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, Ruth Livier

7 wins & 22 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:

psychic | evil | fight | psychologist | hell | 

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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 [Australia]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish Hungarian Czech

Release Date:

29 May 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Arrástrame al infierno

Filming Locations:

18421 Ventura Blvd., Tarzana, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$15,825,480, 31 May 2009, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$42,100,625

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$91,388,487

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

In the grave scene near the end its a different girl playing Cristines character. The camera cuts away from Alison, the original actor, then cuts back to a different girl as she climbs out of the grave.

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Goofs

When Christine tries to get out of the grave that is filling with water, she grabs onto some rocks at the corner of the grave. The rocks immediately pull away and fall into the water. Unfortunately, the rocks can be seen "floating" on the water (fake foam studio rocks).

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Quotes

Christine Brown: Help me! Help me please!

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Crazy Credits

The 1970s 'When in Hollywood, visit Universal Studios' bumper is at the end credits.

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Alternate Versions

The unrated director's cut DVD adds four notable extended shots/sequences:

• 1. The scene where Christine's nose squirts blood is extended, adding a shot of blood pouring out of her mouth. She covers her mouth, causing the fountain of blood to erupt from her nose.
• 2. The shot of Christine raising the knife above her cat is extended, showing Christine plunging the knife down several times, with some squirting blood.
• 3. We also see the cat's bloodied body fall into the hole in Christine and Clay's yard, just before Christine begins to shovel dirt upon it.
• 4. When Christine drops the anvil on Mrs. Ganush, Christine still gets splattered with Mrs. Ganush's eyeballs and brain matter, but now it's blood red colored.

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Connections

Featured in Phelous & the Movies: Jump Scare Phelous to Hell (2011)

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Soundtracks

Rock Ballad (Unused Theme from The Exorcist)
Written and Performed by Lalo Schifrin
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment
Played in the end credits

User Reviews

Sam Raimi has made his 'Jaws'.

Drag me to Hell is, really, a throwback in so many ways to the fun of The Evil Dead 2. The camera angles, the excellent score - it all recalls how Raimi played with us in his earlier trilogy. What has changed however, is the sense of pace. We know its coming and Raimi employs all his skills to draw out the tension. The thrills are all there in place, I jumped like there was an electric buzzer under my seat. Perhaps a little too much CGI is indulged in but its easy to forgive in a film as wicked and blackly comic as this. I genuinely found the film disturbing for a 15 as well, again I think this is a mark of tension that Raimi creates with the score and camera work throughout the film. So incredibly refreshing to see a horror film with out the hallmarks of the recent saw franchise. Special mention for the ending, which has conviction and guts and was the proverbial cherry on top of the cake. throughly entertaining.