View Full Version : Drag Me To Hell
Pyro Tramp
05-28-09, 07:50 PM
Drag Me To Hell
.....drag everyone to the cinema!
http://www.nerve.com/CS/blogs/screengrab/2009/04/drag-me-to-hell_l.jpg
For horror fans, the name Raimi is synonomous with controversial, classic, intuitive Evil Dead series. The films are taken past their genre and budget confines in part to Raimi's distinctive direction. Now for other film fans, the name my raise a few 'ahhs' when put against his more commercial offerings of the blockbusting Spiderman franchise. Funnily enough, both trilogies are addressed in the trailer, a great juxtaposition to draw in both audiences. The film itself is relatively straightforward, our leading lady Christine doesn't grant an old gypsy lady a mortgage extenstion and in turn the old lady curses her with a demon that will literally drag her to hell in 3 days.
This a starts a stream of constant torment upon our lovely Christine, slowly become more physical and outlandish as the curse progress and the demon begins to take form. The film essentially relies on 'jump' scares opposed to brutality or torture like many horror films of late have gone for. While this tactic might appear cheap at points, Raimi's talent behind the camera keeps the frights taut and genuinely tense at points. It also helps that Raimi has a talent for injecting black humour into everything, which i've never seen handled in such a sublime manner before. It lavishes in it's own disgust while managing to make us laugh, part nervous, part because some of it is so outrageous you have to. The atmosphere in the cinema was certainly an odd mixture of the two.
The performances are all strong from the cast, Justin Long perhaps mostly known for being more comedic roles is a bit of an odd one but as the film goes on he settles nicely into it. The real standout as the old gypsy woman and her multiple appearances as she gets more and more grotesque. The only real complaint is the CGI; there's a happy mixture with real makeup and effects but that only really shows up the CGI. Of the many references to Evil Dead throughout, there's one that has an eyeball fly into Christine's mouth which is heavily computer generated. Which could just be Raimi messing around (the wire moving the eyeball in Evil Dead 2 is comically obvious) or a worrying sign of what we may expect in whatever remake/sequel comes to Evil Dead.
It's a minor complaint for one of the most complete horror films since The Hills Have Eyes, and also vastly different to that. There's plenty of jumps combined with some edge of the seat tension and moments that are likely to turn most stomachs- if you don't end up laughing too hard. You can tell Raimi is having a lot of fun returning to the genre; the punishment put upon young actress Alison Lohman (Christine) is very reminscent of what Bruce Campbell suffered (though obviously not as physical with the CGI). Raimi's learnt a lot from Hollywood, the production values are high and it's accompanied with a ridiculously effective score yet the still feels very much like a b-movie. There's plenty of references for Evil Dead fans, even if a certain cameo was missing and there's some great frights. It's a strong entry into the horror franchise in a time that's far too pre-occupied with 'gorno'; it shows that spurting bodily liquids and shadows can be far more effective, even with a 15 rating. But most of all the fluid nature (pun intended) is the star, the blending of humour and horror without ever compromising the other is fantastic. Definite recommend.
4_5
TheUsualSuspect
05-28-09, 07:51 PM
Wow, I 've heard good things about this one, even though the previews didn't really interest me.
A return to horror everyone said. 95% on rotten tomatoes and a glowing review here. It has moved up on my list to must see.
Sad to hear about the lack of that certain cameo though....
Didn't like hearing it would be PG-13, for reasons I mentioned in the last podcast, but the reviews for this sucker are stellar across the board, so I'm there. Can't wait!
Great review! :up: Very excited.
Pyro Tramp
05-28-09, 08:01 PM
Yeah, well the trailer didn't do much for me either but Raimi going back to horror was enough for me to want to see it. And i really can't stress enough how much that the rating shouldn't deter you from it.
Powdered Water
05-28-09, 11:00 PM
Thanks Pyro, I will definitely be checking this out.
r3port3r66
05-29-09, 10:54 AM
...yellow 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88...?
Very cool... LT will want to see this, I am sure. Will probably check it out this weekend!
BadaBing
05-29-09, 01:14 PM
Great review. I am going to the movies tomorrow with some friends I haven't seen in a while, and this is the movie they chose. The trailer makes it look stupid in my opinion, but now I'm excited.
Pyro Tramp
05-29-09, 10:50 PM
...yellow 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88...?
Completes two of three cameos i was hoping for
I really cannot wait to see this movie from what ive heard and the trailers ive seen this does look like a horror masterpiece :yup:
Its about time a decent horror movie was made as there hasnt been that many NEW movies that I have seen are anywhere near great. As a horror fan I watch allot of horror movies and this one does look like a great watch indeed.
MovieMan8877445
05-31-09, 08:46 PM
Just got back from seeing it, I loved it:
http://i43.tinypic.com/et5fo6.jpg http://i40.tinypic.com/14n1h6c.jpg http://i42.tinypic.com/16bm51k.jpg
Drag Me To Hell (Sam Raimi, 2009)
I’m sorry to start off sounding somewhat cheesy for the first line in my review, but I agree with the TV spots for this that ‘Sam Raimi is back with a vengeance’. I totally agree with that line, especially because I didn’t like the Spider-Man trilogy at all. I’d probably class them as the most overrated series ever, except the third, because it already was pretty bad received. I absolutely love the Evil Dead series, though, namely Evil Dead II. This movie reminded me so much of Evil Dead II too. The first trailer for this had me somewhat interested in it, but I probably could’ve just waited for the DVD then. It really wasn’t until these past couple of weeks that I really started getting excited for it, and I’ve started to notice that it happens with a lot of movies too. You can tell that Raimi had a considerably bigger budget to work with for this, but he still used his old techniques from the Evil Dead series.
