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Review: Drag Me To Hell

Proving you don't need buckets of blood to scare the bejabbers out of an audience.
By BETSY SHERMAN  |  June 2, 2009
3.5 3.5 Stars


VIDEO: The trailer for Drag Me To Hell

Sam Raimi and producer Rob Tapert here return to the gonzo slapstick horror of their classic Evil Dead trio — and this time they show the kiddos you don't need buckets of blood to scare the bejabbers out of an audience. (A cascade of vomited cockroaches will do.)

Raimi embraces hoary clichés like Gypsy curses and gateways to Hades in this cautionary tale for financial professionals. Loan officer Christine — a sweetie who volunteers at a puppy clinic — doesn't want to repossess poor old Mrs. Ganush's house, but she covets a promotion to assistant manager. The deed done, Mrs. G. conjures a vengeful demon that attacks Christine in myriad guises — most memorably free-flying parts of the grotesque granny's body.

Raimi's devilish wit and masterful use of shadow, sound, and silence make it folly to predict when or how the spirit will appear. And Alison Lohman is hilariously beleaguered as Christine, who's forced to rejigger her ideas about things like blood sacrifice if it'll chase the demon out of her life.

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