Rating of
4/4
One Hell of a Nightmare
GeminiSixty6 - wrote on 06/30/09
From the film’s opening sequence Sam Raimi grabs you and drags you along for a frightening ride. The opening sequence I found to be amazing! Set in 1969 in Pasadena, California, a young Mexican couple rushes to the home of medium Shaun San Dena (Flor de Maria Chahua). Their son had stolen jewelry from a group of Gypsies three days prior, and since then, has been complaining of seeing and hearing things not of this earth. San Dena tries to help the boy in a seance, but she and the boy’s parents can only watch in horror as the boy is thrown from the balcony by an unseen force before being pulled into Hell by demonic hands. Then BOOM, you are shot right into the title and opening credits with a very moving score by Christopher Young.
The film then jumps to present day where we meet Christine Brown (Alison Lohman), a struggling loan officer who hopes to be promoted to assistant manager over her conniving co-worker, Stu Rubin (Reggie Lee). To prove herself capable of handling tough decisions Christine, against her better judgment denies Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver) a third extension on her mortgage. That night Christine is attacked in her car by Mrs. Ganush. After a violent struggle, Mrs. Ganush removes a button from Christine’s jacket and uses it to place a curse on her. Mrs. Ganush disappears, leaving the cursed button with Christine. After some violent attacks, seeing things, and hearing things Christine learns that the spirit haunting her is actually a demon called the Lamia, and that she is to be tormented by it for three days before being dragged to Hell to burn for eternity. From there on out Christine is desperate to find a way to rid herself of this curse, and seeking the help of Shaun San Dena.
Sam and Ivan Raimi have written an amazing story here! It’s just the hit of originality Hollywood needed out of the horror genre. The cast has no big name stars, but is solid non-the-less. Sam Raimi’s return to the horror genre is a beautiful one, and long overdue in my opinion. Drag Me to Hell is the first film in a long while that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Yeah it’s PG-13, but it proves that not all horror films have to be full of gore and hit with an R rating to be entertaining. It’s suspenseful, laugh out loud funny sometimes, and just a jewel to watch on the big screen. WARNING: If you have a soft spot for kittens you might want to research some of the kitten scenes in the film. Sam Raimi doesn’t have to drag me anywhere to get a kick ass rating out of me. I give Drag Me to Hell four out of four stars!