Speaking of the Evil Dead series, I noticed some of the stuff that Raimi put in to this from the Evil Dead series too. Namely the eye ball scene, which any Evil Dead fan should know. Another kind of shout-out was the 1973 Oldsmobile thrown into the movie, but I wish that Raimi could’ve used some more references to the Evil Dead series. Another reference I noticed was that Destry Rides Again was playing on the TV at the pawn shop. What’s really surprising to me, though, is how well the movie worked seeing as most of the scares were jump scares. Usually this ends up hurting a movie, but the haunting score, overall creepy atmosphere to the movie, and comedic moments really helped the jump scares work. There were parts during the movie that I really couldn’t stop laughing, and neither could most of the people in the theater I was in. Most the second half of the movie really relies on the comedic moments, so I guess the second half just really depends on your tastes.
Alison Lohman was absolutely perfect as the leading lady in this. I don’t even think I can express that enough. On another note, she’s incredibly hot. I wouldn’t mind seeing some more movies with her in it. She’s the female Bruce Campbell you could say. I’m still pretty upset that Campbell didn’t even get a cameo appearance in this; I mean he even got a cameo appearance in the Spider-Man movies, and Raimi couldn’t have given him on this. During the entire first half of the movie Lohman’s character, Christine Brown, reminded me so much of Ash in the first Evil Dead. In the sense that the character is sort of a normal person thrown into an abnormal situation. Then in the second half she really seems to become the total badass like Campbell in Evil Dead II and Army Of Darkness. I heard a lot of complaints about Justin Long’s performance in this before watching, mainly hearing how he just didn’t fit with the rest of the movie. I thought he fit in just fine, at least during the comedic parts. It’s good to see him slowly moving out of comedies, though.
Overall, I’d say that any fan of the Evil Dead series would love this. It reminded me so much of Evil Dead II, even if Evil Dead II is still a much better movie. Something else I forgot to point out was the rather abrupt ending. You could see the ‘twist’ ending coming for a good 10-15 minutes before it actually happened, but the way it played out still ended up being pretty shocking. What really helped it was the way the title appeared on the screen right after it was over, because it was done in such a haunting way. Ultimately I went into the theater very excited to see it after waiting awhile to see it, and I left rather pleased if I say so myself. Raimi fans would love this, so I’d suggest checking it out if you’re a fan, and I really just say that because I know a lot of Raimi fans were saying the trailer wasn’t that interesting. Don’t let the PG-13 rating put off either, because this is in another league entirely of other PG-13 horror movies. I think this Is probably tied with Star Trek as my favorite of 2009 so far.
4+
Pyro Tramp
05-31-09, 08:51 PM
I'm not sure how i didn't see the twist coming, given it's rather obvious set-up. And Campbell was offered a cameo, i believe, but turned out due to commitments on Burn Notice. At least Ted Raimi got a cameo, i thought for a minute Bruce voiced that laughing spirit
Best bit, the dancing on the table? Pure Evil Dead moment
MovieMan8877445
05-31-09, 08:57 PM
I'm not sure how i didn't see the twist coming, given it's rather obvious set-up. And Campbell was offered a cameo, i believe, but turned out due to commitments on Burn Notice. At least Ted Raimi got a cameo, i thought for a minute Bruce voiced that laughing spirit
Best bit, the dancing on the table? Pure Evil Dead moment
Yeah, that was pretty great. The entire seance scene and Christine getting chased around the house and up the stairs by the demon were amazing, I'd say.
Saw this today. I feel, uh, somewhat differently than you guys, but I'm using different criteria, I think. Anyway, I'll try to have a review up in a day or two.
I haven't seen this yet, but the highest I give an Evil Dead flick is 3, and trust me, I like all of 'em. I don't know if this relates to what Yoda's talking about.
Here's my review of Drag Me to Hell, which I saw in an intentionally ironic double-feature today with Up.
I'm sure I'll get plenty of disagreement with this one, and that's fine, though I think most of it will come from people approaching the film from a fundamentally different angle. I'm taking a pretty unusual tack with this review, but I hope you find it interesting nontheless:
Drag Me to Hell (http://www.movieforums.com/reviews/drag_me_to_hell.html)
http://www.movieforums.com/images/main/drag_me_to_hell_main.jpg (http://www.movieforums.com/reviews/drag_me_to_hell.html)
Horror films are, at their core, about justice. Though it would seem odd to suggest that someone as influential in the horror genre as director Sam Raimi would ignore such an important principle, his latest effort, Drag Me to Hell, suggests as much. Most of its characters are good, decent people, though it takes a perverse delight in tormenting them all the more because of it.
...READ MORE
1.5
Powdered Water
06-01-09, 12:10 AM
Fair enough Yoda. I still have yet to see it, but I will fairly soon. I'm already pretty certain that I'm going to enjoy it.
