Of all the masters of horror that helped to reshape the genre as we know it in the ’70s and ’80s, none were more successful in branching out and achieving commercial success within the studio system than Sam Raimi. His Spider-Man trilogy laid the groundwork for the influx of comic book movies that would follow, but he was eager to return to his roots following the third installment’s turbulent production.
Armed with $30 million and complete creative control, Raimi dusted off a story he wrote with elder brother and frequent collaborator Ivan Raimi (Spider-Man 3, Army of Darkness) back in the ’90s to make his triumphant return to horror with Drag Me to Hell in 2009. The Raimi broters seemingly drew inspiration from 1957’s Night of the Demon but injected it with a heavy dose of Evil Dead DNA, most closely evoking Evil Dead 2‘s cartoonish blend of over-the-top splatter and tongue-in-cheek humor.
If the use of the 1980s Universal logo to open the film isn’t enough of a statement, Raimi makes it emphatically clear that he hasn’t lost his edge by the end of the 1969-set prologue. In the present day, bank loan officer Christine Brown (Alison Lohman, Big Fish) denies elderly “gypsy” Sylvia Ganush (Lorna Raver) a third extension on her mortgage. Following an altercation, Sylvia curses Christine to be tormented by the demon Lamia for three days before being dragged to Hell.
Christine is the centerpiece around which Drag Me to Hell is built. Justifiable though her actions may be, the character isn’t particularly likeable, which gives the picture a mean-spirited edge. Raimi puts her through the wringer just as he did to Bruce Campbell in the Evil Dead series: she’s covered in gore, vomit, and worms; she suffers an atomic nosebleed; she faces a possessed goat; she’s tossed around like a crash test dummy; she claws her way out of a flooding grave.
Elliot Page, fresh off a breakout performance in Juno, was originally cast as the lead before having to drop out due to scheduling conflicts. Lohman proved to be a suitable replacement, although she brings a different flavor than Page likely would have. If she hadn’t retired from the industry to focus on her family shortly after Drag Me to Hell, I’d expect to see more of Lohman in the genre and beyond.
Justin Long (Barbarian) co-stars as Christine’s endearing boyfriend, Clay, although his character doesn’t have much dimension. The supporting cast is populated by character actors like Dileep Rao (Inception) as a psychic, David Paymer (Mr. Saturday Night) as Christine’s boss, Adriana Barraza (Babel) as a medium, Bojana Novakovic (Devil) as Sylvia’s daughter, Reggie Lee (Grimm) as Christine’s snide coworker, and Chelcie Ross (Basic Instinct) and Molly Cheek (American Pie) as Clay’s critical parents.
There are also blink-and-you-miss-it appearances from younger brother Ted Raimi (Evil Dead II), Octavia Spencer (The Help), Bonnie Aarons (The Nun), and frequent Raimi collaborator Scott Spiegel (co-writer of Evil Dead II and director of Intruder). Raimi himself makes an uncredited cameo as a seance ghost, while his 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88 that appears in nearly all of his films serves as Sylvia’s car. (Raimi hoped to have Campbell make a cameo, but his Burn Notice schedule wouldn’t allow it.)
Raimi coined the term “spook-a-blast” to describe the film, which heartily embraces his punchy sensibilities. Fittingly reuniting with Evil Dead 2‘s crash-zooming cinematographer Peter Deming, Raimi’s signature kineticism works just as well for splatstick horror as it does superhero action. Christopher Young’s (Hellraiser, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge) score reflects the tone by interweaving intense orchestration, portentous violin, and playful bombast as necessary.
Raimi packs the film with as much splatter as the MPAA would allow within the confines of a PG-13 rating (per his own choice). Greg Nicotero and Howard Berger of KNB FX Group — the origins of which stem from Evil Dead 2 — designed the special makeup effects. The practical work holds up, although the same cannot be said about some of the CGI.
Beneath the gore, Raimi infuses the film with subtle social commentary. The central plot is rooted in the subprime mortgage crisis that was ongoing at the time, while Christine’s struggles reflect the dehumanization of late-stage capitalism, compounded by her being an undervalued woman in a male-dominated office. The curse could also serve as an allegory for bulimia, as Christine is shown to have struggled with her weight and many of the horrors manifest in an oral fixation.
Just in time for its 15th anniversary, Drag Me to Hell has received a new, region-free Blu-ray release from Australia’s Via Vision Entertainment. The two-disc set includes the theatrical and unrated cuts, both presented in high definition from a 2K scan with DTS-HD 5.1 Surround and DTS-HD 2.0 Stereo audio options. The collector’s edition, limited to 1,250, comes with six art cards and is housed in a 3D lenticular hardcase.
Five new interviews are included: Rao astutely delves into the moral themes explored in the film; Young discusses implementing unique instrumentation for the score; editor Bob Murawski (Spider-Man, Army of Darkness) provides an insightful perspective on how much work goes into each set piece; production designer Steve Saklad (Juno, The Muppets) shares anecdotes about reshoots, inspiration, and collaboration; and storyboard artist Christian Cordella (Avengers: Endgame, The Hunger Games) details going from Raimi fanboy to collaborator.
Film historians Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson provide a new audio commentary (on the unrated version) that contextualizes the movie in the present day versus how it was received upon release. While the interviews with Lohman, Raver, and Young produced for Scream Factory’s 2018 Blu-ray aren’t included, other archival extras are: raw interviews with Raimi, Lohman, and Long (whose sense of humor shines); production video diaries; two TV spots; and the theatrical trailer.
Evil Dead fans have been spoiled in the 15 years since Drag Me to Hell — with three seasons of Ash vs. Evil Dead and two new movies plus a third on the way — but back in 2009, we were nearly two decades removed from the last time the Necronomicon was opened, and mainstream horror was dominated by remakes and so-called “torture p*rn.” Like a warm hug from an old, possessed friend, Drag Me to Hell proved that Raimi can still splatter blood with the best of them.
Drag Me to Hell is available now on Blu-ray.
