Don’t let the advertisements fool you. Drag Me to Hell is no serious masterpiece of horror cinema. But it is a welcome return to what made Sam Raimi a camp genius.

Drag Me to Hell

Starring: Alison Lohmen (of White Oleander), Justin Long (who will forever be the nerd from Galaxy Quest and Drew Barrymore’s sometimes boyfriend), David Paymer, among a few others.

Rated: PG-13 (for violence, language, and kitten abuse)

IMDb Rating: 8.4 (Wow.)
RottenTomatoes: 93% (Double wow.)

Sample Review:

Think of this as Night of the Demon on amphetamines as reimagined by the Three Stooges.

For fans of Evil Dead and Army of Darkness, Drag Me to Hell will be like a trip to the past. To a better time, when movies didn’t take themselves so seriously, and even satire wasn’t self-serving. This movie is a horror-comedy, unafraid to go there on the big screen, where so many of its ilk are relegated to direct-to-DVD release.

It tells the story of a young woman attempting to escape her past as a chunky farm girl in order to live a more yuppiefied lifestyle. She has a good job as a loan officer, but is eyeing the newly vacant assistant manager’s position. She has a psychology professor boyfriend, but still hasn’t lived up to the expectations of his wealthy parents. It’s a common story.

Until an old woman asks her for help with an extention on her loan. She has already had two extensions, and now the bank is threatening to claim the old woman’s house. Do you think the young woman makes a good decision and extends the woman one final loan? Or do you think she ruthlessly denies the woman in favor of a promotion?

What follows is an epically awesome and hilarious decent into madness involving seances, talking goats, and other assorted looniness. If you have a weak stomach for body fluids, this might not be your film. But if you enjoy the camp classics of yesteryear, give this movie a chance. I laughed heartily throughout.