Sam Raimi, the super-8 horror nut who became a Hollywood titan (Spiderman 1,2,3) returns to his roots (Evil Dead 1,2,3) with a hellacious and hysterical chill-ride for Alison Lohman, a bank clerk with a PR deficit.
“Horror-movie heaven... the movie never stops spewing scares at you.” — Peter Travers, Rolling Stone
Screened as part of NZIFF 2009
Drag Me to Hell 2008
Sam Raimi, the Detroit super-8 horror nut who became a Hollywood titan (Spiderman 1,2,3), returns to his roots (Evil Dead 1,2,3) with a hellacious and hysterical chill-ride that owes more than a passing nod towards Curse of the Demon, Jacques Tourneur's classic tale of supernatural coercion. This throwback to classic goofy horrorcoms has pretty loan officer Alison Lohman denying a decrepit gypsy woman an extension on her mortgage. This intentional slight of course ends with a curse invoked and Lohman battling a demon intent on dragging her literally to hell. The film swerves from gross-outs to terrific set-pieces, taking audiences for a ride that will have them laughing and screaming simultaneously. Raimi's direction can't hide an infectious carny spirit. He upstages his own work by taking the pulpy retro source material to dizzying new heights of non-stop absurd bloody fun and killer kinetic action. See it first at the Fest. — AT