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Post by rorschach on May 31, 2009 3:15:28 GMT -5
Aren't those the movies with that Ash character played by Bruce Cambell? I never knew those were supposed to be horror movies. They're Horror-Comedy, with the Comedy taking over more and more as the series went on. Which is exactly what I have heard that DRAG ME TO HELL is. Slapstick horror comedy...which is FINE by me. I'm going to see it tomorrow, so I should have a review up later Sunday afternoon.
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Post by rorschach on Jun 1, 2009 22:20:18 GMT -5
As promised...... ![](http://michaeloconnell.com/blog/uploaded_images/sm07-745805.jpg) DRAG ME TO HELL (2009) Directed by Sam Raimi Starring Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver *Sigh* When will people learn not to f*** with gypsies? I ask myself this every time I see a movie with a plot like this one, which admittedly isn’t too often. No, it’s not often that you get the “gypsy curse” storyline, but when you do, THAT’s the question you inevitably ask. In Sam Raimi’s much touted return to his horror roots DRAG ME TO HELL, it’s the character of Christine Brown (brilliantly played by Alison Lohman) who learns this lesson the hard way, when she refuses a loan to sickly old Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver). See, its make or break time for both of these women, with Christine being told that a big promotion is riding on her ability to make the “tough decisions” in her job, and old Mrs. Ganush facing the prospect of foreclosure on her house due to missing payments. Christine, determined to show her boss she can be tough, rejects Mrs. Ganush despite the old woman’s begging, pleading, and groveling. Push literally comes to shove right there in the office, and Christine has the old woman escorted out by security, enraging and shaming Mrs. Ganush. Things are far from over between the two of them, however, and after a long day’s work, Christine heads for her car down in the parking garage….only to find a seriously pissed off Mrs. Ganush waiting for her. What happens next is CLASSIC Raimi, and is a direct callback to the best fights between Ash and the Deadites in the EVIL DEAD series. After a smackdown of epic proportions, Christine has a button of her coat torn off by the evil old woman, who places a curse on it...the details being that after three days, a demon will arrive that will literally drag Christine to Hell. That’s all the plot details you’re going to get from me….now on to the meat and potatoes of the review: Is this film worth seeing? Yes…but know what you’re getting into when you do. This is a film that is a direct descendant of EVIL DEAD 2 and ARMY OF DARKNESS. This is Raimi at his slapstick best, though there are plenty of jump scares thrown in for good measure. The laughs come almost as often as the gross out moments, and brother, let me tell ya: there are plenty of both. I thoroughly enjoyed this film for what it was, and would recommend it to any and everyone who loved Raimi’s EVIL DEAD work. Don’t go expecting a super-intense gore fest, or a serious scare fest either…know what you’re getting into, and you’re going to have a blast. The acting was spot on, and I particularly have to applaud Lorna Raver for her manic work as Mrs. Ganush. My goodness, what that lady does with this role is nothing short of genius, and the physicality of it alone is something that she pulls off with aplomb. I always hear people raving about Bill Mosely and Sid Haig as these great character actors...but after seeing Raver’s performance in DRAG ME TO HELL, I might just have to add her to that pantheon of gifted horror actors. Justin Long….is Justin Long, and he, well…he’s adequate for what his role calls for, and he doesn’t steal any scenes from Lohman, that’s for sure. Speaking of whom…Alison Lohman is a good actress in her own right, and I think she was perfectly cast for this role, as she does a great job as the distaff Bruce Campbell that Raimi evidently saw her as. I do have to deduct a star for the time being (until I see the DVD release) for a dangling plot point concerning Christine’s weight that goes NOWHERE, yet is brought up no fewer than three times. What’s up with that, Sam? Was there supposed to be more to it, or do you just get off on calling normal looking women fat for the hell of it? I don’t know…my friends and I came to the conclusion that there must be some footage missing or a deleted scene where they pay off all the “weight comments”….so I’ll hold off on final judgment, but until I learn for sure, DRAG ME TO HELL doesn’t get a perfect rating from me. However, the caveat to that is that I am by no means saying that you shouldn’t see this film…you should, by all means. Again, just know ahead of time what you’re signing up for. **** (Oh and watch for the goat scene…that was a HUGE crowd pleaser in the theater I was at!)
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Post by Zombie on Jun 1, 2009 22:26:59 GMT -5
Nice review. I'm hoping to see it sometime this week or next week.
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Post by rorschach on Jun 5, 2009 2:28:57 GMT -5
Have you seen it yet, Zombie?
I have to say, Lohman takes a lot of the same physical bumps in this movie that Bruce Campbell made famous in the EVIL DEAD series, and she does it like a pro. I love her call back to EVIL DEAD 2: "I'm going to get me some....". ;D
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Post by Zombie on Jun 6, 2009 2:31:51 GMT -5
Man, this movie just blew me away! From start to finish I loved every minute!
spoiler!!!!
If Bruce Campbell had been in this I think he would have either been one of the security guys that took the old woman away or the guy that should have killed the goat and got himself possessed by the demon.
Even though I liked her character, in the end she deserved to be dragged to hell.
Did you notice this movie had a kid die and a cute pet die. That's something you don't see in most horror films.
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Post by Deadpool is Insane on Jun 6, 2009 11:30:24 GMT -5
My friend and I were waiting all movie long for a Bruce cameo. We kept trying to guess where he would show up. I thought he may have ended up being the guy's father when they went to dinner.
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Post by Dinero Banner on Jun 6, 2009 21:38:42 GMT -5
Hell I didn't know Ted Raimi was in it until I saw the credits.
Not the best movie by any means, but a fun little flick.
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Post by rorschach on Jun 8, 2009 13:46:40 GMT -5
My friend and I were waiting all movie long for a Bruce cameo. We kept trying to guess where he would show up. I thought he may have ended up being the guy's father when they went to dinner. THAT would have been awesome. I was banking on that too, Pool. Especially after the "cabin in the woods" line from Justin Long.
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Post by Deadpool is Insane on Jun 9, 2009 22:09:11 GMT -5
My friend and I were waiting all movie long for a Bruce cameo. We kept trying to guess where he would show up. I thought he may have ended up being the guy's father when they went to dinner. THAT would have been awesome. I was banking on that too, Pool. Especially after the "cabin in the woods" line from Justin Long. My friend and I were joking that the woman shouldn't met her fate until AFTER they got to the cabin. So that way they could show us THE cabin again. ;D
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Post by rorschach on Jun 13, 2009 0:28:09 GMT -5
THAT would have been awesome. I was banking on that too, Pool. Especially after the "cabin in the woods" line from Justin Long. My friend and I were joking that the woman shouldn't met her fate until AFTER they got to the cabin. So that way they could show us THE cabin again. ;D That's what I was wanting too! Like maybe she gets pulled down to hell the same sort of way that Bruce Campbell got sucked through the vortex in Evil Dead 2.
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