Drag Me To Hell

Welcome back, Sam. It's been many years since you've given us a horror film (even more if you exclude Army of Darkness, given its more action/comedy vibe), yet clearly you've still got it. Even with the limits of PG-13, Drag Me to Hell manages to relentlessly attack the audience with so many jump scares, you'll be on the edge of your seat the entire film, knowing if you relax for even a second, some frightening image will pop off the screen. But while jump scares are usually the cheapest kind, director Sam Raimi knows how to utilize them, especially when they're mixed with his signature comedic touch. Drag Me to Hell wont be the scariest film you've ever seen, but in the modern, watered-down world of horror, you'll be hard pressed to find one that is as much fun. Fans of Raimi's work, especially of his Evil Dead trilogy, may notice little callbacks to those films, and his time as a young filmmaker. In one scene, a possessed many does a little dance jig, which I believe Bruce Campbell did as Evil Ash in Army of Darkness. The acting is solid all around the board, even Justin Long, who is both loved and reviled by so many. Which is comforting, watching a horror film without cringing at terrible acting. Younger horror fans will certainly dig Drag Me to Hell, showing them a side of the genre they might not have been introduced to yet, and die hard Raimi fans will relish the style and passion they remember from his older work. Drag Me to Hell is a creepy, funny, gross little picture, and I guarantee you'll walk out of the theater with a smile on your face.

Genre - Horror (3.75)

Screenplay (4)
Acting (3)
Production (4)
Directing (4)