Drag Me to Hell is, to borrow from Roger Ebert, a “bruised forearm movie” and a return for Sam Raimi to his wild roots, specifically the
Evil Dead movies, exuberant splatter-fests still guaranteed to push the buttons and tighten the stomachs of all but the most jaded of horror aficionados. Although the PG-13 rating ensures that no limbs are dismembered, the steady flow of spittle, maggots, and blood seems specifically calculated to push that rating to its limit. A loose remake of a Jacques Tourneur masterpiece called
Curse of the Demon (in design if not in execution), it finds Alison Lohman’s insecure loan officer under a gypsy curse that if left undone will send her straight to You Know Where. Her morals are tested in the most rudimentary ways, culminating in a telegraphed twist that’s more jokey than judgmental.
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