Drag Me To Hell

Drag Me To Hell is the Sam Raimi movie old school Sam Raimi fans have been waiting for for years. Well, maybe not the movie. But it's a close substitute until that glorious day finally comes.

First of all, the trailer for this movie does not do it justice. The trailer makes this look like any of the generic PG-13 horror movies the studios have been pumping out for the last decade. It doesn't reveal any of the gleeful Raimi humor that makes his horror so entertaining. The good news is, none of the good parts are spoiled before you watch the film.

This movie has all of the elements that made the Evil Dead movies the cult favorites they have become. Gruesome hags, demonic possession, unexpected jolts, and plenty of spraying bodily fluids. Most importantly, it has a protagonist worthy of standing next to Ash. You won't believe some of the crazy things Alison Lohman does in this movie. But if a demon was going to drag you to hell in three days you'd probably go a little crazy too. She gives what is perhaps the best performance by a woman in any horror movie I've ever seen. While many horror films have female protagonists, they are rarely given more to do than flee in terror. Lohman is given much more to do, and it's great.

There are plenty of gross out moments, and most of the scares are in the form of sudden jolts and loud noises. But Sam Raimi gives us plenty of silliness too. He's bringing the fun back to horror. And it's a much needed return, when the dour Saw franchise is the biggest thing in the genre these days.