Sam Raimi threatens to DRAG ME TO HELL!

Thank you for being so awesome Mr. Raimi, because Drag Me To Hell is the most fun I have had watching a horror film in a long, long time. Never change, man. Never change.

Short synopsis: Christine Brown is trying to move into management at the bank where she works as a loan officer. Faced with stiff competition, she feels forced to betray her nature and prove herself capable of making hard decisions by turning down an old and sick gypsy woman's plea for help with her overdue mortgage. The moral of this story? Do not piss off old gypsies, or else your soul will become forfeit in three days.

If you are a Raimi fan from back in the Evil Dead days like me, you will love this film. No one working in cinema today has the same ability to marry horror and comedy quite like him, and this movie is a welcome return to the genre. Don't get me wrong, I love Raimi's take on Spider-Man (well, the first two anyway), but it has been way too long and he is way too damned good to have stayed away from horror as long as he has. Hail to the king, baby.

Drag Me To Hell lets viewers know right out of the gate that it will not be taking any prisoners, and although it has the wonderfully campy feel of the horror films of my youth, it is actually smarter than some critics are giving it credit for. Sure, the movie may be a good old-fashioned Eighties-style romp, but the characters do have arcs and difficult decisions must be made. That being said, all of Raimi's stylistic trademarks are used to full effect, not only bringing a smile to my face but also managing to be surprisingly disturbing at times. I would expect no less from the master.

Alison Lohman does a good job portraying Christine, making you understand and empathize with (to a point) the insecurities that landed her in this situation. Justin "Hi, I'm a Mac" Long plays her disturbing awesome boyfriend, and will make anyone pray that their significant other would be as supportive under such duress (supernatural or otherwise). Lorna Raver is downright chilling at times as the old gypsy Sylvia Ganush, obviously getting to have a lot more fun than pretty much everyone else in the movie, and the rest of the supporting cast is tight as well, facilitating events nicely.

Is Drag Me To Hell Sam Raimi's best horror film? Of course not. Personally, I love The Gift (maybe his most underrated film), and only time will tell if this film can approach the Evil Dead Trilogy in cult status. It is however a significant and entertaining return to the genre where Raimi made his name, and serves as a delightful reminder as to why I harbored such a passion for horror films in my youth. Considering the amount of applause the film received during the credits, I am giving Drag Me To Hell a solid 4.75 out of 5.