Drag Me to Hell (2009)

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

Absolutely Fantastic

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

This movie was a cheesy cliché filled mess. The writing was awful, the CGI was bad, the characters were bland. If this wasn't Sam Raimi it would be dismissed as utter crap. All I can say is that it had some cool camera movement. It was a waste of my time.

When a young woman denies help to an old woman at her bank, her angered actions force a curse of demonic intensity that soon forces her into grave and dangerous acts in order to save herself and her loved ones from the series of demonic attacks that have been thrust against her.This one here was an enjoyable if somewhat flawed effort. One of the better aspects of this one is the rather enjoyable sense of suspense that comes about from the infliction of the curse. The atmosphere is great because of that, as the introduction of the curse offers up plenty to like here starting from the initial meeting in the office that sets it in motion to the backstory that gives us more information on the events that are offered here really giving this one some dark tones to be had. That also leads into the other big plus here in that there's plenty of action since it doesn't really slow down all that much, driving forward nicely with a fantastic pace about it that has numerous great supernatural action scenes. The opening seance at the mansion that depicts the original encounter with the spirit offers plenty of strong work including a strong jump-scare, while the scenes of the woman trying to inflict the curse upon her give this one a strong series of scenes that manage to come off rather nicely. Even better are the scenes later one when she's already cursed, from the freakout in the house to the different encounters with the ghostly woman coming after her in the various locations around her including the barn sequence or the dinner party encounter. There's also the sequences in the final half that really make this one fun, from the big encounters with the supernatural beings attacking her to the graveyard confrontation that has a lot to like about it. As well as one of the better twist endings that's not only logical but works well, this has plenty to like although there are certainly parts here that need fixing. One of the biggest issues is the fact that there's way too much familiarity in the film to really stand out here. Basing your entire collection of scares and jump scenes around the exact same ploy, having the music stinger accompany it turned up incredibly loud on the sound, grows tiring and shows a discernible lack of imagination through and through. From the ghastly-looking woman screaming loudly appear suddenly out of the darkness to grab her or seeing the flash visions of the ghostly demons floating around ready to grab a loose appendage just keeps getting used here and that really doesn't make the film standout all that much. The other issue is the fact that this one makes it very clear that there's no real danger to the girl as she has a few days to wait until the curse finally takes hold which keeps her relatively safe throughout the film. No matter how tortured she gets, it has no interest in harming her until then and it makes this one feel a little tame during that section. Otherwise, there's not so much wrong here.Rated PG-13: Violence and Language.

Back in 2009, the brilliant filmmaker Sam Raimi journeyed back to his horror roots and made a fun-as-hell horror-comedy film called 'Drag Me To Hell'. For those of you who don't remember who Sam Raimi is, movies like 'Evil Dead II', 'Army of Darkness', 'The Spider-Man Trilogy', and 'Darkman' are some of his accomplishments. Raimi and his brother and frequent collaborator Ivan Raimi had an idea for a horror film called 'The Curse', but when Raimi booked the 'Spider-Man' gig, that film was put on hold for the next decade. After 'Spider-Man 3' was released, Sam and Ivan went quickly back to their idea to work on a low budget horror film again, which turned into 'Drag Me To Hell'. If you've seen the British horror film 'Night of the Demon', you'd see some good similarities between the two, but Sam wanted to make a movie about a pleasant and very nice individual who makes one bad decision out of their very own greed, which comes back to haunt them in a the most horrific way. 'Drag Me To Hell' centers on a young woman named Christine (Alison Lohman), who is a sweet and well-mannered loan officer at a bank. She's kind, funny, and has a good boyfriend she loves (Justin Long). Her boss at the bank is always riding her to make the "hard decisions" in order to keep bank profits up and not allow people who need help with extensions or past payments. Christine doesn't agree with this sentiment, but when an elderly gypsy woman comes in and kindly asks for an extension on her house, Christine does not allow it in order to impress her boss and gain a small promotion.The old gypsy woman, played perfectly by Lorna Raver, curses Christine to hell for eternity. The rules are that Christine is now in possession of a button from the gypsy woman and must pass the button along to someone else within three days or she will be devoured by demons in a fiery hell below forever. Of course, none of this seems believable, but when strange and terrifying things start happening, Christine must try to make things right. The film is rated PG-13, which for a horror movie on Sam Raimi's watch, isn't the way to go, but Raimi wanted to do something different and rely on a psychological horror rather than a ton of gore. Needless to say, Raimi succeeded here on all levels. His ability to show shadows behind doors or evil footsteps lurking is highly suspenseful and works in each scene here. The more potent scares are in your face and downright terrifying, which might leave you nervously laughing at any moment. With the horror genre, Raimi perfectly inputs his comedic genius that rallies behind that of 'The Three Stooges' and some other off-beat dark humor, which is such a delightful and delicious mix of dialogue and gore. The performances are all solid, but the person who stands out is by far Lorna Raver as the old gypsy woman.Raver is a stage actress who is sweet and kind, but in this film, she is ugly, ruthless, and scary-as-hell. It's a great transformation and Raver just jumps into the deep end with her character and never swims back to the edge. At it's core, 'Drag Me To Hell' is a tale of morals and ethics, where you might be a sweet and kind person, but even one slip up and come back to bite you. It's a damn fine message and premise that will make you laugh and hide under the covers with the lights one. This is how you do a horror movie right.

I just loved this movie Every time i see it.I wish they make part two as well. One of my best horror movie that I have watched with many surprises. The sound just send shivers to my body. Totally worth watching. Although sounds are creepy and loud but that what make a horror movie