token story. Who could bring the genre back to the sense of excitement and fun that it once was, rather than trepidation and nausea?

Working in a bank is not a fun filled job, especially when it looks like you are about to be overlooked for the next promotion because you are too nice. This is exactly what faces Christine Brown, so she sets out to prove her grit by denying a mysterious old woman an extension on her mortgage. Big mistake! This was not any old crone, but an old crone with the power to curse you. Now Christine finds herself haunted by a demon and with only a few days to find out how to break the curse she must work fast or she will be dragged to hell.

When I look back at my track record of recommending new directors to friends I see an impressive list. My favourite directors have nearly all gone on to Oscar wins or nominations; Jackson, Fincher, Boyle, Anderson and Anderson. However, some favourite directors have risen commercially, rather than critically and perhaps made some dubious films. Sam Raimi is one such director; I loved the 'Evil Dead' films, 'The Frighteners' and the first two 'Spiderman' films. However, after the poor third Spidey film perhaps Raimi would need to be removed from my list of faves? 'Drag Me to Hell', proves that with the right material he is still excellent.

'Drag' is an old school style of horror film that shows that it is a genre that can have moments of laughter as well as fright. Too many modern horror films are grim beyond belief and contain no moments of levity. One criticism of 'Drag' is that perhaps it is too light? I don't feel this myself, but the amount of moments that are both scary and amusing means that the film is a riot. It has been a long time (probably since 'Scream' or 'Final Destination') that I have wanted to both laugh and shriek at the same moment!

Raimi is the master of horror slapstick as he proved in the 'Evil Dead' films. 'Drag' is a return to this frame of mind and sets out to be a roller coaster ride of laughter and scares and it does just that. I had a huge grin on my face throughout just waiting for the next jump moment, or amusing passage. It takes a lot of skill to get the balance right and Raimi pulls it off with ease. As a director he knows all the tricks of the trade to made a moments tense and get the most out of a limited budget. At times the film does smack of cheesiness, especially in CGI based segments, but the film is so charming that I did not mind.

In terms of acting the film has a solid cast that play the film straight. Alison Lohman as lead Christine is great and she sells the moments of horror and physicality. She is not a machine; her vulnerability and incapacity to deal mentally with the curse makes the film stand out. Other roles are not as well developed, but Justin Long is good as Alison's partner, not believing her story, but willing to support her anyway. By all the actors playing the film straight it allows Raimi to make the scares themselves the comedy partner. The film is mostly scary, but at times the sheer physicality of the poltergeist makes moments amusing. It is probably because Raimi is willing to show such odd scares that make the film feel outrageous at times.

'Drag Me to Hell' is a great film if you are in the mood for a fun rollercoaster of a movie. The cast is solid and Raimi is back on great form as a director reliving moments from 'The Evil Dead', sometimes on an almost shot for shot basis. However, there are issues with the film. Some people will find it a little light hearted at times and the story is as hokey as they come. However, these people are probably watching the film expecting another in the long line of torture porn films of late and instead they are getting a good old fashioned ghost story.


Director: Sam Raimi
Year: 2009
Cert: 15
Starring: Alison Lohman
Price: Amazon uk £16.98 (BluRay)
Play.com £16.99 (BluRay)


Extras

I watched the film on the cinema, but plan to buy the BluRay as it is a film that should look good in the format. The BluRay comes with the extended and cinema versions of the film, a 30 min behind the scenes documentary, and BD LIVE the function that allows you to download more extras from the internet through your BluRay player.

Summary: Funny and scary like a night out in Liverpool!