Question: Why did you go see it? You had to have a pretty good idea of what you were getting into ahead of time. I ask because this type of flick just doesn't really seem like your cup of tea. And yet you went and saw it anyway and disliked it. So, why bother? Serious question.
Harry Lime
06-01-09, 12:28 AM
"Coincidentally, in the theater men's room afterwards, I happened to select a urinal containing a receipt for the film. It seemed an appropriate place."
Great stuff Yoda. Although I can't confirm whether it's justified for this film since I haven't seen it, it's still hilarious.
Pyro Tramp
06-01-09, 08:05 AM
Ok, Yoda, here's the inevitable backlash at your review. You say about horror films being about justice, i'm sure i can justify the fact it was the evil gyspy woman getting justice for her embarassment but even so, i'm not sure the fact it doesn't comply to genre convention a negative. What about The Exorcist or The Wicker Man? They're hailed as classic, where's the catharsis in what happens to their main characters? All horror films need a likeable character as the backpin to everything, Drag Me To Hell just cuts out the subsidary character to be dispatched beforehand. I think the fact the Alison is a nice person is what makes the humour work, if we weren't on a her side, there'd be the perverse delight in welcoming what happens to them. The fact we like her means there shouldn't be delight in what's happening to her but the outragesouly disgusting things happening with Raimi's dab hand at humour make it funny. It is manipulation but it works and don't see what's wrong with it. None of is morally questionable like gorno, it's just depraved fun. Wouldn't say any of it was brutal though
Eh.
Have you seen Evil Dead? I prob give it fanboy props for being such a throwback.
spudracer
06-01-09, 08:31 AM
Yoda has never really been a fan of the Horror genre, so I wasn't surprised when I saw how he rated it. Great reviews from both of you, clearly both sides of the spectrum. :up:
BadaBing
06-01-09, 10:37 AM
I saw this on Saturday. I don't know about everyone else, but I couldn't stop laughing the whole time. There were some parts that made me jump, but other than that I found the movie to be hilarious, especially the parking garage scene.
Fair enough Yoda. I still have yet to see it, but I will fairly soon. I'm already pretty certain that I'm going to enjoy it.
Question: Why did you go see it? You had to have a pretty good idea of what you were getting into ahead of time. I ask because this type of flick just doesn't really seem like your cup of tea. And yet you went and saw it anyway and disliked it. So, why bother? Serious question.
Fair question, too, and one I certainly expected I'd have to field. :) But I promise this isn't a case of someone criticizing a film they had no reason to think they would like in the first place (like an art-house snob at, say, a Jim Carrey flick). I appreciate a good horror film, like Sam Raimi's films, and was genuinely excited about this one. I'm sure most of you saw me talking on The Shoutbox about it over the past week. I'd heard very good things and thought it could be a fun horror romp. And, at times, it was.
I guess what it comes down to is this: we all agree, I'm sure, that there's a big difference between being scary and being merely disturbing. I didn't find Drag Me to Hell all that scary, and I felt that many scenes were designed simply to be extreme for their own sake. Certain things are shown not to be funny or clever or interesting, but simply because they're messed up.
It's not that I inherently dislike bleak films, either; I think Se7en is a modern masterpiece. But Drag Me to Hell just felt so...empty.
I keep trying to explain my thoughts further, but find that I can't really do so without spoilers, unfortunately, and since you've decided to see it I wouldn't want to do that. Suffice to say I hope you come back after you've seen it so I can explain my thoughts a bit more clearly. :)
Ok, Yoda, here's the inevitable backlash at your review.
It's quite welcome. :)
You say about horror films being about justice, i'm sure i can justify the fact it was the evil gyspy woman getting justice for her embarassment but even so, i'm not sure the fact it doesn't comply to genre convention a negative.
Hmm, should this say "can justify" or "can't justify"? While I don't necessarily expect everyone to agree that horror films work better when imbued with a concept of justice, I would certainly hope we can agree that, good or not, it certainly wasn't in Drag Me to Hell. The gypsies in this film are petty and fickle, and the punishments don't even remotely fit the "crime."
What about The Exorcist or The Wicker Man? They're hailed as classic, where's the catharsis in what happens to their main characters?
I haven't seen The Wicker Man yet but I know what happens, and you're certainly right in that it's an example of an "unjust" horror film, and it's entirely possible I'd feel that same way about that one (though I'd imagine it has more redeeming features). Don't think I'd agree with putting The Exorcist in there, though...
...I mean, the girl lives, after all, and the Priest chooses to put his own life at risk to save her. The film doesn't suggest that he had it coming, and given the film's premise that God and the Devil actually exist, his fate is hardly as final or off-putting as eternal damnation.
All horror films need a likeable character as the backpin to everything, Drag Me To Hell just cuts out the subsidary character to be dispatched beforehand. I think the fact the Alison is a nice person is what makes the humour work, if we weren't on a her side, there'd be the perverse delight in welcoming what happens to them. The fact we like her means there shouldn't be delight in what's happening to her but the outragesouly disgusting things happening with Raimi's dab hand at humour make it funny. It is manipulation but it works and don't see what's wrong with it. None of is morally questionable like gorno, it's just depraved fun. Wouldn't say any of it was brutal though
Well, I'd argue there was a perverse delight, and that it's the other-way 'round. Though extreme, it makes some sort of sense to cheer and laugh at shallow or selfish people meeting their end.
