Blu-Ray Review: Sam Raimi’s ‘Drag Me to Hell’ a Great Halloween Choice

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CHICAGO – There are a number of choices for your Halloween movie dollar this season including “Saw VI” and “Paranormal Activity” in theaters and new Blu-Ray editions of “Audition” and this year’s “Orphan” and Sam Raimi’s great “Drag Me to Hell”. Universal has packaged Raimi’s glorious return to the genre that made him a star with a gorgeous video and audio treatment but lackluster special features. The movie deserves a bit better.

Blu-Ray Rating: 3.5/5.0

It deserved better at the box office as well. With so many awful horror films out there, how did one that was so critically acclaimed barely make a dent at the box office? It makes no sense. All I can assume is that hardcore genre junkies stayed away because of the PG-13 rating, assuming that this gleefully gory flick had been toned down for the masses. That was a mistake. Seeing “Drag” with a full, squirming, screaming audience is a highlight of the year when it comes to actual theater experiences.

Drag Me to Hell was released on DVD and Blu-Ray on October 13th, 2009.
Photo credit: Universal Home Video

I expect “Drag Me to Hell” to find a loyal, devoted audience on Blu-Ray and DVD. Horror always does well at home and the “Unrated” tag on the release is likely to draw in fans turned off by what they thought was a neutered version in theaters. People who finally catch up with it will see one of the best horror movies of the year, a movie that delivered on expectations (without quite exceeding them) of people raised on Raimi classics like “Evil Dead 2: Dead by Dawn” and “Darkman”.

Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) is about to learn that life often has more than a glass ceiling. Sometimes it has a blazing floor. Playing off the themes of misogyny so rampant in all horror, “Drag Me To Hell” presents a heroine just trying to get ahead at work, put her dark past behind her, and impress her new boyfriend’s parents.

With a promotion looming, Christine is instructed by her boss (David Paymer) that she needs to prove that she can make the tough decisions required of management. An elderly woman named Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver) comes to her looking for one more loan extension on her mortgage and Christine sees the opportunity to impress her boss. She refuses the wrong client and ends up on the wrong end of a Lamia curse.

After a trip to a seer named Rham Jas (Dileep Rao), Christine learns that she has three days to reverse the curse or be literally dragged to Hell. During that period, Christine is what you could call “prepped” for her upcoming journey. She hears sounds that her boyfriend Clay (Justin Long) does not, blood gushes from her nose, and she sees dangerous shadows that like to toss her around the apartment. The question becomes whether or not Christine can do anything to stop her trip to Hell. Can any of us? How far is Christine willing to go to stop her damnation? Is there any length you would not go to if it meant your soul’s redemption?

Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) is attacked while in the wet grave of her enemy.
Photo credit: Universal/Melissa Moseley

Writers Ivan & Sam Raimi gleefully set up each twist and turn and I have to admit that the film plays even better the second time through, without as much baggage surrounding Sam’s return to the genre and the associations with it. “Drag Me to Hell” is simply a good time, more fun than you’re going to have with any other horror movie in this crowded month.

The elements that hold “Drag” back from “Evil Dead”-level greatness don’t feel as prominent on second viewing. There’s not quite enough to it to warrant its running time and the film feels long at nearly 100 minutes. Something called “Drag Me To Hell” with this simple a plot should run closer to 80 minutes. Another twist or tighter editing would have made for a stronger film.

I’m also still not convinced that Lohman can lead a film, although she plays better on the small screen than the big one. She’s not awful by any stretch of the imagination, but someone with a stronger screen presence might have made for more effective scares. And Justin Long continues to bore me.

These are minor complaints that are easily dissipated by Universal’s spectacular 1080P treatment and stellar audio mixes. “Drag Me to Hell” looks and sounds amazing. You may put the film on casually as you get your popcorn from the kitchen and settle in but the Master Audio 5.1 DTS-HD track will get your attention quickly. The video and audio on “Drag Me to Hell” are as good as these elements can be with perfectly balanced picture and wonderfully mixed sound.

Sadly, the special features on “Drag Me to Hell” are more than a bit disappointing. They’re borderline unacceptable. As for differences between the unrated and PG-13 version, they’re negligible and largely undistinguishable. Nothing major here. As for actual bonus material, the release features no commentary and no deleted scenes with all material being lumped into the roughly 35-minute “Production Video Diaries”. Universal typically uses a great function called “U-Control” and I was looking forward to its usage on “Drag Me to Hell”. Maybe next time.

And if anyone knows Raimi’s work, “next time” is likely. There are a half-dozen version of “Evil Dead 2” and “Army of Darkness” floating around out there and I wouldn’t be surprised if “Drag Me to Hell” follows the same pattern after more viewers catch up with the film for the first time.

By BRIAN TALLERICO Content Director HollywoodChicago.com brian@hollywoodchicago.com