In 1981, at the tender age of 22, college dropout Sam Raimi cemented his reputation as an auteur.
His debut feature, "The Evil Dead," became a cult classic and was followed by "The Evil Dead II" and "Army of Darkness." The trilogy combined gore, suspense and action with a heaping helping of tongue-firmly-in-cheek camp comedy. Raimi was obviously a fan of the horror genre, and it was apparent he reveled in creating his own version. "Army of Darkness" was so over the top, people not in on the joke merely thought it was stupid. Those in the know chuckled even while being scared.
With a decidedly B-movie approach, it's surprising Raimi was tapped to direct the high-profile, big-budget "Spider-Man" films. Three have been released, with numbers four and five on the way. He certainly proved himself.
But Raimi obviously still has a place for his "drive-in" style films, and he gloriously (with, again, a lot of humor) returns to his roots with the release of his latest movie, "Drag Me to Hell."
I'm not a fan of the sadistic gore-fest genre ("Saw," "Hostel") that has been so popular lately. The three scariest movies I've seen are: "The Exorcist," Roman Polanski's "The Tenant" and (again Polanski) "Rosemary's Baby." Psychological horror films, the lot.
"Drag Me to Hell" is as scary as the destination in its title but has Raimi's signature stamp on it. You'll jump out of your seat, be somewhat revolted and laugh - at the same time during many of the key scenes. Rated PG-13, "Drag Me" doesn't have the gore factor of the "Evil Dead" movies, but younger viewers (and those of us who are still scared by bumps in the night) will likely be disturbed.
There's a lot that can't be given away. These kinds of films - especially ones done by masters like Raimi¬ - rely on the element of surprise. And there are several here.
The general premise is this: Christine, played by Alison Lohman who was cast when Ellen Page ("Juno") dropped out, is a loan officer at a bank and is eager for the promotion her boss is dangling in front of her.
Another candidate for the position is tougher than Christine. After a talk with the boss, Christine is determined to show them that she, too, can be heartless.
Her next client is a grizzled and gnarly (in classic Raimi style) old Gypsy woman who is begging for an extension on her mortgage. Christine refuses. Bad decision.
The old woman goes berserk right in the bank. The ensuing scenes prove only Raimi can make an audience laugh when an old woman gets stapled in the eye.
The crone curses Christine with the "curse of the Lamia." And it's a heck of a curse.
While her boss - played by veteran actor David Paymer - and her boyfriend (Justin Long) think she's just upset by being attacked by a crazy old woman, we see that she is indeed being physically haunted.
Raimi does great things with shadows, sounds, camera angles and jolts.
Christine seeks the help of a mystic who recognizes the Lamian curse. She's a psychic we saw in the prologue. And we also saw what can happen to a hapless victim.
Christine has but three days to pass the curse on to someone else, the only way to get rid of it. Who will it be: boss, co-worker, boyfriend, boyfriend's mom?
I won't tell you.
"Drag Me to Hell" honestly scared me, but its sense of fun is welcome. There are gruesome images but not much sadistic gore. Raimi is obviously happy to be back to his first cinematic love.[[In-content Ad]]
Jim Wunderle owns Wunderle Sound Services and is a Springfield freelance writer and musician. He can be reached at info@wunderlesound.com.
