While many
cult-film fanboys argue that Sam Raimi’s landmark Evil Dead
trilogy is a great example of campy horror moviemaking, I’ve
never come to accept it as anything more than deliriously crude.
One could use the same terminology to describe why they like it,
but to me, indulgence is indulgence no matter what the intent.
Thus, I awaited Raimi’s anticipated return to the horror genre,
Drag Me to Hell, with a greater degree of skepticism than
most. At least I wouldn’t have to see a vine enter a vagina this
time, I thought, given the movie’s PG-13 rating. But Drag Me
to Hell not only exceeded my expectations, it also allowed
me to finally accept Raimi’s Evil Dead-following because
of the fact that this film wouldn’t have been so successful if
it weren’t for the filmmaker’s learning experiences. It’s a
total camp spectacle, hilariously over-the-top and occasionally
chilling.
The key
conceptual difference between Drag Me to Hell and the
Evil Dead films is that the trilogy attempted humor through
its over-the-top nature, whereas this new effort has gags
that are crafted in isolation as they would be in a comedy. Yes,
Raimi’s trademark style—camera-tilts and all—is still at work,
but it’s so deviously self-aware that one would be hard-pressed
to argue Drag Me to Hell doesn’t represent a form of
Raimi-meta. There’s a moment in which Justin Long’s character
suggests that he and his girlfriend escape to a cabin in the
woods that’s not only funny in its obvious reference, but in the
way it makes the reference. The character’s obliviousness
in his suggestion, as accentuated by the scene’s pacing and
tone, is genius. In other words, the previous Raimi
horror-comedies tried to be funny entirely because of their
balls-out, Bruce Campell-fronted approach, but this one digs
deeper. At the same time, Drag Me to Hell retains said
balls-out quality, and comes across as all the more daring for
doing so because it’s a big Hollywood production, not an
“anything goes”-style indie.
But this
review shouldn’t be a put-down on the Evil Dead films
because, after all, it’s been years since I saw them, and
Drag Me to Hell is so fantastic that there’s no reason to
focus on the past instead of the present. (Nonetheless, I should
mention that I’m all of a sudden excited for Raimi’s upcoming
return to the Evil Dead series given the assuredness of
this film.)
Drag Me to
Hell stars Alison Lohman as Christine Brown, a vulnerable
but determined loan officer. Competing for a promotion against
up-and-comer Stu (Reggie Lee), she mustn’t allow her emotions to
sway her business decisions, which can get very personal at
times. Christine faces a tough situation when her on-looking
boss Mr. Jacks (David Paymer) forces her to decide whether to
extend the deadline on 80-year-old Mrs. Ganush’s (Lorna Raver)
mortgage payment after two prior allowances. Eyeing the empty
Assistant Manager’s chair across the room, Christine denies Mrs.
Ganush’s request, which leads the creepy old lady to behave
violently and put a curse on Christine. As luck would have it,
this curse is very real, and horrible things start happening to
the once-hopeful twentysomething. After Mrs. Ganush first
brutally assaults her in the parking garage—in hilariously
excessive fashion, no less—Christine seeks the help of roadside
psychic and paranormal-handyman Rham Jas (Dileep Rao). Contrary
to her otherwise-supportive boyfriend Clay’s (Long) initial
disbelief that anything supernatural has occurred, Christine has
no choice but to search for answers, as she knows her life is in
clear and imminent danger.
Before
mentioning all the things Raimi gets right in Drag Me to Hell,
I want to single out Alison Lohman’s performance as the best of
the year so far. She’s altogether fearless in this role, which
is by turns enormously physical and bottled-up. Even though the
29-year-old actress has been in her fair share of good movies,
this is a breakthrough performance if I’ve ever seen one. Lohman
brings everything to Christine that one could ask for in a
strong female protagonist: meek as the character may seem at
first, rough circumstance brings her to fight for herself
(literally) with ass-kicking gusto. And, boy, is she something
to look at, capturing the sexy vulnerability of an Old Hollywood
leading-lady, the charm of an ‘80s horror girl-next-door, and
the edge and conviction of… well, Bruce Campbell. (Don’t pretend
like you don’t have a man-crush on Bruce, too.) But as
much as Lohman stands out, it should also be noted that Lorna
Raver brings to life the scariest elderly character I’ve
encountered in a long time and Long works perfectly as the token
nice guy.
But Drag
Me to Hell obviously wouldn’t be the movie that it is
without Raimi at the helm. Clearly having learned a thing or two
about the technique of moviemaking after three Spider Man
pictures and a couple of other big-budget forays, he takes to
the driver’s seat of Drag Me to Hell, hits the
accelerator, and never lets up. So much of the effectiveness of
horror and comedy is about timing and rhythm, and Raimi executes
these factors masterfully. He balances the film’s quick pace
with impactful suspense-build-ups; makes perfect use of
Christopher Young’s in-your-face, stringy score; and freshly and
inventively integrates his signatures into the new material, as
illustrated above. The fact that the movie is PG-13 and doesn’t
rely on the shock-value of lewd, needlessly violent images but
is nonetheless scary and funny is a testament to Raimi’s
effective craftsmanship. The writer/director has not only
achieved what’s sure to end up the best horror film of 2009, but
also one of the best films of the year period.
-Danny Baldwin,
Bucket Reviews
Review Published
on: 6.4.2009
Screened on:
the eve of 5.29.2009 at Midnight at ArcLight Cinemas in
Hollywood, CA.
Drag Me to Hell is rated PG-13 and runs
99 minutes.
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