Hard to talk about some of this without getting into spoilers, so...I'll get into spoilers. :)
I might meet with a lot of disagreement on this particular point, but I think the film made some awkward, half-hearted attempts to suggest that she sorta-kinda deserved it. From the gypsy woman she met at the house who told her she "deserved whatever comes to you," to the admission right before the end, where she tells Clay that she could (and should) have given the woman the loan. I don't see much reason for that last point in particular except to make us think that maybe she deserved to be punished. That didn't sit right with me.
As for brutal...
...c'mon, it's eternal suffering! We see a kid get dragged into hell itself and hear his screams while he's on the other side. Then the same thing happens to Christine, and we see her face burning off.
But it's the last shot that brings it all home: Clay with tears in his eyes. Good grief. That wasn't fun, or funny, or anything other than "look at how messed up we are! He was so happy and now he's going to be haunted by this image forever! Ha-ha!" That shot is a perfect microcosm of what I'm talking about. What reason is there for it to exist other than to be depraved? Surely this qualifies as the "perverse delight" we both made reference to.
Have you seen Evil Dead? I prob give it fanboy props for being such a throwback.
Aye; I skipped the second as I heard it was sort of a remake of the first, and had already gotten a copy of Army of Darkness and didn't want to wait to watch it. :D I liked (but didn't totally LOVE) Evil Dead. Definitely a little messed up, but it had a completely different vibe to it. I know that's vague, but I imagine you know what I mean. And Army of Darkness was hoards of fun.
So, yeah, I'm not a horror fanboy or anything, and I don't worship at the alter of Raimi, but I've liked his stuff and I'm certainly capable of enjoying over-the-top bloodfests at times. I feel like Drag Me to Hell is something different.
NOTE: As time goes on, I find myself questioning whether or not a film is worthwhile simply because it is well-made. Does a film deserve credit simply for managing to invoke intense feelings--even if the feeling is disgust? Do we really have to artificially delineate between what we find impressive and what we find repulsive? I doubt that we can, or even should. I must admire Drag Me to Hell's proficiency as a lover of film, but I reject it as a person.
Horror is a peculiar genre. People might not like other genres because they're too fast-paced, too confusing, or just too dull, but horror is the one that you've got to have a stomach for. Personally, I'm not a horror fan. I do like a select body of horror films for various reasons, but on the whole, I avoid the genre entirely. I neither delight in, nor understand the attraction to, films that depict violence, suffering, bloodshed, and death simply for the sake of it.
So, I don't feel bad about trashing a film that disgusts me, even if that was the intent. The success of a film isn't entirely predicated on its ability to carry out its prescribed mission. Even if Saw wasn't so triumphantly asinine, I still wouldn't have enjoyed the film. It could be the Citizen Kane of torture cinema, but its ethos would still disagree with my personal definition of enjoyment. A film has got to be satisfactory on a personal level; I don't believe personal criteria should ever be divorced from one's technical assessment. If Drag Me to Hell was technically flawless, but also flawlessly revolting to the point that nobody would see it, then would its technical superiority even matter?
meatwadsprite
06-01-09, 05:48 PM
I might have to see this just because of the great feedback on DVD of course - though I likely enjoy it as much as Yoda did. Especially if it's anything similar to Raimi's first Evil Dead - which is still my pick for most annoying movie ever made.
MovieMan8877445
06-01-09, 06:29 PM
I saw this on Saturday. I don't know about everyone else, but I couldn't stop laughing the whole time. There were some parts that made me jump, but other than that I found the movie to be hilarious, especially the parking garage scene.
Christine yelling, "I won, you old bitch," had me almost falling out from my seat from laughing. It was so random, too, because that was probably one of the most serious scenes in the movie. Then they threw that random line in there.
meatwadsprite
06-01-09, 09:04 PM
I can't believe I actually liked this one !
A rare find in the horror genre (which I almost completely hate), an oddball mixture of the gross , the scary , and the funny.
FULL REVIEW (http://www.movieforums.com/community/showpost.php?p=536472&postcount=1070)
3.5
cannibals
06-01-09, 11:54 PM
I think that this film was suppose to be like an old fable with a warning. The kind of tale you tell your kid who wants to be a banker and foreclose someone's home to scare some sense into them.
Let that be a warning to everyone. Don't work in the bank industry. :)
igor_is_fugly
06-02-09, 12:20 AM
Great review! Yea, I loooove this movie! It reminds me of the type of movies I watched when I was younger that I founded my love of movies on:) Straight up, just one of the most fun movie viewing experiences I've had in a very long time.
damagedinc
06-02-09, 09:16 AM
Drag me to Hell review:
From my blog which i cant shamefully plug yet haha!
Lets be honest the trailer was rubbish but the reviews this film is getting made it to irresistible to miss.
Lately America has had nothing to offer regarding the horror genre, only remakes and reboots which does get a little repetitive, so I have been turning to the French, Spanish and Japanese for my thrills. They don’t have the restraints that Hollywood has and can let there creative juices flow, will probably run a top 10 or something in the near future.
