Drag Me to Hell (2009)

A loan officer who evicts an old woman from her home finds herself the recipient of a supernatural curse. Desperate, she turns to a seer to try and save her soul, while evil forces work to push her to a breaking point.

Director:

Sam Raimi

Writers:

Sam Raimi, Ivan Raimi

Stars:

Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver

4 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Alison Lohman	...	Christine Brown
Justin Long	...	Clay Dalton
Lorna Raver	...	Mrs. Ganush
Dileep Rao	...	Rham Jas
David Paymer	...	Mr. Jacks
Adriana Barraza	...	Shaun San Dena
Chelcie Ross	...	Leonard Dalton
Reggie Lee	...	Stu Rubin
Molly Cheek	...	Trudy Dalton
Bojana Novakovic	...	Ilenka Ganush
Kevin Foster	...	Milos
Alexis Cruz	...	Farm Worker
Ruth Livier	...	Farm Worker's Wife
Shiloh Selassie	...	Farm Worker's Son
Flor de Maria Chahua	...	Young Shaun San Dena

Storyline

Christine Brown is a loans officer at a bank but is worried about her lot in life. She's in competition with a competent colleague for an assistant manager position and isn't too sure about her status with a boyfriend. Worried that her boss will think less of her if she shows weakness, she refuses a time extension on a loan to an old woman, Mrs. Ganush, who now faces foreclosure and the loss of her house. In retaliation, the old woman place a curse on her which, she subsequently learns, will result in her being taken to hell in a few days time. With the help of a psychic, she tries to rid herself of the demon, but faces several hurdles in the attempt.

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Plot Keywords:

loan officer | curse | psychic | fight | assistant manager | 

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Taglines:

Christine Brown has a good job, a great boyfriend, and a bright future. But in three days, she's going to hell.

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Genres:

Horror | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sequences of horror violence, terror, disturbing images and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [au]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish Hungarian Czech

Release Date:

29 May 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Arrástrame al infierno

Filming Locations:

1031 Everett St, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,907,731 (UK) (29 May 2009)

Gross:

$42,057,340 (USA) (31 July 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Ghost House Pictures, Buckaroo Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Milos is apparently San Dena's nephew. He twice addresses her as "tetichko" which means "auntie" in Serbian or Czech.

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Goofs

When Clay drops Christine off at work and shows her the rental car, he is behind the wheel. When the camera angle changes, he is in the passenger seat.

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Quotes

Clay Dalton: You have such a good heart.

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Crazy Credits

The 1960's Universal logo is used in the opening credits

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Connections

References Night of the Living Dead (1968)

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Soundtracks

"Non Rimane Piu Nessuno"
Written and Performed by Ennio Morricone
Courtesy of Bixio Music Group Ltd. O/B/O Cinevox Records SPA

User Reviews

Dare I say it?

I think I'll throw the cat amongst the pigeons by saying that I thought this movie was as good as, and possibly surpassed Evil Dead 2.

I was immediately taken by the classic - and somewhat clichéd - horror title sequences and music. The films pacing was excellent and well acted. The gorgeous Alison Lohman does an excellent job as lead role, and although her character is not as hilarious as Bruce Campbell's Ash, her charisma shines through.

Raimi isn't re-inventing the proverbial horror wheel, in many ways Drag me to hell is a homage to earlier horror films and their style. What sets it apart is that it takes tried and tested horror conventions and simply does them better than we are used to seeing. The formulaic drawn-out-periods-of-quiet-followed-by-a-loud-shocking-noise is used more than once and to great effect, without feeling too cheesy. There are also sequences when Raimi really amps up the creep factor i.e Christine alone in the underground car park.

Having said this, the film also has a comic touch and tongue in cheek manner. Raimi understands that its futile to try and sustain complete terror throughout a feature length film (alien is perhaps the only film I've seen that manages to accomplish this)as the audience will eventually just switch off. He laces the film with humour and some of the most terrifying scenes become laugh out loud funny and vice versa.

Also I think after working on three block buster films Raimi relished the opportunity for stylisation. Although there are no 360 degree camera pans and less fast zooms than in the evil dead films Raimi does indulge in some camera acrobatics, and tongue in cheek shots. i.e where a fly lands on the camera lens and leaves a dirty smear.

I think most people would enjoy this film, its scary enough for the horror aficionados but has enough humour to appeal to a wide audience. I loved it.

Also, I don't want to give away any spoilers, but I can say I left the cinema with my jaw hanging open.