Drag Me to Hell

Sam Raimi is probably best known to the public for his role as director on the three numbingly successful "Spider-Man" films. It isn't like he's sold out, two of those three films were solid entertainment fare. By the bloated and unnecessarily quirky third film, it was clear his heart wasn't exactly in it anymore. But, with the dump truck loads of cash he's earned on the films, he now can return to his old playground, a genre where has always managed to maintain his roots: the horror genre.

Raimi revolutionized horror with the "Evil Dead" series with its extraordinarily perverted and slapstick brand of horror. Now "Drag Me to Hell" is no "Evil Dead." Not even close. However, it does offer a fair share of fun, scares, and weirdness for those looking for their horror fix.

Alison Lohman plays the bank loan officer who pisses off a gypsy. Because she does this, the gypsy deems it necessary to curse her to hell. This is actually a lot worse than it sounds, because apparently Lohman only has eight days more to live before she is in the most literal sense, dragged to hell. And those eight days leading up to the dragging won't be fun either...because she's kind of haunted by loads of creepy demons and other gobbledygook.

This film must be given props for not racking up kills and extravagant deaths. THIS is horror though. You have mucus flying left and right, dentures and eyeballs popping out, creepy old ladies, and goats being possessed. If this all sounds goofy, it's because it is. That's the point. "Drag Me to Hell" straddles a very fine line between horror and farce, but Raimi succeeds as he did with the "Evil Dead" series.

Lohman plays a sympathetic and heartfelt lead. It's just brilliant how she placates her being dragged to hell woes by eating ice-cream. She's a character whose plight you may not be able to relate to, but you're definitely rooting for her.

But by the end of the film, there is no real sense of anything being accomplished. Yes, the title is self-fulfilled but an audience is left with not much more than joyful emptiness. You've watched a master of parlor tricks do what he does best. But you can't help but wish there were further steps taken in making this simply more. And with this cinematic style of horror, what can only be gained is in the experience itself. It isn't something you'll reflect on for more than a minute. Don't worry about having trouble sleeping later.

It's a fun time to be had though. Raimi knows what buttons to push. One only wishes he would push them further.