Drag Me To Hell

Contemporary American horror has fallen under a curse: it either sates a juvenile bloodlust for sex and torture, or lazily remakes derivative Asian shockers and golden age slasher pieces. Heroically lifting that curse, however, Evil Dead maestro Sam Raimi delivers a thrilling funhouse romp which harks back not to the cynical age of the 70s, but the ghost train spectacle of the 60s. The ever-dependable (and vastly underused) Alison Lohman plays Christine, a promotion hungry loan officer (credit crunch horror, anyone?) whose actions force an old gypsy woman (Raver: relishing every moment) out of her home and into Christine’s life, placing a curse upon her which will see her dragged to hell after three days. Three days, that is, of Raimi throwing everything but a slime-dripping kitchen sink at his heroine and the audience. It’s loud, inventive, yucky, funny, jumpy, spooky and, yes, very scary. Admittedly, it loses its way a little towards the end, but for pure popcorn pleasure, it’s hard to fault. William Castle would be proud.