Drag me to hell is American, original and not a remake or reboot, well **** me sideways hell has frozen over.
For those that don’t know, here is the plot in a nutshell, an old gypsy woman gets pissed off with Christine Brown for not offering an extension to her debts, so the bank repossesses her house and the gypsy puts an evil curse on her. The devil comes after Christine and she must find a way to escape being taken to the bowels of hell.
The first scene sets the premise up for the film perfectly and had me hooked from the start. It never takes itself too seriously with enough gags to lighten the mood and some brilliantly inventive body mutilation.
Sam Rami’s camera work was awesome often portraying the sense of unease our protagonist endures, along with some brilliant music and sound effects (probably the loudest I have ever experienced at the cinema)
Alison Lohman who plays Christine Brown does a really good job of adding fear, terror and humour to the role. She isn’t the pathetic screaming machine that most women are made to play in Hollywood horror. She makes logical decisions in illogical situations and most of all actually makes me care if she gets to the end of the film unscathed.
The film even brings up a few morale issues which will make you consider your future actions, after all the best way cure a curse is to avoid it all together.
My only criticism would be that a key plot device towards the end was a little obvious and that some of the scares are more jumpy rather then actually being pure terror.
Fans of horror owe it to themselves to watch this film.
9/10
Aye, the twist was very telegraphed and both my girlfriend and I saw it coming a mile away.
Funny thing I'm noticing about most of the positive reviews; they all seem to be praising the film for being fun/funny. How many of you guys actually found it genuinely scary? And not just in the "jump scene" sense (there were plenty of those).
I must ask, Chris - Who said this was supposed to be a scary film? I would think any Raimi film is a comedy/parody/satire first, with the horror tag added simply because it's gross-out horror/comedy. I don't think Raimi ever intends his stuff to be scary.
damagedinc
06-02-09, 01:08 PM
I would say there were three scenes where i would class myself as scared, that being the car lot scene up until you get the reveal of the old lady in the back of the car.
When the "curse" was chasing her up the stairs and you see the shadows and lastly parts of the seance.
If you went into this film expecting an all out horror then yes you will be disapointed, the fact the film seamlessly combined horror, cheap scares, humour and a "not taking myself too seriously" type attitued it completly won me over.
I would rather watch this a hundred times then see another cookie cutter cheerleader get stabbed by yet another guy in a mask.
My favorite horror of recent times being:
The orphanage
Rec
Frontiers
Dead End
[Rec] was great.
I also thought The Signal was pretty creative, although the second at is clearly parody/comedy... I also liked Cloverfield a whole lot...
No reason people have to be scared, no, just asking if anyone was. It's perfectly fine to like the film for being amusing, instead, though I'd say it's reasonable to dislike it for not being somewhat scary, as well. Either way I was mostly just curious, though, as it seems very few people actually found it scary, whether they love it or not.
Fair enough. I just figured with Raimi attached, people would know what they were in for. Alas, I think Raimi just isn't that well known to the average movie goer...
A friend just stopped by work and said this:
"Dude, why is that 'Drag me to Hell' movie getting such good reviews? It seemed more like a comedy than a horror! My girlfiend hated it!"
"Well, it is a Sam Raimi film"
"Who?"
"Your kidding, right?"
"No"
"Sam Raimi, you know, Evil Dead...Army of Darkness, Spiderman."
"Never head of him - this movie was kind of goofy."
"Right - It's Sam Raimi and stuff. He does goofy..."
"Oh, well, they shouldn't advertise it as horror if it's a comedy."
"Well, it is sort of both, I guess."
"That movie sucked."
"Here, try watching this with your girlfriend"
*I hand my friend of 'The Happy Little Elves in Tinkly Winkly Land'*
"Man, I hate you."
"I know."
Anyway, I think quite a few people will be tricked by this one....
Pyro Tramp
06-02-09, 07:21 PM
It's quite welcome. :)
Hmm, should this say "can justify" or "can't justify"? While I don't necessarily expect everyone to agree that horror films work better when imbued with a concept of justice, I would certainly hope we can agree that, good or not, it certainly wasn't in Drag Me to Hell. The gypsies in this film are petty and fickle, and the punishments don't even remotely fit the "crime."
I haven't seen The Wicker Man yet but I know what happens, and you're certainly right in that it's an example of an "unjust" horror film, and it's entirely possible I'd feel that same way about that one (though I'd imagine it has more redeeming features). Don't think I'd agree with putting The Exorcist in there, though...
...I mean, the girl lives, after all, and the Priest chooses to put his own life at risk to save her. The film doesn't suggest that he had it coming, and given the film's premise that God and the Devil actually exist, his fate is hardly as final or off-putting as eternal damnation.
With The Exorcist was more trying to go for Regan and all the perverse stuff she does. Can't be nice doing that with a crucifix for the little girl inside. In the eyes of the gypsy, Christine was getting justice and it's was overblown and excessive in it's nature. Much the like the entire film. Just because the action-reaction set-up isn't 'just' think that not only fits the tone of the film but is also mostly irrelevant. Halloween?
Well, I'd argue there was a perverse delight, and that it's the other-way 'round. Though extreme, it makes some sort of sense to cheer and laugh at shallow or selfish people meeting their end.
