Drag Me to Hell (2009)
After watching this, I was shocked at how entertaining it turned out to be. I didn’t expect much before watching it with my wife. We both thought it was good, and surely worthwhile for you to see especially if you like Sam Raimi movies.
Now, keep in mind this is a horror film, and it has some over the top make-up special effects in it. Some scenes were really wild, and made you cover your mouth or shudder at what you just watched.
It also seemed to have a sense of humor which I appreciated. This was written by Sam Raimi and his brother Ivan Raimi. Sam Raimi also directed it. The tagline for this was “Christine Brown has a good job, a great boyfriend, and a bright future. But in three days, she’s going to hell”.
The opening setting takes place in Pasadena, California 1969. There a Mexican farming family suddenly rushing into a large estate. Their son played by Shiloh Selassie apparently stole some jewelry from a group of gypsies.
The child was cursed and then pulled into a gateway portal to hell. His family and friends are played by Flor de Maria Chahua as Young Shaun San Dena, Ruth Livier as Farm Worker’s Wife and Alexis Cruz as a Farm Worker who are all completely terrified.
The main story takes place 40 years later; introducing loan officer Christine Brown played by Alison Lohman, who hopes to get a promotion while working at her bank. She is in competition for the job by Reggie Lee, playing the part of Stu Rubin.
She is suddenly approached by Sylvia Ganush played by Lorna Raver an elderly woman who happens to practice in the dark arts. Christine decides to decline the extension of payments on Sylvia’s home which she has lived in for many years. Sylvia feels that she was shamed and seeks vengeance.
In an unexpected twist, before leaving the bank she curses Christine by removing one of her jackets buttons sentencing her to be taken to hell. This leads to a series of torments by Sylvia for three days taking place throughout the length of the film; such as spewing all different types of things at her.
Christine is comforted by her boyfriend Clay Dalton played by Justin Long. He later takes her to meet his parents played by Chelcie Ross as Leonard Dalton, and Molly Cheek as Trudy Dalton.
Along the way, she decides to get her fortune read by Rham Jas played by Dileep Rao he helps aid her in trying to overcome the odds she is against. Kevin Foster plays Milos who is an assistance of Shaun San Dena played by Adriana Barraza. Bojana Novakovic plays Ilenka Ganush the granddaughter of Sylvia. There are more things about this story, but you will have to see this one for yourself.
I thought Lorna Raver did a great job playing this over the top character Sylvia and Alison Lohman certainly carried the movie with ease. The premise of the movie was unusual and it keeps your interest entirely.
