Drag Me to Hell Review

Great old time horror, supernatural movie without the blood and gore this genre has degenerated into. This is definitely the type of movie you want to experience in a theater for maximum effect, however, this reviewer watched the DVD version and can verify it still is great movie to put in your rental queue. The opening scene with the cursed kid might be a little intense for 10 yr olds, however the rest of the movie is mostly just suspense, surprise, loud noises, hallucinations, and good old fashion scary stuff. Alison Lohman in her role as the super ambitious bank loan officer employee Christine, who gets cursed in the line of duty, is fairly good - she has the sweet innocent look. I loved the rainy scene in the cemetery, where she's wallowing in the mud trying to get out of a dug up grave. Justin Long, as her boyfriend Clay, is pretty much talent wasted in his minor role in this horror movie (see Jeepers Creepers) - although he does get to give his patented horrified look in the last scene. The real scene stealers are Lorna Raver as the old gypsy lady, Sylvia, that does the cursing, and Adriana Barraza as the Medium, Shaun, who tries to save Christina. Lorna Raver comes across as a personified persistent nightmare - truly way out there. And Adriana Barraza just exudes emotion as she connects with the apparitions on the other side. The script moves right along with unexpected turns - you are not quite sure how this whole will turn out. The CGI effects are good for this kind of movie, not a real focus of the story, and the soundtrack adds to the scary ambiance. Overall, I'd say this is a great DVD rental for fans of classic horror movies.