Hard to talk about some of this without getting into spoilers, so...I'll get into spoilers. :)
I might meet with a lot of disagreement on this particular point, but I think the film made some awkward, half-hearted attempts to suggest that she sorta-kinda deserved it. From the gypsy woman she met at the house who told her she "deserved whatever comes to you," to the admission right before the end, where she tells Clay that she could (and should) have given the woman the loan. I don't see much reason for that last point in particular except to make us think that maybe she deserved to be punished. That didn't sit right with me.
I wouldn't say they tried to make it seem like she deserved it, i mean her daughter's reaction would be rather natural.
And the her confession at the end was just to lull us into a false sense of security to make us think she'd found redemption before destroying her. We think she's beaten the curse, lesson learnt and can move on and grow. After making us enjoy what's happening to her all film, at least to a point in Raimi's intention, it makes a far more shocking finale to actually have her show a bit of remorse and then get punished
As for brutal...
...c'mon, it's eternal suffering! We see a kid get dragged into hell itself and hear his screams while he's on the other side. Then the same thing happens to Christine, and we see her face burning off.
But it's the last shot that brings it all home: Clay with tears in his eyes. Good grief. That wasn't fun, or funny, or anything other than "look at how messed up we are! He was so happy and now he's going to be haunted by this image forever! Ha-ha!" That shot is a perfect microcosm of what I'm talking about. What reason is there for it to exist other than to be depraved? Surely this qualifies as the "perverse delight" we both made reference to.
Ok, our definition on brutal differ. Brutal i refer to something like The Hills Have Eyes with people getting raped and faces smashed in. Some serious names were taken there. I wouldn't say it was depraved, the final is pretty shocking and a change from the type of scares we had before but not depraved, i mean if that happens in any film there's going to be a similar reaction.
Just because we've come to like Christine doesn't change what Clay's reaction would be that of upset, it's like any character dying in a film. I think the fact it got to you like that means it worked. I don't see her dying as any different to any other likeable character dying. Just because the nature of punishment is a little extreme we're not given any actual information of where she's being dragged to so i think it's irrelevant. I mean, she could be going to hell for having sex before marriage anyway. Thought the end was quite shocking and that's one of the primary functions of horror, if it had that effect it worked.
It's sick and a little twisted but depraved is something reserve for more violent actions that aren't here. Raimi might be depraved and making us laugh at bodily fluids coming in and out of people might be but he does make it work.
Aye; I skipped the second as I heard it was sort of a remake of the first, and had already gotten a copy of Army of Darkness and didn't want to wait to watch it. :D I liked (but didn't totally LOVE) Evil Dead. Definitely a little messed up, but it had a completely different vibe to it. I know that's vague, but I imagine you know what I mean. And Army of Darkness was hoards of fun.
So, yeah, I'm not a horror fanboy or anything, and I don't worship at the alter of Raimi, but I've liked his stuff and I'm certainly capable of enjoying over-the-top bloodfests at times. I feel like Drag Me to Hell is something different.
Oh you really need to get on Evil Dead 2. There's a reason fanboys love it and are loving Drag Me To Hell, the two share the most similar tone and i'm sure watching that would inform of you Raimi's style and tone more than the rest.
honeykid
06-02-09, 07:26 PM
Funny thing I'm noticing about most of the positive reviews; they all seem to be praising the film for being fun/funny. How many of you guys actually found it genuinely scary? And not just in the "jump scene" sense (there were plenty of those).
I'd ask how many people find horror films scary? I don't think I'm alone in liking horror films, but not being scared at all by them, am I? I can only think of one horror film that's ever scared me and that was The Entity, which I saw when I was about 9 and it wasn't the first horror film I'd seen either. Not by a long shot.
Pyro Tramp
06-02-09, 07:29 PM
Couple of em scared me when was younger, now i just enjoy the ride. This one did have me nervous a couple of times though, which hasn't happened in while at horror flicks
Johnny Chimpo
06-04-09, 09:45 AM
Scary movies are not my forte, although I've seen quite a few
I usually dont get scared at all. As of late, everyone raved at The Strangers, and I laughed at it the whole time.
But Drag Me to Hell?
SCARED THE SH*T out of me. Man it may be the scariest I have ever seen. I know everyone is going to say "Exorcist", but im of a younger generation and that movie is just a joke to me.
I know everyone is going to say "Exorcist", but im of a younger generation and that movie is just a joke to me.
That just means you have really bad taste in film, not that the film is bad. Sorry, but that film is well made, personal, and a seminal classic.
As for your reason why you dislike it, which you claim is your age, I know plenty of people who are 15-17 years old right now that love that film, so that just doesn't wash 'round here...
meatwadsprite
06-04-09, 11:05 PM
I refuse to watch it.
I've known some people who wouldn't watch it. Usually it was because their family said, "No way!" Others were afraid of what they saw as subliminal imagery. The movie presents a real enemy to mankind. Now, whether that enemy is Man himself or something otherworldly is presented as open to interpretation. Obviously, the priests know that they are dealing with Evil, and they believe it to be a concrete Spiritual Evil. Yes, that includes Father Karras who had lost his faith, barely ever had any, but saw something he couldn't explain based on rational, psychiatric explanations. Anyway, The Exorcist is a deep, profound movie, and if you look at it from only one perspective, you're missing the entire human experience, and if you're human, how could you do that?
