Drag Me to Hell

Weekend nights Blockbuster geeks, such as me, more revered Sam Raimi for his Evil Dead trilogy starring Bruce Campbell and Ted Raimi.

Raimi may be better known to his Hollywood audience for his Spiderman trilogy, but his premiere Drag me to Hell horror flick is the second of its kind, allowing Raimi creative control since his first movie in filmmaking.

The movie stars that quirky MAC computer guy Justin Long and an actress I am not too familiar with, Alison Lohman.

Previews looked ridiculous as an old fart seeks bitter revenge on a young woman revoking her mortgage loan, but the same graphic genius seen in the Spiderman films is implemented nicely in Raimi’s new horror film, leaving curious movie goers paying the pocket-pinching admission for Drag me to Hell.

Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) is an ambitious L.A. loan officer with a charming boyfriend, Professor Clay Dalton (Justin Long). Christine’s lifestyle is seemingly good until the repulsive and mysterious Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Rivers) requests a mortgage loan extension, leaving the decision to Christine to accept or deny the request from the struggling Mrs. Ganush on her loan. (This scenario sounds quite familiar in the times we live in today.) But beyond Miss Brown’s better judgment, she denies the old woman for the extension, shaming Mrs. Ganush and dispossessing her of her home. In retaliation, the displeasing Mrs. Ganush places the dreadful curse of the Lamia on Miss Brown, transforming her life into a living hell.

I expect the film to be somewhat ridiculous as I cannot foresee an old woman scarring me into Hell, but Raimi is the prime candidate for mixing horror and comedy together as seen in the aforementioned Evil Dead trilogy. (Another great film mixing comedy and horror is American Werewolf in London, minus the sequels if were talking genius films.)

I am eager to watch the special effects and creative story plot, being a screenplay writer myself.

I need to see originality, such as in Jeepers Creepers, one and two, and that new scary sorority movie yet to be released (the upload is on You Tube.)

New monsters, slightly intelligent characters, and settings based in reality seem to equate to better horror flicks.

3-D films are also coming back as seen in the Valentines Day Massacre 2009 (the beauty of the body count cannot be ignored as I lost count after the vigilante murdered an entire hospital in the opening scenes.)

But Raimi fans have a lot in stored since the Evil Dead creator has not made a horror film since the ‘90s. The horror genre gives screenplay writers and directors leeway for creativity and serves as escape valves of the studio scrutiny that comes with big budget films. (My mother told me the other day a German created a zombie film on a $70 budget.)

“[Horror film are] not looked up upon,” said Raimi. “But there’s a craft to making a good one. It’s like being a cabinetmaker, or maybe not a cabinet- more like a footstool. It’s not something people value.”

He added: “I love good character dramas, but what I really wanted this time was a real audience thrill machine. I wanted to give them an out-of-control ride, and I wanted to get them up on their feet and screaming. I love it when at a horror movie you can sense the audience bonding together. It’s a communal experience.”

Drag me to Hell premiers in theaters May 29 along with other movie titles including the Pressure Cooker, Up, and other features, in my opinion will probably receive higher ratings but not as enjoyable as Raimi’s film.

Zombie fans are prepared. Raimi is back to continue the genius in dark comedy this coming Friday.