Hammerman Ikon

Hammerman Ikon Film Guide

Drag Me to Hell
2009
**
Director: Sam Raimi
Cast: Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver, Dileep Rao, David Paymer, Adriana Barraza

After three Spider-Man films Sam Raimi returns to his roots with an Evil Deadesque horror comedy. Alison Lohman plays Christine, a bank loan officer who is eager to win a promotion. She refuses to extend the loan of a poor gypsy woman, who curses her in return. The film kicks off with some enjoyable comedy gore and gross-out gags, but it turns out that's all Raimi has to offer; the script is complete and utter rubbish. We learn that Christine used to be a fat country girl, but this detail plays no role in the events. There's a long dinner scene at the boyfriend's parents which leads nowhere. The long séance towards the end looks like the climax but doesn't change one thing. And lastly, the fortune teller who helps Christine fight the curse conveniently remembers new helpful details about the spell as the story goes on. One pointless scene follows another with the sole purpose of dragging the story to feature length, when the introduction in fact tells the whole story. The rest is boring and predictable padding.