It is okay to laugh and crap your pants all at the same time.
Powdered Water
06-05-09, 12:54 AM
And spew vomit... Can't forget that.
rice1245
06-05-09, 01:15 AM
I loved it, i went back and saw it again the next day because i can get in free now (i got hired at a theater!)
I personally liked how innocent the main character is and how much crap was spewed into her mouth. Sometimes you just need to accept and revel in the evil that is being done to the main character and with the humor involved it makes that much easier to do. Man i sounded like such a cold-hearted bitch =\ Like Sleezy said, i would be one of those people who have a huge 'stomach' for horror movies, i love them, all kinds, shapes and sizes.
And i didn't think that Justin Long was a random choice for this as he too was returning to his horror roots from Jeepers Creepers and Jeepers Creepers II
I thought Justin Long was excellent, especially during the last part.
The shot was Chris being dragged to hell was shocking, but Long's facial expression was what really got beneath my skin. You could really feel the pain he must have been feeling right at that moment. Perfectly done.
rice1245
06-05-09, 01:24 AM
^^^ i agree completely with the above post. That shot was awesome and it will 'haunt' the viewers joyously as they're trying to sleep at night :D
spoiler
06-05-09, 03:23 AM
I wasn't planning on watching another Horror/Thriller for a while, since I just watched Last House on the Left. Since you guys rave about this one I might need to check it out sooner than I had anticipated. :p
Iroquois
06-05-09, 03:27 AM
That just means you have really bad taste in film, not that the film is bad. Sorry, but that film is well made, personal, and a seminal classic.
As for your reason why you dislike it, which you claim is your age, I know plenty of people who are 15-17 years old right now that love that film, so that just doesn't wash 'round here...
Damn kids just don't have any respect anymore.
Also, I'm rather annoyed that this still doesn't have an Australian release date.
I'd ask how many people find horror films scary? I don't think I'm alone in liking horror films, but not being scared at all by them, am I? I can only think of one horror film that's ever scared me and that was The Entity, which I saw when I was about 9 and it wasn't the first horror film I'd seen either. Not by a long shot.
I don't know of the actual number, but I think almost all casual viewers still find them scary, and I think veterans of the genre can from time to time. Or, at least, feel a twinge of unease that is probably as close to fear as they can get from a film after taking in so many of them.
Either way, I think it's simultaneously reasonable for someone to enjoy a horror film without being scared, and to criticize it for failing to scare. It is, after all, still trying to frighten people at many points, so whether or not it succeeds seems a fair point to raise.
With The Exorcist was more trying to go for Regan and all the perverse stuff she does. Can't be nice doing that with a crucifix for the little girl inside. In the eyes of the gypsy, Christine was getting justice and it's was overblown and excessive in it's nature. Much the like the entire film. Just because the action-reaction set-up isn't 'just' think that not only fits the tone of the film but is also mostly irrelevant. Halloween?
Well, we're talking about a matter of degree. Obviously The Exorcist is kind of messed up, but it's not so much the events as the way the movie responds to them. In The Exorcist, it shows you awful things and everyone agrees that it's awful. In Drag Me to Hell, we're apparently supposed to think it's a hoot. This is kind of what I mean by the film feeling "unjust." It's one thing to screw with your characters, but it's different to take glee in it. The Exorcist is serious, knows it's disturbing, and must be in order to seriously deal with its subject matter. Drag Me to Hell is disturbing in a more arbitrary way, I think.
Naturally, you can stamp a big "IMO" on the above paragraph. I don't necessarily expect it to change anyone's mind.
I wouldn't say they tried to make it seem like she deserved it, i mean her daughter's reaction would be rather natural.
And the her confession at the end was just to lull us into a false sense of security to make us think she'd found redemption before destroying her. We think she's beaten the curse, lesson learnt and can move on and grow. After making us enjoy what's happening to her all film, at least to a point in Raimi's intention, it makes a far more shocking finale to actually have her show a bit of remorse and then get punished
I get that they might just have been trying to lull us to sleep a little, but I think it's pretty muddled. It felt like a justification to me, and I've actually heard a surprising number of people reacting similarly. Apparently the kitten thing seems to have convinced many people that she had it coming, if you can believe that.
Anyway, there are certainly lots of reasons for that moment to exist, but given that she's ultimately punished, and we're clearly supposed to revel in it to some degree, I think there's a hint of "maybe she deserved it." This lines up pretty nicely with the whole "death to bankers" subtext (or is it simplistic enough to just be text?) that a lot of people have mentioned.
Ok, our definition on brutal differ. Brutal i refer to something like The Hills Have Eyes with people getting raped and faces smashed in. Some serious names were taken there. I wouldn't say it was depraved, the final is pretty shocking and a change from the type of scares we had before but not depraved, i mean if that happens in any film there's going to be a similar reaction.
Yeah, we're probably using the word a little differently, though it's funny you should mention The Hills Have Eyes, because I have the exact same sort of scorn for that film as I do for this one.
Like I said, though, the whole hell thing has an extra finality to it that most horror deaths -- no matter how miserable -- can't really match.
