DRAG ME TO HELL - UNRATED DIRECTOR'S CUT (Blu-ray; Universal)

Mike LoManaco

Studio Name: Universal/Ghost House Productions
MPAA Rating: Unrated/PG-13
Disc/Transfer Information: 1080p High Definition; Widescreen 2.40:1
Tested Audio Track: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (tested at DTS core)
Director: Sam Raimi
Starring Cast: Justin Long, Alison Lohman

LoMANACO'S PLOT ANALYSIS:

Amidst swirling, evolving and downright conflicting rumors regarding a shooting schedule for Spider-Man 4, Sam Raimi returned to his Evil Dead horror roots of sorts and released this much-anticipated little shocker fusing demonic possession, gypsy curses and a horrific look into the bowels of hell. Not receiving much theatrical run time, it was believed that Drag Me to Hell was going to be one of the more anticipated titles of the Halloween home video season – in retrospect, there was a great deal of hoopla leading to the video release of this title, and spending a good few days with it in my home theater, and viewing both the “PG-13” rated cut and the Unrated version, I attempted to get a better idea of just what the excitement was all about. In the end, it seems Raimi and co-writer Ivan Raimi borrowed heavily from many late-vintage horror flicks – notably the “exorcism” sequence at the end of the film in the Los Angeles house – but at the same time created something that was rather shocking in certain moments, based on the version you select to watch.

At times, Drag Me to Hell seems to dip into that “made for TV” realm of feel, where the performances and action get a bit campy – much like the other gypsy curse thriller Stephen King’s Thinner. As a matter of fact, I haven’t seen a good gypsy curse horror film since Thinner, and much of the gypsy folklore regarding their curses which was on display in that film carries over here. The film opens with the shot of a home in the suburbs of California many years back, and a Latin family arriving with a sick child; the woman and man carry their son out of their truck, and approach a woman who appears to be able to help him and his “symptoms” of demonic origins. Following her into the house, the sequence explodes into a horrific display of this boy’s spirit being dragged down into the bowels of hell (which are erupting right there in the entrance of the home) as black hands and arms and fiery licks of flame engulf him. The woman who was supposed to save him from this torment mentions “seeing you again” in Spanish, and the film then forwards to the present time.

Alison Lohman plays Christine Brown, a sexy bit of a thing who works at a Los Angeles savings bank as a loan officer. She’s trying to work her way up through a promotion to Assistant Manager, and much of this element plays a big role in the film’s screenplay and plot – her boyfriend (Justin Long) is, what appears to be, some kind of college professor yet he doesn’t seem “right” for the role, what with his sarcastic, immature replies and attitude towards everything around him. Long was an odd choice for this character, but we continue to see more and more of him in Hollywood, which is a disturbing trend to me. They should have just left him alone after Jeepers Creepers and called it a day.

At any rate, Lohman’s character is approached one afternoon at the bank by an old, horrifically decaying woman with a disturbingly displaced eye that begs for the bank not to take her home away from her. It appears she’s defaulted on the mortgage, and she has come to plead for an extension. When she brings this to her boss’ attention, he tells her the decision is hers – but in the interest of securing her promotion, she decides to take the side of the bank, and refuses to help the old lady. After one last ditch at begging, the lady goes into a violent fit that scares Lohman so badly, security must drag her out. Later that night as Lohman is leaving the bank and walking to her car in the underground lot, she spots the old lady’s decaying yellow car parked in the shadows, waiting for her. What follows is just some of the over-the-top visuals and moments Raimi injects into this film – some of it grossly offputting if you’re not prepared for it. The old lady begins an attack on Lohman as she inexplicably ends up in Lohman’s back seat and tries every which way to lay a gypsy curse on her. This includes ripping Lohman’s hair out of her head and then systematically losing her dentures as Lohman rams her car into another in a desperate attempt to get the old gypsy off of her and out of her vehicle – the gyp smashes against the car’s dashboard and the false teeth come flying out, solidifying all the nasty thoughts and nightmares you’ve ever had about old people.

