RATING:

He’s baaaaack. Sam Raimi, the talented director who started his career with the cult comic-horror classic The Evil Dead and then gravitated to more mainstream work like A Simple Plan and The Spider Man series, has returned to the genre that made him famous. I’m happy to report that he has not gone soft.
Nope, from its straight-to-the-point title, to its pussy, oozy, “I just threw up a little in my mouth” special effects, Drag Me to Hell will make you scream with both fear and laughter. It’s a fast-paced, deliriously nasty joy ride to hell.
Baby-faced Alison Lohman is perfectly cast as loan officer Christine Brown. Her boss (David Paymer) thinks Christine is a little too compassionate toward her customers, and she’s in danger of being passed over for a promotion in favor of the smarmy suck-up Stu (Reggie Lee). So when a decrepit gypsy woman (Lorna Raver)—her false teeth are corroded and her nails are dirt-caked talons—comes into the bank asking for a third extension on her mortgage, Christine is firm: No more second chances. Unfortuntately for Christine, she just pissed off the wrong gypsy. The next scene, where Christine is attacked in her car by the feral old woman, ranks as one of the most macabre bursts of comic violence I’ve witnessed in a long time. And Raimi is just getting started.
Adorable Justin Long provides solid supporting work as Clay, Christine’s skeptical but loving boyfriend. And big props to fearless Lorna Raver, whose vengeful gypsy makes the Wicked Witch of the West look like Doris Day. Oh, and a word to the wise: Whatever you do, don’t get overly attached to the cat.