Drag Me To Hell: 31 Days of Horror
For all of October, we will review horror films. Submit your requests here, and you may see your picks selected!
It only made sense that Sam Raimi returned back to his theatrically goofy horror shtick after he was done with the Spider-Man trilogy (particularly the lacklustre final film that takes away from the other two better entries). This was Raimi’s way of being able to get back to what he’s best at, but with a bigger budget. For its time, Drag Me To Hell was incredibly successful, making triple its budget back at the box office and garnering some favourable reviews. However, think about it. Does anyone talk about this film anymore? I sure don’t hear about it often. I won’t stand here and pretend that it’s some forgotten masterpiece, but Drag Me To Hell is actually good enough to warrant, perhaps, a reevaluation.
A cautionary tale about being forced to take part in decisions that go against your character to make it further in society, Drag Me To Hell is somewhat of a literal take on how someone sells their soul (or a piece of themselves) to the devil to succeed. Taking on this responsibility is Alison Lohman, who has become an online acting coach since the release of this film; her on screen presence is sure missed, since she seemed to retire at the height of her capabilities. Lohman is a young loan officer hoping to get somewhere in life. So, she steps outside of her comfort zone, and goes against her own politeness, by denying an elderly woman an extension on her mortgage. Well, right away, that was the wrong move to make, as she is now cursed for what she has done. Everything in life has gotten scary, extreme, and hyperbolic, in typical Raimi style. Nothing can prevent her fate: she has already tainted her legacy for eternity. The price: her life.
Alison Lohman is great in one of her final major roles.
Raimi manages to blend extreme paranoia, actual cursed imagery, and uncomfortable hilarity all into one, in a film that I frankly think should be discussed alongside other horror satires like The Cabin in the Woods or Shadow of the Vampire. At its worst, Drag Me To Hell is just a horror film full of gross or freaky content. At its best, this is some of Raimi’s more poignant commentary in any of his films, as a statement on how there perhaps isn’t a proper way to live if one hopes to do everything right. We either remain ourselves and hope that we have enough luck to get by or have better opportunities, or we turn on ourselves and hope that we are playing the game correctly. At any turn, there will be one poor choice that will cost us everything. In Drag Me To Hell, this just so happened to be at the actual change of one’s heart. Knowing what we know, we don’t root for this person to be harmed. Quite the opposite, hence why we’re still invested even during the (intentionally) wackier moments; the climax is one hell of a campy, horrific devastation. It’s the kind of genre and mood bending that Raimi is so good at, and I wouldn’t mind seeing at this level again.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.