Drag Me to Heck

The reviews are in and it looks like Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell is going to be a new horror classic. It has a perfect 100 percent fresh rating over at Rotten Tomatoes. Granted, there have only been 14 reviews counted, but just take a look at their enthusiasm:

“The most fun I’ve had at the movies in years. It’s destined to be a cult classic for all eternity.” (Cole Smithey, Colesmithey.com) “Take a deep sigh of relief, horror fans. Sam’s back!” (Uncle Creepy, Dread Central) And, most significantly: “I never thought I’d say this. Never. But I have officially forgotten Spider-Man 3.” (Jenna Busch, JoBlo’s Movie Emporium)

FORGOTTEN SPIDER-MAN 3?! Man, that sounds like heaven!!!

Yes, it looks like Raimi has returned to his roots, and this, my friends, is a reason to celebrate. This is only one of the greatest genre directors of all time, making his first all-out horror movie since 1992′s Army of Darkness. If the movie delivers, SM3 is forgiven. (OK, maybe not completely – that “Stayin’ Alive” scene is sure to go down as one of humanity’s worst crimes.)

Written more than 15 years ago by Raimi and his brother Ivan, Drag Me to Hell is about an ambitious young loan officer (Alison Lohman) who denies a loan to an old gypsy woman (Lorna Raver). The gypsy soon expires, but not before placing a powerful curse on the girl and damning her to hell. The trailers have been fantastic, and the tagline is one of my all-time favorites: “Christine Brown has a good job, a great boyfriend, and a bright future. But in three days, she’s going to hell.” I had some reservations about the PG-13 rating, but then buzz started to build, and Harry Knowles basically wet himself at the SXSW festival screening in Austin. Now, I’m officially stoked.

Before The Lord of the Rings came along and stole some of its glory, the Evil Dead series was basically the greatest trilogy in movie history. Raimi made the first one at an absurdly young age, when he was barely old enough to drink, using his friends (including star Bruce Campbell) as cast and crew. In the terrific book The Evil Dead Companion (written by Bill Warren), Campbell and company recall how they were all shocked by Raimi’s inventiveness – the ingenious gore effects, those unforgettable shots where the camera goes hurtling through the woods – which seemingly came out of nowhere. No other filmmaker had ever mixed horror and comedy in such a clever way. Evil Dead 2 is still my favorite, but all three hold up as classics of the genre. If Drag Me to Hell turns out to be a worthy successor to the unholy trilogy, then I think we’re in for quite a ride come May 29.

Advertisement