Dragged Me To Hell

This was a very odd movie. The opening scene made me wonder what I was watching: horror or comedy? And it didn't help that the volume was turned up to 12. And then I saw Sam Raimi's name. Ah, that explained a bit...

However, the problem continued. One second it could be horror, and the next it was comedy. Really, it changed on a dime. Without, and this is the important part, any sense of transition. Raimi isn't exactly a stranger to the combination of horror and comedy, but never before has it been so jarring. Basically, I felt that it needed another pass to smooth it out.

The plot is not exactly complicated. Woman gets cursed by a gypsy, and is thus scared over the next few days before the devil finally comes a calling for her soul. Who hasn't seen that before? She struggles against her destiny, and has hilarious run ins with the gypsy woman time and time again. It's a laugh riot that'll make you jump out of your seat.

Alison Lohman suffers the Raimi treatment well, and Lorna Raver gets to have a lot of fun tormenting her (although probably was really uncomfortable in weird rigs). Dileep Rao has the next memorable roll, and even David Palmer out-acts Justin Long. As ever, though, the big stars are the special effects team.

It's a disconcerting movie, and thus hard to completely recommend. Certainly in the Evil Dead vein (and was written at the same time). While some moments you don't see coming, the overall story isn't that original, and I saw the ending coming a mile away. I leave the decision to you.

[END]