Big Picture Big Sound

The Film

Didn't your mom ever tell you to be nice to old gypsy ladies with glass eyes? If not, you may be in trouble. At least if there's any truth to Drag Me to Hell.

Director Sam Raimi (Spider-Man, Evil Dead) gets back to his evil roots with this creepy tale of torture and terror. The pawn in this game is a cute, perky Christine (Alison Lohman). The girl just can't get ahead -- that is, until she decides to deny a creepy old woman (Lorna Raver) a bank extension. What follows is the curse of the Lamia. In case you don't have your evil handbook handy, that means three days of torment, which includes being attacked by spirits, excessive nosebleeds and eating flies. After that, the demon is done playing around, and ultimately drags you to Hell. Hence, the title.

Despite the PG-13 rating, this is one of the most frightening flicks that we've seen in a while. It's got plenty of guts, gore and vomit to keep your stomach turning. It's also got a killer, unexpected ending. All of it is in good fun, though, like most of Raimi's movies. While so many horror flicks go for the flash, the gore works here, thanks to the tongue-in-cheek approach to it all.

In case you're hoping, there's no Bruce Campbell, a staple in Raimi's cinematic efforts. He would have made the perfect bank manager or even Christine's work competitor. Both of the roles are filled out just fine by David Paymer and Reggie Lee, respectively. Just know that "The Chin" is noticeably absent (due to his regular gig on USA's Burn Notice).

Still, it's good to see that the director hasn't been blinded by spidey senses. Drag Me to Hell is not-so-clean fun for the horror fan.

Want to scare up more information about the movie? Check out Karen Dahlstrom's review of the theatrical release of Drag Me to Hell.

The Picture

There's nothing like a pair of rotting dentures to test out a film's image. Drag Me to Hell has that and so much more. The reds and blacks run rampant through this entire film and they look very good. Raimi actually had a $30 million budget for this film, and it shows. Of course, not everything looks realistic. In fact, sometimes it's downright hokie. However, fleshtones are perfect and the 2.35:1 transfer is clean, with a lot of style and detail.

The Sound

Evil demons make a lot of noise. Winds whip around, the ground opens up, there's a lot of moaning; it's quite a production. So is this DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack. High heels in the parking garage, clanging pots and pans, squeaky gates, flies and the hounds of hell are just some of the creepy elements swirling around the surrounds to keep you on the edge of your seat. There's also plenty of girl-on-gypsy action, which emits a lot of screams and good bass.

The Extras

Um... hello? Did Universal leave an extra disc behind at the warehouse or something? This little gem, which was no slouch at the box office, is missing its extras. There is the Unrated version, which produces a tad bit more gore than its PG-13 theatrical release. Other than that, the only item included is 35 minutes of "Production Video Diaries." They are interesting, as is all things Raimi. However, there's no commentary, no deleted scenes, and nothing else.

Final Thoughts

Sam Raimi fans will appreciate the director getting back to the horror business, as well as this film's little nods to his previous work. Despite disappointing extras, Drag Me to Hell is a good, gory time -- and definitely worthy of your Blu-ray bucks.

Product Details

• Actors: Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver, Dileep Rao, David Paymer, Adriana Barraza
• Director: Sam Raimi
• Audio/Languages: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (English), DTS 5.1 (Spanish, French), Dolby Surround 2.0 (English)
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French
• Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
• Region: A
• Number of Discs: 2
• Rating: Unrated / PG-13
• Studio: Universal Pictures
• Blu-ray Disc Release Date: September 13, 2009
• Run Time: 99 minutes
• List Price: $29.99
• Extras:
  • Unrated Version
  • Production Video Diaries
  • D-Box Motion Enabled