Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
After denying a woman the extension she needs to keep her home, loan officer Christine Brown sees her once-promising life take a startling turn for the worse. Christine is convinced she's been cursed by a Gypsy, but her boyfriend is skeptical. Her only hope seems to lie in a psychic who claims he can help her lift the curse and keep her soul from being dragged straight to hell.
Sam Raimi returning to his Evil Dead roots gives Drag Me to Hell a singular, gleefully unhinged energy that sets it apart from contemporary horror. The film's Novelty is high because Raimi's splatstick sensibility — blending grotesque gross-out horror with dark comedy and genuine dread — is unmistakably his own and executed with virtuoso craft. The Ending is a genuine standout: a cruel, well-earned gut-punch that subverts audience expectations and commits fully to its moral logic, leaving a lasting impression. The Plot is serviceable genre fare — a classic curse narrative — executed with purpose but not deep complexity. Acting is competent, with Alison Lohman carrying the physical demands well, though the performances rarely transcend the material. Cinematography is energetic and stylish, with Raimi's trademark dutch angles and kinetic camera work, but stops short of being truly visually exceptional.