Eventually, the lady gets the curse put on Lohman through ripping off one of the buttons on her jacket – now, a centuries-old demonic force will take possession of Lohman because she is the carrier of this cursed object in three days. How did she discover this? When Long comes to her rescue after the old lady’s attack in the parking complex, the two of them visit a spiritual fortune teller that is able to see this demonic force over her. This is where the film got a bit cheesy; and if you ever had any doubts as to whether or not these so-called “fortune tellers” are in it just for the money, after watching Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell, you won’t be in doubt any longer. First, the fortune teller wants 60 bucks for the reading – later in the film, when he suggests the “demonologist” that tried to save the boy in the beginning, Lohman is informed she costs $10,000 in order to visit her. It’s absolutely ridiculous.

So Lohman and Long are informed that this gypsy curse includes a dark spiritual possession that will indeed drag her to an eternity in hell in three days – and in the meantime, she will be tormented by this spirit. Alas, when Long isn’t around, Lohman is assaulted by invisible forces that attack and harass her, including being belted around by invisible hands (a la An American Haunting and The Entity) and spewing blood from her nose all over her boss and customers at her bank job. One evening, with Long sleeping next to her, Lohman swallows a fly that ultimately shows itself at a dinner Long sets up so his parents can meet his girlfriend – whom they don’t approve of. At the dinner, Lohman is tormented by more demonic visions and attacks that nobody else can see; the old lady’s eye pokes itself out in a piece of cake in front of her, the walls pound with a relentless presence and the fly she swallowed comes bursting out of her mouth in front of her boyfriend and his disgusted parents. Some of the special effects used here are shocking and gruesome – notably a sequence where Lohman is dreaming that the old gypsy is next to her in bed, then rolls on top of her and vomits a sea of worms and maggots onto her.

Meanwhile, Lohman visits the address where the old gypsy’s granddaughter is supposed to live in order to beg her to remove the curse with the agreement that she will attempt to get her house back for her. Upon arriving at this creepy house, the door is answered by the granddaughter, who after seething at Lohman “you deserve everything that’s coming for you” invites her in to witness the gypsy funeral “celebration” taking place in the basement – apparently, the old lady has died.

After the fortune teller suggests to Lohman that she can sacrifice an animal as an offering swap to the spirits instead of her soul, Lohman decides to do just that even though she’s a self-proclaimed animal lover. Now, there’s a difference here between the Unrated cut of Drag Me to Hell and the PG-13 version which involves Lohman’s cat – but I cannot give this away. Suffice to say, her decision doesn’t work, and she’s forced to take the fortune teller up on his final suggestion for saving her life – come to the house of this spiritual leader he knows (the woman from the first sequence of the film that tried to save the boy’s life but failed) for the fee of $10,000, as she has had experience with this dark demonic gypsy force before. Here, the most memorable parts of the film take place with over-the-top effects and shocking demonic images – the last time we saw such antics was in Constantine but they’re taken to a new level here. There is a sense of borrowed elements from that Gary Oldman film that came out not too long ago, in which he played a “rabbi” attempting to exorcise a demon from a girl, but the application here was more effective. The fortune teller, Lohman, the spiritual woman and her assistant form a s

Mike LoManaco

DRAG ME TO HELL REVIEW CONTINUED...

While Lohman believes she’s free of the gypsy curse – after this “exorcism” ritual at the spiritual woman’s house indeed claimed a life – there’s a surprise twist at the end of both versions that I will not divulge. It has to do with that coat button which the gypsy originally cursed and Lohman needing to “give it away” to someone else in order for the curse to be off her – she thinks she successfully gives it back to the gypsy after digging up her grave in a ridiculously silly scene and stuffing the envelope containing the button in the corpse’s mouth, but all is not what it seems.

Both versions of Drag Me to Hell share the same running time, and from what I could tell, the only major differences were that aforementioned horrific sequence involving Lohman’s cat – there may have been a bit more gore in the Unrated cut as well.