Just because we've come to like Christine doesn't change what Clay's reaction would be that of upset, it's like any character dying in a film. I think the fact it got to you like that means it worked. I don't see her dying as any different to any other likeable character dying. Just because the nature of punishment is a little extreme we're not given any actual information of where she's being dragged to so i think it's irrelevant. I mean, she could be going to hell for having sex before marriage anyway. Thought the end was quite shocking and that's one of the primary functions of horror, if it had that effect it worked.
Right, but as I mentioned in the review, I'm increasingly skeptical of the idea that I have to like something just because it did what it set out to do. The "gorno" films, as you called them before, certainly do what they set out to do. They "work," but I feel no obligation to give them any credit for it. I think disturbing people, or sickening them, is a lot easier than genuinely scaring them.
I understand, of course, that Clay's reaction is natural, but that's beside the point. The film creates the situation where he must have that reaction, and where we must see it. And then it emphasizes it with a closeup, which is also the final shot. It's not as if their hands were tied and they had to construct the scene the way they did; it was completely deliberate. They make it sunny, happy, she buys the new dress, he's about to propose, she gets the promotion, etc. Then, skin burning off, screaming, and tears. It's carefully designed to show us something really screwed up, and stick it right in front of our faces in the most outrageous way possible.
It's sick and a little twisted but depraved is something reserve for more violent actions that aren't here. Raimi might be depraved and making us laugh at bodily fluids coming in and out of people might be but he does make it work.
He makes the funny parts work, sure, and I certainly gave him credit for that in the review. Anyway, we use the word depraved differently. I think it has more to do with the way the film surrounds the actions on screen than it has to do with the actions themselves. I mean, The Passion of the Christ is brutal. The Pianist is brutal. But they're not depraved. Films can frame brutality in a variety of ways; they can be outraged at it, indifferent to it, or they can revel in it. That's the big thing, to me: the stance the film itself takes on what it's showing us.
Anyway, as for "more violent actions"...
...face burning off while she's still alive and being dragged to hell! I realize we don't see her being tortured IN hell, and it's short, but the idea is certainly as violent as anything. It just requires a little more imagination than the horror films that insist on showing you everything, I suppose.
Oh you really need to get on Evil Dead 2. There's a reason fanboys love it and are loving Drag Me To Hell, the two share the most similar tone and i'm sure watching that would inform of you Raimi's style and tone more than the rest.
Well, I certainly like to think I "get" Raimi's style. I did see the first Evil Dead, and it felt similar in some ways (though far more lighthearted overall, I think).
I'd read that Evil Dead 2 was a quasi-remake, yeah? It's a much better version of the first, then?
Powdered Water
06-05-09, 11:55 PM
I'd read that Evil Dead 2 was a quasi-remake, yeah? It's a much better version of the first, then?
Yes and no. I mean, the first is always going to maintain cinematic history for the way it was received and the bannings in some countries and the shoestring budget along with the imagination that it took to make it in the first place.
The second is really more of a vehicle to get you to Army of Darkness. Sure there is a bunch of rehashed stuff from the first film but after that it has a life of its own. Like:
How Ash loses his hand and retro fits his arm with a chainsaw. That right there is worth the watch all by itself, says I.
Anyway, I caught this flick the other day and I understand a lot of your complaints Chris. I was pretty underwhelmed with the movie to be totally honest. Parts of it were good but for the most part it was pretty average and about what I expected from a PG-13 flick. I give it a 2.5.
And yes I really didn't like the kitten scene even though I shouldn't be bothered by it because its just a movie. But I'm a Cat person so whatareyougonnado! Sue me. I think the stupid shallow little twit should have gone and bought herself a live Chicken instead of grabbing the first thing that came to her empty little head. Now I'm getting pissed just thinking about it. I may have to drop my rating lower...
I wish Raimi would have just made another Evil Dead flick. :(
It has got to be one of the toughest combinations in film: Comedy and horror. Seriously, (or not) the only two things I can think of that are tougher to mix is - sci fi and music --- ummmm yeah. :D
Kubrick bites the dust again.
Aren't comedy and horror like, the easiest two genres to combine?
NO: cheese and teens are easier.
Pyro Tramp
06-06-09, 08:14 AM
Well, I certainly like to think I "get" Raimi's style. I did see the first Evil Dead, and it felt similar in some ways (though far more lighthearted overall, I think).
I'd read that Evil Dead 2 was a quasi-remake, yeah? It's a much better version of the first, then?
Evil Dead 2 takes off where the first finished but they couldn't get the rights for the first to do a recap so they had to reshoot a summarised version of the first one. So in that respect it's a remake of sorts but the two films are pretty different in a lot of ways, there's more of horror/humour blend in it than any of his other films and would say more experimental as well.
Iroquois
06-06-09, 08:18 AM
Aren't comedy and horror like, the easiest two genres to combine?
Easy to combine, hard to get right.
To right :up:
Im really hyped for this :yup:
hey thanks guys for the reviews
Pyro Tramp
06-08-09, 08:34 AM
hey thanks guys for the reviews
That's ok Mr Raimi
r3port3r66
06-13-09, 01:09 AM
Mini Drag me to Hell Spoiler:
maybe for Raimi fanboys though...
"Anyone wonder what the cabin in Santa Barbara would've looked like had they gotten there?"
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