Drag Me to Hell (2009, Raimi)

"You will be surprised what you will be willing to do when the Lamia comes for you!" -Rahm Jas, Drag Me to Hell (2009)

I've been quite the fan of Raimi's recent Spider-Man films, but even so, his return to the horror genre is one of the most refreshing breaths of fresh air in the film world of the past few years. I'm hard-pressed to think of any horror films in the last decade that aren't either torture porn or simplistic, ineffective, artless remakes and regurgitations aimed at the multiplex-going tween crowd. A pair of exceptions are Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later and Neil Marshall's The Descent, but there's nothing that approaches Raimi's brand of expertly-crafted jump scares, creative gore, and horror comedy.

He's back in full Evil Dead 2/Army of Darkness mode here, something that becomes evident once the film has unspooled to the parking lot confrontation scene. That's when I knew that Raimi wasn't going to be compromising with something bland aimed at mainstream acceptance. And yet, the movie is so balls-to-the-wall, over-the-top entertaining that it's impossible to imagine most audiences not revelling in squeamish delight at the roller-coaster ride that Raimi has no doubt cooked up with devilish glee. In fact, one male audience member sitting in front of me was on pins and needles for the entire screening, screaming like a little girl, and as the end credits rolled, proclaiming to his friends "What was that?!? That was the craziest thing I've ever seen in my entire life!!!"

The movie has a lot in common with Evil Dead 2, from playful jump scares and an unrelentingly maintained tone of foreboding and dread, to similar thematic elements like abusive airborne spirits and an increasingly determined hero, this time a heroine, besieged by escalating horror comedy grossery. Yet despite the shared elements and stylistic shorthands, Drag Me still stands squarely on its own. It reaps the benefits both from the Hollywood slickness Raimi has been able to cultivate over the past decade working on Spider-Man, and his increasing facility work effortlessly with actors.

Lohman is exceedingly well-cast, and as much as I like early contender Ellen Page, Lohman is a far better fit for the role. Likewise Justin Long brings the perfect balance to his part. He's proven himself a very capable, realistic actor, and though somewhat unlikely, a charming leading man, while also retaining a character actor's sense of timing and skill with dialogue. And Lorna Raver, not a Hollywood mainstay by any means, makes the most of every line of dialogue and character flourish as the antagonistic Mrs. Ganush. She is nothing short of fabulous and fantastic, and as so much of the quality of the movie ultimately rests on her shoulders, her casting and performance deserve the highest kudos.

I don't want to reveal any of the marvelously icky scares or set-pieces, or too much of the third act. But it's characterized throughout by Raimi's unique talent at anticipating audience reaction, playing to it, turning it on it's side, and slyly nodding while pulling the bottom out from underneath. He's the carnival barker of high-budgeted horror comedy, and nothing is ever quite safe, even when he takes the audience by its hand and offers almost-believed promises, save for a sparkle and glint of the eye. Cinematographer Peter Deming works so collaboratively and successfully with Raimi that both the director's vision and heroine's point-of-view are perfectly balanced in the mind's eye of the audience; we're intimately brought into Christine Brown's world while Raimi's ironic storyteller's distance is simultaneously maintained, and this is no easy balancing act. There's even room for a term paper thesis supporting the interpretation that Christine Brown's haunting is all a figment of her own imagination and the result of a potential eating disorder; and this kind of narrative possibility and playfulness will only serve to reward multiple viewings, and ensure the Drag Me's life as a cult favorite.

I know from interviews that Raimi is headed back to work on Spider-Man 4 feeling rejuvenated in a way after the shooting of this film that he hasn't felt in years, and excited to bring that energy back into the Spider-Man franchise. I can only hope that between every future major Hollywood film, he decides the best thing for him creatively is to go off and make one of his signature horror films. It's as much fun as Star Trek, as certainly the only fun the horror genre has seen in years.

I won't go so far as to say that Drag Me is a perfect film. It still has elements of B-moviedom to it, yet that's also part of its unassuming charm. It's the balance between this and its Hollywood gloss, all orchestrated by Raimi with such confidence and flair, that makes it such a success as pure entertainment. The genre needs Raimi, and it finds him here at his most creatively gonzo and brilliantly inventive.

9/10