VIDEO QUALITY ANALYSIS:

Surprising for Universal, this wasn’t a disc that exhibited reference-quality depth or images as most of their releases have been doing – that’s not to say the transfer looked soft, but there was just something missing from this 2.40:1 transfer and 1080p encode – to begin with, the opening sequence which depicted events years ago with the “possessed” boy showed lack of color but exhibited sharp detail. Of course, the color scheme could have been purposely muted for this “flashback” sequence. As the transfer went on, facial close-ups just didn’t exhibit eye-popping detail and rather looked flat and DVD-dimensional; still, there was good detail in clothing and other images.

The detail in the old gypsy’s clothing – specifically her tweed jacket – were rippling with clarity and realism, and there were other positive moments in the transfer, I just feel this wasn’t Universal’s best effort on Blu-ray.

AUDIO QUALITY ANALYSIS:

What stood out most on the 5.1 English Master Audio mix (played back at the core DTS stream on my system) was the hushed quality of the dialogue as compared to the rest of the track – vocal delivery was extremely inaudible when the accompanying action was at its most comfortable level. Outside of that, dynamics were strong and aggressive, save for a slight tendency for most of the track to remain in the front channels. The first aspect I noticed when playing back Drag Me to Hell in either version was the rather lean presence of the surround stage – it’s not really until later in the film that the surround channels heat up and make a presence, as the ghostly spirits fly by Lohman’s house and all around her, or towards the end during the “exorcism” when the gypsy dark spirit cackles and glides through the rear channels.


SUMMARY:

The verdict is still out on this one. While effective creepy in places, Sam Raimi’s modern-day occult shocker seems cheesy and cliché in many spots, and the embarrassing performance by Justin Long just compounds the problem. I am uncertain if I am going to buy this title.

RECOMMENDATIONS:

There are some added shock/gore elements in the Unrated cut of the film, and this is definitely not for those “grossed out” by the exhibition of bodily fluids, bugs or demonic images – but it definitely makes a great rental for this time of year, once again. As for a buy…I’m just not sure.

Let me know what you think!

Mike LoManaco

Lasareath wrote: »

I love that Movie!

Thanks, Lasareth...

Did you see it in theaters, or did you rent it on Tuesday?

buymesome

Drag me to the eject button lol

I cant say I enjoyed this it was way too camp but I did get some satisfaction out of the ending

Mike LoManaco

buymesome wrote: »

Drag me to the eject button lol

I cant say I enjoyed this it was way too camp but I did get some satisfaction out of the ending

Thanks for your thoughts, Buyme. The ending was a bit refreshing in that...well...that's all I'm gonna say!

buymesome

Mike I notice you do alot of reviews on new releases do you have spoilers in them?

Mike LoManaco

buymesome wrote: »

Mike I notice you do alot of reviews on new releases do you have spoilers in them?

If by "do you have spoilers in them" you mean do I provide information on the plot or the endings, I have at times divulged this info (sometimes with warnings) but in this case, I analyzed the plot sequences and then resisted talking about what happens at the end as the "twist" and the differences between the PG-13 and Unrated versions.

Ricardo

Lasareath wrote: »

I love that Movie!

Mike LoManaco wrote: »

Thanks, Lasareth...

He's saying he loves THE MOVIE....not that he loves you.

zombie boy 2000

I didn't bother to read the review (maybe later), but this was my favorite movie in years. I saw it in the theater and returned the next day to see it again. This is about as fun as movies get. Anyone expecting your standard horror movie will be grossly surprised (pun intended?).

Sherardp

zombie boy 2000 wrote: »

I didn't bother to read the review (maybe later), but this was my favorite movie in years. I saw it in the theater and returned the next day to see it again. This is about as fun as movies get. Anyone expecting your standard horror movie will be grossly surprised (pun intended?).

Agreed with ZB, watched it on Blu last night. Fun movie with great ending. The BD will definitely surprise you, pristine audio/video.

Mike LoManaco

zombie boy 2000 wrote: »

I didn't bother to read the review (maybe later), but this was my favorite movie in years. I saw it in the theater and returned the next day to see it again. This is about as fun as movies get. Anyone expecting your standard horror movie will be grossly surprised (pun intended?).

