Synopsis: Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) is on her way to having it all: a devoted boyfriend (Jason Long), a hard earned job promotion and a bright future. But when she is forced to make a tough decision, that evicts and elderly woman from her home, Christine becomes a victim of an evil curse. Now she only has three days to dissuade a dark spirit from stealing her soul before she is dragged to Hell for an eternity of torment. Director Sam Raimi (Spiderman, Evil Dead Trilogy) returns to the horror genre with a vengeance in the film that critics rave is "the most crazy, fun and terrifying horror movies in years!" (Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly.)
So, for clarity, I don't agree with the statement "the most crazy, fun and terrifying horror movies in years!" made by Owen Gleiberman at Entertainment Weekly. If that is what he believes, then he's been watching the WRONG horror movies. That's not to say that Drag Me to Hell, is a bad horror movie. I just don't rate it as highly as they do and honestly I didn't go much for it, the first time I watched it. It was a little 'meh' for my taste, but I decided to give it another chance, and I am somewhat glad I did. It's not a bad horror movie and I've definitely seen worst.
Overall, Drag Me To Hell is well put together, and has a tight storyline and a unexpected twist at the end. The actors for this one, were well cast and fulfilled their roles nicely and director Sam Raimi's stamp is definitely on this with style. You could tell, a lot of thought had gone into set placements and details. The opening scene, was a good foundation, and expectations were met based upon that but there is a part of me that still thinks, there could have been 'more' and some scenes were a little cliche and overlooked, but that could be me just being picky, after all I am that person that looks for chest movement in a death scene... lol..
The only other issue I had with this film is the mythological flaws with the Lamia demon who is the one, coming to get Christine's soul. According to Greek Mythology, Lamia, is a female demon who devoured children. The ancient commentaries on Aristophanes' Peace say she was a queen of Libya who was beloved by Zeus. When Hera robbed her of her children from this union, Lamia killed every child she could get into her power.
In Drag Me to Hell, The Lamia is an ancient and powerful demon that can be called upon by evil sorcerers or witches, as well as Gypsies who seek revenge on people who have wronged them - once the curse is activated, the Lamia will haunt the victim for three days and nights before it ultimately opens a portal to Hell and drags them into the fiery pit of lost souls to suffer an endless torment at the hands of the evil dead.
I am not sure why, the Lamia was twisted in such away, given I am sure there are other creatures of mythology that would have fit the part perfectly but again, I am someone who is irked by such things.
In conclusion, Drag Me to Hell is what it is and if you enjoy horrors, that have demonic elements, curses and an ongoing off putting feel, then I recommend you watch Drag Me to Hell. Trailer courtesy of ScreamFactor TV.
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