Just Don’t Gag Me to Hell
The trailer for Sam Raimi’s upcoming Drag Me to Hell actually makes me wince, and not in the typical way Sam Raimi makes me wince.
Drag Me to Hell looks … scary.
Can it really be … scary?
It would be a disservice to his original, visceral Evil Dead (1983) to say that this marks the first time Spider-Man’s favorite journeyman-with-a-megaphone endeavored to incorporate bona fide fright into one of his fright films.
Still, in such volcanic contempt do I hold Evil Dead 2 (1987) and Army of Darkness (1993) – and, worse, their ferret-grinned boosters who claim to like “horror” – that I approach Drag Me to Hell with one Hell of a case of skepticism. In fact, I’m expecting a real Drag, har-deeeee-har.
Drag’s PG-13 rating certainly doesn’t bode well … but, then again, The Ring was PG-13, and that kicked off the middle-age proneness I’ve developed to getting all a-heebie-jeebied at the movies.
Then again, it is Sam Raimi. Mr. Quick and the Dead. Mr. For Love of the Game. He hates scary stuff, and he loves Spider-Man … but, in fairness, the first thing Raimi did with his Spider-Man clout was set up Ghost House Pictures, a horror studio.
Yet all Ghost House puts out is PG-13 nonsense.
So, this PG-13 endeavor comes to us from the Spiritual Father of the modern horror comedy, and no genre deserves more to despised. Make horror or make comedy - that twain most definitely doth not meet post-Re-Animator … or Return of the Living Dead …. or Texas Chain Saw Massacre 2 … or Night of the Creeps … but, still, nothing since then.
In fact, Evil Dead 2 is precisely the moment where that Golden Age of Horror ended and the poofy, self-referential, Spielberg-stunk-up, pre-torture-porn epoch begins. “Splatschtick”, my ass!
Ah, but then, I’ve liked Drag diva Alison Lohman ever since she was 24 and convincingly pulled off playing 14 in that Nicolas Cage con-man thing. Whatever perversion you read into that statement is accurate.
Watch the trailer. Then leave a comment and we’ll duke it out.
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Comments ( 6 )
[...] it’s off to Drag Me to Hell which, unfortunately, is not playing at my local drive-in, The [...]
McBeardo’s Midnight Movies » Drag Me to the Multiplex added these pithy words on May 29 09 at 6:08 pmHmmm. I’m inclined to say a movie (& this movie) can be very scary without using the gore, violence, etc., that lead to a stronger rating. You can imply things that are psychologically terrifying and create demons/monsters/witches, whatever, that keep you up at night without being excessively graphic. All that said, I have a horror boner for nudity, violence, gore & strong language. So maybe I leave my boner home that night & let Raimi fuck with my mind instead.
Penny Fine said at
May 07 09 at
6:26 pm
You speak wisely, Ms. Fine. I shall gamble on DRAG ME TO HELL along with you. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE let it play the Cascade Drive In http://www.cascadedrivein.com
mcbeardo said at
May 14 09 at
4:47 pm
You know, I thought the same thing after seeing the commercials for this movie.
1. This looks like it could be scary
2. Hm. Raimi. WIll it be Evil Dead or Spiderman?
3. Oh crap. PG-13. It’s gonna blow.
4. Oh wait. Maybe not. Things can still be scary w/o gore.
5. I’m gonna take the risk and see it.I jsut discovered the blog btw. Will keep reading. Thanks for the horror
Justin said at
May 19 09 at
1:12 pm
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The commercials for DRAG ME TO HELL are just too persuasive. I shall be there. I hope it plays the drive-in, but I’ll go even if I have to sit indoors.
mcbeardo said at
May 19 09 at
2:38 pm
I got scared!
Doesn’t Alison look like my friend Michelle? She really does in the nic cage movie.
sLy said at
May 23 09 at
8:58 pm