Thank you for your thoughts, Zombie -- read the review when you get a chance, please, so you can see whether you and I differ in the thoughts on the film; surprising, though, that you thought it was so good you returned to see it in theaters! Most are calling it "too campy" which I found as well.

Mike LoManaco

Sherardp wrote: »

Agreed with ZB, watched it on Blu last night. Fun movie with great ending. The BD will definitely surprise you, pristine audio/video.

Thanx for your thoughts as well, Sherar; indeed, the ending seems to be getting a great deal of attention -- glad we all just hinted at it for those who haven't seen it!

The Blu-ray, however, to me, wasn't "pristine"...in fact, I thought it to be an average effort from Universal, who has been churning out great release after great release in HD -- it was far from the worst transfer I've seen though, and the Master Audio (even in DTS) was shocking when it needed to be, although that dialogue issue concerned me.

danz1906

Sherardp wrote: »

Agreed with ZB, watched it on Blu last night. Fun movie with great ending. The BD will definitely surprise you, pristine audio/video.

I will rent the Blu-Ray this weekend-Thanks Guys!

Mike LoManaco

danz1906 wrote: »

I will rent the Blu-Ray this weekend-Thanks Guys!

Let me know what you think about it when you get a free moment, Danz -- the concensus here has been mixed.

Did you get a chance to scan the review? I also PM'ed you.

KrazyMofo24

I watched the movie in the theater and enjoyed it. It got really good reviews I don't feel it was as good as the reviews made it out to seem, but definitely worth watching.

I use metacritic.com over rotten tomatoes I just feel their rating system is a really good indicator on how good the movie will be.

danz1906

Mike LoManaco wrote: »

Let me know what you think about it when you get a free moment, Danz -- the concensus here has been mixed.

Did you get a chance to scan the review? I also PM'ed you.

I got the pm...............will let you know what i think.

Mike LoManaco

danz1906 wrote: »

I got the pm...............will let you know what i think.

Thanks, D.

zombie boy 2000

Mike LoManaco wrote: »

Thank you for your thoughts, Zombie -- read the review when you get a chance, please, so you can see whether you and I differ in the thoughts on the film; surprising, though, that you thought it was so good you returned to see it in theaters! Most are calling it "too campy" which I found as well.

Sam Raimi wanted to return to his "Evil Dead/Army of Darkness" roots. I knew it was going to be campy from the start. The only problem existed with the studio attempting to market it as your regular horror movie. This is why it bombed at the box office and will more than likely kick **** on video as a cult classic.

concealer404

I think i just vomited. I just finished watching this movie. Disgusting.

I can't comment on the movie itself, as my less than one week old blockbuster rental is already unplayable on both my PS2 and my DV-50A. Go figure. I had to skip over at least 5 chapters, and i feel i missed some important stuff.

danz1906

concealer404 wrote: »

I think i just vomited. I just finished watching this movie. Disgusting.

I can't comment on the movie itself, as my less than one week old blockbuster rental is already unplayable on both my PS2 and my DV-50A. Go figure. I had to skip over at least 5 chapters, and i feel i missed some important stuff.

Its a Newer Blu-ray, I had to do a Firmware update on my Pany bd-80
to get it to play.

concealer404

danz1906 wrote: »

Its a Newer Blu-ray, I had to do a Firmware update on my Pany bd-80
to get it to play.

I don't have a BDP yet. This was normal DVD.

Grabbing that Pio Elite 51FD or whatever it was once my sub sells. Soo... help me out!

Mike LoManaco

concealer404 wrote: »

I think i just vomited. I just finished watching this movie. Disgusting.

I can't comment on the movie itself, as my less than one week old blockbuster rental is already unplayable on both my PS2 and my DV-50A. Go figure. I had to skip over at least 5 chapters, and i feel i missed some important stuff.

LOL -- thanks for your thoughts Concealer! That's too bad about your rental -- What was wrong with the disc? Damaged?

Some of the film was indeed disgusting, and I pointed these out in the review -- how did that old gyp's dentures flying out grab ya? Or when her eyeballs shoot out of her head in the girl's dream? :eek:

Mike LoManaco

danz1906 wrote: »

Its a Newer Blu-ray, I had to do a Firmware update on my Pany bd-80
to get it to play.

