DRAG ME TO HELL
(Dir: Sam Raimi 2009) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1127180/
Reviewed by: Whitney
Plot Overview: A young woman, Christine Brown, is inflicted with a Gypsy curse on her after refusing to help an elderly lady for her own personal gain.
Few horror directors can effectively, not just straddle the line, but jump rope between thrills and comedy. Raimi's arsenal of horror seamlessly does this time and time again. For me, Raimi can perfectly execute the necessary levels of garish gore required to keep me entertained, make me laugh a little, and simultaneously throw up, ever so slightly, in my mouth; like when the old woman's corpse spews, or rather, projectile vomits bile and rotting fluids into Christine's mouth. Yeah.... about like that. Trust me, it's a great scene.
The plot isn't really anything we haven't seen before- Gypsies tormenting non-Gypsy folk with supernatural curses. Even for Raimi, the "curse" theme has already been well traveled territory. Perhaps because of this, the movie itself has a very familiar feel and is, in many parts, is reminiscent of Sam Raimi's earlier works, like Evil Dead. Because of this, and Raimi's impact on the horror film industry, the film has a vintage vibe, stylistically, but still looks like modern cinematography. The characters' parts aren't overacted and I don't even mind the "I'm a Mac" guy (you know, the one who kind of looks like every 20-something brunette male comedian that has ever graced the set of SNL. Yeah, that guy), being cast in this movie as the male lead. That's surprising, because I kind of hate that guy.
So here are some personal thoughts: After watching, to no surprise, many episodes of "My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding" (I think it's on Lifetime or TLC or some veritable crap like that), I, as a person with waning political correctness, understand that Sam Raimi's depiction of Gypsies and their culture is not at all accurate. With that being stated, I like Raimi's ideas of Gypsies way better then how TLiftime portrays them. Call me racist, but you know you enjoy supernatural Gypsies far more than realistic folks as well. Mehmeh. There is a woman who comes into the frozen custard shop where I work and, I swear, aside from having better teeth and two good eyes, she looks like the Gypsy woman from this movie. Is this pertinent to the plot line? Not at all, but I would like to add that this may be why I feel this movie is both comedic and a little bit frightening- because real life scary witch-looking elderly women really exist. God forbid I don't give her a big enough scoop size when she comes in, least I be finding myself in a similar situation as Christine Brown. Eepps! No thank you! I mean, this isn't the type of movie that I can't sleep at night after watching it, and I probably chuckle more than anything else, but still, it has a little somethin' somethin' that is slightly creepy, and that's the old woman. Not even the demons summoned by the curse are really that frightening, in my opinion. Maybe you personally don't feel this way because you do not work at a custard shop with crazy old gypsy women as your regular customers and you can't understand my sentiment, but maybe you have a crazy, creepy grandmother or something and do...
This is the watchable silly for which horror aficionados swoon. It's the right amount of cheesy blood, vomit, and insects to make the viewer engage and laugh instead of turning away in disgust from the thrill scenes. It's enjoyable to those who like scary movies and who are big babies and find themselves too frightened to watch horror movies alone in the dark. Watch it alone, watch it with friends, watch it again. Tis' the season, after all.
Rating: 7.5/10
Scare scale: Sleep with the lights off.
The plot isn't really anything we haven't seen before- Gypsies tormenting non-Gypsy folk with supernatural curses. Even for Raimi, the "curse" theme has already been well traveled territory. Perhaps because of this, the movie itself has a very familiar feel and is, in many parts, is reminiscent of Sam Raimi's earlier works, like Evil Dead. Because of this, and Raimi's impact on the horror film industry, the film has a vintage vibe, stylistically, but still looks like modern cinematography. The characters' parts aren't overacted and I don't even mind the "I'm a Mac" guy (you know, the one who kind of looks like every 20-something brunette male comedian that has ever graced the set of SNL. Yeah, that guy), being cast in this movie as the male lead. That's surprising, because I kind of hate that guy.
So here are some personal thoughts: After watching, to no surprise, many episodes of "My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding" (I think it's on Lifetime or TLC or some veritable crap like that), I, as a person with waning political correctness, understand that Sam Raimi's depiction of Gypsies and their culture is not at all accurate. With that being stated, I like Raimi's ideas of Gypsies way better then how TLiftime portrays them. Call me racist, but you know you enjoy supernatural Gypsies far more than realistic folks as well. Mehmeh. There is a woman who comes into the frozen custard shop where I work and, I swear, aside from having better teeth and two good eyes, she looks like the Gypsy woman from this movie. Is this pertinent to the plot line? Not at all, but I would like to add that this may be why I feel this movie is both comedic and a little bit frightening- because real life scary witch-looking elderly women really exist. God forbid I don't give her a big enough scoop size when she comes in, least I be finding myself in a similar situation as Christine Brown. Eepps! No thank you! I mean, this isn't the type of movie that I can't sleep at night after watching it, and I probably chuckle more than anything else, but still, it has a little somethin' somethin' that is slightly creepy, and that's the old woman. Not even the demons summoned by the curse are really that frightening, in my opinion. Maybe you personally don't feel this way because you do not work at a custard shop with crazy old gypsy women as your regular customers and you can't understand my sentiment, but maybe you have a crazy, creepy grandmother or something and do...
This is the watchable silly for which horror aficionados swoon. It's the right amount of cheesy blood, vomit, and insects to make the viewer engage and laugh instead of turning away in disgust from the thrill scenes. It's enjoyable to those who like scary movies and who are big babies and find themselves too frightened to watch horror movies alone in the dark. Watch it alone, watch it with friends, watch it again. Tis' the season, after all.
Rating: 7.5/10
Scare scale: Sleep with the lights off.
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