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DRAG ME TO HELL
DIRECTED BY Sam Raimi
STARRING Alison Lohman, Justin Long, David Paymer
It’s been 17 years since Sam Raimi directed a proper horror film, and for those wondering whether the b-movie schlock that made his Evil Dead series such bloody fun might have been influenced by more recent genre trends – torture porn, post-Scream irony or J-horror style Gothic pomposity – may be pleased to know this is very much a case of business as usual. Drag Me To Hell is a magnificent throwback to 1950s horror movies, albeit one with a $40 million budget.
Raimi’s film finds mousey loans officer Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) approached at her bank by a desperate gypsy woman, Mrs Ganush (Lorna Raver). Keen to impress the boss, Christine turns down her request for a mortgage extension, only to be cursed with the spirit of an ancient demon. As Christine soon discovers, this threat is, naturally, terrifyingly real. Though it loses some of its momentum in its final stretch, Drag Me To Hell is never less than trashy, adrenalised fun. And, pleasingly, promises great things for Evil Dead 4. Whenever that’s going to arrive…
DAMON WISE