This is a film that has really divided opinion at horror club. My belief being that this is an excellent film, that is at once balls out scary and gruesome, but also incredibly funny and fun to watch and marks a real return to form for director Sam Raimi following the pish that was Spiderman. This reinvigorated my love for horror and was one of the reasons that I wanted to get involved in horror club.
I can't say why Ally and Fin didn't like it because to me the first half hour of the film is terrifying. That's not to say there aren't scares later on, but it really kicks off with a bang. I saw this at the cinema for the first time and it was one of the most enjoyable cinema going experiences I've ever had, and was the best horror film I have seen at the cinema from an enjoyment perspective (as you can tell from my review of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre I did not enjoy it at the time!). This is a film that demands to be seen as a group and in the greatest tradition of horror films it builds up to a scare and provides a release afterwards.
People were literally screaming at the showing I went to, which never happened at the Paranormal Activity showing no matter how much the trailers implied this was the case! But after the shock / jump you couldn't help but look around at your friends knowing that they had been through the same experience. I don't know about you, but in those situations I end up laughing it off, or laughing about how scared I was in order to break the tension.
It's in these moments that Sam Raimi excels in my opinion. Whilst I generally tend to agree that horror and comedy are poor bedfellows, in Drag Me to Hell I think it works. Just when you're guard is down Sam Raimi hits you with some comedy. Not in the traditional sense, but with some scenes that are so ridiculous and gory (both in a good way) that you can't help but laugh.
Added to the mix you have a horrible old gypsy, psychic powers and a seance. Put all these together and you are smack bang in the middle of some horror classics. These conventions could feel tired and well worn but Raimi brings something fresh to the table and each scene is fizzing with energy.
Not a horror classic by any stretch of the imagination, but if you buy into this movie and sit back and enjoy the ride you can't help but enjoy yourself. If not, I guess you're just not that fun and this movie probably isn't for you.
