Wandering around your local Cineplex is like walking down 18th Street in Adams Morgan on a Saturday night. It's crowded with people stumbling around with overblown expectations, dreaming of endless possibilities, and, in some cases, starting to confront horrible disappointment (usually around 2 AM). That's why it is so exciting to come across a surprise movie that comes out of nowhere to blow your mind, make you laugh, and have you screaming in terror (which also happens in Adams Morgan from time to time).
Alison Lohman stars as Christine Brown - a loan officer trying to get promoted to assistant manager at her bank. As you can imagine, it's the type of job where she finds herself faced with some dilemmas and tough decisions, especially when it comes to Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver). This elderly gypsy woman begs Christine to give her another extension to pay her mortgage and keep her home, but, to impress her boss, the young loan officer decides against it, and has the woman evicted from her humble abode. Out of spite and revenge, Mrs. Ganush decides to put a curse on Christine. YIKES!
Will Christine be able to reverse the curse, or will the demons summoned by Mrs. Ganush drag Christine to hell?
Drag Me To Hell is a movie that succeeds on each and every level, even though you might not think all of these elements can work together. Director/co-writer Sam Raimi and co-writer Ivan Raimi (yes, they are brothers) have created a movie that is campy, frightening and one of the most memorable of the summer because it is so different from everything else. Unlike Terminator Salvation, you are SUPPOSED to laugh at his movie, so go ahead and enjoy.
Director Raimi gives Drag Me To Hell the feel of a 70's or 80's melodramatic, low budget turkey that an insomniac like me would watch on HBO at 2 AM. It is intentionally campy with overwrought performances designed to elicit knowing giggles from the audience. The cast might as well give the audience a wink to remind us that they are in on the joke, too, especially Lohman, who becomes kookier and weirder as Drag Me To Hell moves along to one of the best endings I have seen in a long time.
Yet, Raimi exposes his true genius when it comes time to shock the audience. In a way, he is using the laughter and comedy to get the audience to lower its guard just enough for the shocks to make you scream and squeal in fright and delight. He employs a fantastic use of shadows, strange noises, knocking, screeching and more to make everyone in the crowd feel like the devil is coming to getcha! You might want to check under your seat, just in case.
Drag Me To Hell might not sound like the type of movie you would normally check out, but give it a chance this weekend, and you might be surprised.
4 Waffles (Out of 4)
Rated PG-13 for sequences of horror violence, terror, disturbing images and language.
