Turn out all the lights, drop the DVD into you player, grab hold of your significant other and watch Drag Me to Hell, a scary horror flick that had me jumping during nearly every scene.  The film is Sam Raimi’s best horror effort with a lot of frightening images, disgusting excretions, evil demons, hideous faces and other things that make you want to cringe or vomit.  If I haven’t made you ill from my description of the film, then you might want to play the UNRATED Director's Cut instead of the PG-13 theatrical release.

Christine Brown (Lohman) is an ambitious L.A. loan officer with a charming boyfriend, professor Clay Dalton (Long).  Life is good until the mysterious Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver) arrives at the bank to beg for an extension on her home loan.  Should Christine follow her instincts and give the old woman a break?  Or should she deny the extension to impress her boss, Mr. Jacks (David Paymer), and get a leg-up on a promotion?  Christine fatefully chooses the latter, shaming Mrs. Ganush and dispossessing her of her home.

In retaliation, the old woman places the powerful curse of the Lamia on Christine, transforming her life into a living hell.  Haunted by an evil spirit, and misunderstood by a skeptical boyfriend, she seeks the aid of seer Rham Jas (Dioleep Rao) to save her soul from eternal damnation.  To help the shattered Christine return her life to normal, the psychic sets her on a frantic course to reverse the spell. As evil forces close in, Christine must face the unthinkable: how far will she go to break free of the curse?

The movie plays out like a typical Grind House film, and Raimi pulls no punches when it comes to satisfying horror fans that have a fetish for the bizarre.  Although predictable in many ways, it’s the getting there that makes this film good. Packed with some great CGI in all the right places, Raimi spins his magic, taking the simple storyline to a fiery conclusion.

Lohman does a great job of playing the hapless loan office ladder-climber.  Raimi pushes her envelope from innocence to damning as he progresses her character from cute to curse.  I loved the graveyard scene with Christine drenched in the mire of death and bones.

Bonus features, in addition to the two versions, are 30 minutes long and include: behind-the-scenes scares, secrets and a surprise featuring stars Justin Long and Alison Lohman.

FINAL ANALYSIS:  A gory story from a very good director of horror.

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