This is common and unfortunate; my Panasonic BD10A wouldn't play Quantum of Solace when I first got it, and I needed to download an update from Panasonic's site...:rolleyes:

Mike LoManaco

concealer404 wrote: »

I don't have a BDP yet. This was normal DVD.

Grabbing that Pio Elite 51FD or whatever it was once my sub sells. Soo... help me out!

Your rental of Drag Me to Hell was on standard DVD, Conceal?

concealer404

Mike LoManaco wrote: »

LOL -- thanks for your thoughts Concealer! That's too bad about your rental -- What was wrong with the disc? Damaged?

Some of the film was indeed disgusting, and I pointed these out in the review -- how did that old gyp's dentures flying out grab ya? Or when her eyeballs shoot out of her head in the girl's dream? :eek:

There was about 5 chapters that just wouldn't play. Would hang up, so i had to skip them.

No worries, blockbuster offered to give me another copy, but honestly i wasn't drawn in enough to worry about it.

It was entertaining, but not on my list of favorites.

I was grossed out the most by the old gypsy "gumming" the girl's chin in the car. That was absolutely horrifying to me.

concealer404

Mike LoManaco wrote: »

Your rental of Drag Me to Hell was on standard DVD, Conceal?

Yeah. I don't have a Blu-Ray player yet. Picture quality was still pretty good though.

What worried me was that the title menu ghosted and showed up again last night when i powered up the TV to watch "Crank 2" again. But that went away.

Mike LoManaco

concealer404 wrote: »

There was about 5 chapters that just wouldn't play. Would hang up, so i had to skip them.

No worries, blockbuster offered to give me another copy, but honestly i wasn't drawn in enough to worry about it.

I know exactly what you went through with this -- I've had so many Red Box and B'buster rentals that just wouldn't play or skipped, I can't tell you...

It was entertaining, but not on my list of favorites.

I suppose that's how I'd sum it up, as well.

I was grossed out the most by the old gypsy "gumming" the girl's chin in the car. That was absolutely horrifying to me.

Agreed -- a sequence I failed to mention. It was truly sickening; but so was her eyes popping out and the dentures flying out, too. :eek:

Mike LoManaco

concealer404 wrote: »

Yeah. I don't have a Blu-Ray player yet. Picture quality was still pretty good though.

You need to jump into the deep Blu already! But I understand your wanting to wait; I did the same thing with the BD/HD DVD wars, where hundreds went out and bought into both formats and some ended up with those horrible first generation Toshiba HD DVD players -- I waited until it looked like Blu-ray was going to "win" the format "war"...but now, prices on the players have come down to reasonable for the most part. My Panasonic was $600 when I purchased it, considered the player to have at the time, or pretty much; what is stopping you from getting a player? Is it budget?

What worried me was that the title menu ghosted and showed up again last night when i powered up the TV to watch "Crank 2" again. But that went away.

Are you serious? The title menu for "Drag Me to Hell"? That sounds like a display issue...what kind of TV do you have?

danz1906

The Movie was OK, but the Audio on Blu-Ray was impressive.

concealer404

Mike LoManaco wrote: »

You need to jump into the deep Blu already! But I understand your wanting to wait; I did the same thing with the BD/HD DVD wars, where hundreds went out and bought into both formats and some ended up with those horrible first generation Toshiba HD DVD players -- I waited until it looked like Blu-ray was going to "win" the format "war"...but now, prices on the players have come down to reasonable for the most part. My Panasonic was $600 when I purchased it, considered the player to have at the time, or pretty much; what is stopping you from getting a player? Is it budget?



Are you serious? The title menu for "Drag Me to Hell"? That sounds like a display issue...what kind of TV do you have?

It's budget... i'm picking up the Pioneer 51FD or whatever it is this month, though. I JUST got my first HDTV on Sunday, anyways.

The ghosting was on my Panny Plasma. From what i hear, it's normal. Went away pretty quickly.

Face

I thought it was kinda goofy. Passed the time though.