Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1581 in DVD
• Released on: 2009-10-26
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 99 minutes

Synopsis
After a very successful detour into comic book adaptations with the Spider-Man series, director Sam Raimi goes back to his horror roots with DRAG ME TO HELL. Raimi takes the helm for this 'spook-a-blast' shocker about an ambitious L.A. loan officer who incurs the wrath of a malevolent gypsy by refusing to grant her an extension on her home loan. Determined to impress her boss and get a much-needed promotion at work, Christine Brown (Alison Lohman - MATCHSTICK MEN) lays down the law when mysterious Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver) literally comes begging for mercy at her feet. In retaliation for being publicly shamed, Mrs. Ganush places the dreaded curse of the Lamia on her unfortunate target, transforming Christine's life into a waking nightmare. Her sceptical boyfriend, Clay (Justin Long - DIE HARD 4.0), casually brushing off her disturbing encounters as mere coincidence, Christine attempts to escape eternal damnation by seeking out the aid of seer Rham Jas (Dileep Rao). But Christine's time is fast running out, and unless she's able to break the curse, she'll be tormented by a demon for three days before literally being dragged to hell.

Customer Reviews

Potential 5 star horror slightly sabotaged by Raimi being Raimi
This is great entertainment, not very scary, but capable of making you jump, and full of brooding atmosphere. The plotting is much slicker and tighter than older Raimi efforts such as "The Evil Dead", avoiding predictablity by dangling tempting clues and red-herrings as to which way things might go. Casting is also fantastic with everyone perfect for their role, especially Alison Lohmann in the best horror debut since Jamie Lee in the seventies. One of the movie's greatest strengths is how it flits between very everyday scenes and more liminal settings: seances, graveyards and the gypsy home and yet always manages to conjure a sense of horror no matter how mundane the surroundings.

As a Blu-Ray it is probably the HD sounds that impress the most. Surround sound is a gift for horror directors and it is used to great effect here. The music is also very well judged blending the suspenseful, eerie and threatening at appropriate moments. Picture quality is very good, with very sharp almost three-dimensional close-ups. Of course, not everything is presented mega sharp and glossy, as that would not fit the horror atmosphere, but the BD quality is never in doubt.

People who have seen "The Evil Dead" will know how Raimi blends gore and goofiness, the shocking and the silly, and while he has become more restrained there is just a little too much of that for me to give this five stars. Raimi fans may disagree, but I find the 'humourous' gore and gross-out scenes too silly to be in service to this film, because the tone is far less consistent here than in "The Evil Dead". And couldn't someone have told Raimi that floating cloths are just not scary?

The trademark Raimi moments take a little shine off the film, but cannot ruin what remains a very entertaining film with a strong identity, despite its occasional borrowings. I also found the ending very good, not entirely unpredictable but still enough steps away from what I expected to delight. Definitely recommended, just be aware that Raimi's love of the goofy in horror films has not abated. The difference between the two cuts is minimal. I slightly preferred the non-theatrical version.

Horror? - Horror spoof? - Horror comedy?
I had high hopes for this film but I was glad I rented it first instead of buying it.
It had 2 of the most gormless actors out there, one new to me and one well known from Jeepers Creepers. They put me off from the start.
I'm aware of Sam Raimi's style from Evil Dead but I couldn't like this film. I got bored of the numerous jumpy scenes and the dead-granny face-sucks.
Quite liked the ending but otherwise it was a waste of time.

P.S The girl really was annoying!

Drag yourself to this...
Didn't know anything about this until it was heard that Sam Raimi has taken a break from blockbusters to make it - bit of a cheek, that makes it sound like a sort of project to pass the time or put food on his table - that's crazy! Now I like Spiderman and all that but lets get this straight, shock horror flicks is what he's best at, and what allowed him to even get on the board to make those bigger films.

Basically revolves around a young loan officer who in trying to get in prime position for a promotion, refuses a loan to a withered old woman, perhaps against her better judgement and, unfortunately for her, said woman happens to be a gypsy, and because of the embarrassing way in which she was refused, in turn puts a curse on her for this apparent sin. What leads from her is really enjoyable, gross out hammer horror at its undiluted best! Raimi goes back to his roots and delivers scenes here that will have you wincing in your seat one minute and jumping out of it the next!
There are bits reminiscent of Evil Dead, obviously, but they're done as homage rather than rip off, given a modern day slant, although true enough to be nostalgic, but for those who haven't seen that classic (Is there anyone?) they will come across as a bit of a surprise to say the least.

It's a real shocker too, the past few years horrors have been changed since the Scream generation which made horrors smart (Well some) snappy and more of a `who done it' type affair, where as this is a relentless back to basics shocker - and I tell you, it literally had me jumping around in my seat like a hyperactive kid after a jumbo sized full fat coke. Gross out moments come thick and fast and although only a 15 cert, there are some real scary and suspenseful moments, followed by black comedy, it's a great mix.

Best bet if I were you, keep your thinking cap to one side, don't expect an Oscar contender, but just get it for a dark, cold night and enjoy...it will make you think twice about not helping that little old goat across the road next time you see one.

78 out of 100