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 Give credit to Sam Raimi. More than 25 years after breaking out with his highly controversial cinematic gorefest The Evil Dead, the prolific filmmaker returns to horror in his terrifying new film Drag Me to Hell, now available on DVD and Blu-ray just in time for Halloween. If there was any question among the faithful whether Raimi, lately working on less-than-inspiring projects (remember 30 Days of Night?) and Asian-horror remakes (The Grudge 1 and 2), has lost his terror-producing chops, he has answered it loudly and resolutely. The fear flick is back.
In part. Temper expectations here: this decade has seen a number of genre-defining horror films. The American remake of The Ring spawned interest in a new kind of cerebral, psychologically intense work that came to be collectively known as Asian horror, and two years later the ultra-violent Saw launched a mostly unfortunate wave of pale imitations dubbed by critics as “torture porn.”
Drag Me to Hell is none of those. It doesn't break ground with new and original ideas, nor does it retread the same old ground in predictably unimaginative ways. But if there's one thing that audiences have learned from his 1981 cult classic, it's that Raimi tries not to take himself or his work too seriously. And so, well aware of his own history and audience familiarity with horror, Raimi both uses the old genre tropes to reward, and at the same time, when the comfort level of the viewer is just high enough, completely overturns all expectations.
 This is how the dynamic works in the film: we are introduced in the beginning to Christine Brown (Alison Lohman), a loan officer at a regional bank (already a profession requiring some evilness of character--more on this later) with a promotion just around the corner, and a loving, supportive boyfriend to share it all with. Until she rejects a loan extension to save the home of an elderly gypsy woman, Sylvia Ganush (Lorna Raver), throwing her out on the streets and eliciting a curse that in three days' time will condemn Christine to the depths of hell for eternity. So far, so familiar. Christine, of course, struggles valiantly against the old woman, who despite her advanced age can take a surprising amount of punishment, but ultimately loses a button from her coat that Ganush uses to place the curse. Soon after, Christine begins to see strange visions, hear strange noises and generally just gets scared out of her skin, along with the rest of the audience.
All along, Raimi uses familiar terror routines. There are plenty of sudden noises confronting Christine alone at home, menacing shadows and fleeting visions of Mrs. Ganush's terrible countenance. A part of Ganush enters Christine, as the old woman ends up positioned with her mouth over Christine's--a scene to be repeated several times throughout the film--and then once more the following night, as a fly crawls into the sleeping Christine's nose.
There is, of course, a release from the curse for Christine. All she has to do is follow the proper directions and she'll be freed. Viewers will be relieved, expecting a swift and certain resolution, but their hopes are thwarted as time and again, Christine's efforts fall short, the Lamia demon stalking her gets closer and the time she has to avoid an eternity in hell gets shorter.
 There is a climactic sequence towards the end of the movie, where Christine and company hatch a plan to trap the plaguing demon in a sacrificial goat and slaughter it. But when the séance goes awry and the Lamia gets loose, the mediums team up and with great effort manage to overcome and banish the spirit. Everyone is joyful, and Christine pauses to reflect on her narrow escape from destruction. Conclusion: cue the music and everyone goes home happy. But then we hear those terrible words, “I'm afraid you've misunderstood.” She did and viewers did. It's not over. She's still cursed.
This kind of buildup and upset of comfort and expectation occurs from first to last minute of the film. There is also an intriguingly subtle commentary in the movie on the amorality of modern life. Christine and company through much of the film appear venal, selfish and careerist. Her troubles began as she chose the profits of her bank and a promise of her own promotion over the terrible conditions she was about to impose on a destitute old woman. The bank colleagues are no better, with the manager also pushing to throw the old woman out of her home, and afterwards supporting Christine's decision against a rather sympathetic, begging Mrs. Ganush. Meanwhile, taking advantage of the commotion, her rival for the promotion (Reggie Lee) defects to a competitor bank, taking an important potential client of Christine's with him.
Banks are, of course, to some extent low hanging fruit, and Raimi extends his character's flaws far beyond them. Operating without any overarching principles, Christine jumps easily from rational explanation to rational explanation, at the insistence of her doting boyfriend (Justin Long) ascribing her strange sensations to posttraumatic stress, and then seizing upon her psychic's suggestion of a “blood offering” as the surest way to break the curse. Contrast that to the psychic himself, Rham Jas (Dileep Rao), a Hindu with a healthy fear of the dark powers who strikes up a short-lived debate, and another psychic associate of his, Shaun San Dena (Adriana Barraza), who lost her young child to them.
 Still, the intent of Drag is to scare, not preach, and Raimi buries these kinds of expositions under a layer of spooky monsters-and-spirits storyline. Just to reinforce that point, the DVD’s bonus features (Universal Studios Home Entertainment, MSRP: $29.98) include 35 minutes of behind-the-scenes footage showing the sets, makeup and special effects, with commentary by filmmakers and actors drawing focus to the creepy elements. Except for several seconds of additional footage cut from the theatrical version mainly to appease animal-rights activists (whose wrath is more fearsome than any Lamia), the unrated director’s cut DVD has no additional extras besides the option to watch either the unrated or theatrical version of the movie.
Debates over morality notwithstanding, Drag Me to Hell still makes for a superb show. Although Raimi breaks no new ground, like any good director he shows a keen understanding of his audience, manipulating expertly their emotions for the length of his tale. That is the mark of every great horror film.
Drag Me to Hell is now available on DVD and Blu-ray.
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