Poor Christine just can’t catch a break thanks to the old lady’s curse (Picture: REX, Metro)
It’s not often that I disagree with the hype around a good horror film, but I never used to understand the immense praise for Drag Me To Hell.
Not only does it boast a staggering 92% on Rotten Tomatoes but its fiercest defenders have hailed it as an ‘underrated gem’, one of their ‘favourite horror films of all time’ and ‘the scariest horror film ever’. Many have even crowned it with a 10/10 rating.
Until a few weeks ago, I would have strongly argued against these confident sentiments but now, I actually get it.
The first time I watched Drag Me To Hell a few years ago was anticlimactic, to say the least. After years of seeing the 2009 film hyped as one of the best horrors of the past decade or so, I decided to give it a go and went in with high hopes.
This was no doubt my first mistake because relying on expectations immediately set the film up to fail.
Drag Me To Hell follows loan officer Christine (Alison Lohman) who finds herself cursed by an old lady after refusing to extend her mortgage. Soon, the curse of the Lamia begins to affect every inch of Christine’s life as she fights to end it before being condemned to an eternity in hell.
I so badly wanted to share in the excitement everyone else seemed to have for it and was buzzing with the anticipation of discovering another cult classic that I too would add to my collection. However, to say I was underwhelmed and disappointed would be an understatement.
In fact, I was actually shocked by how much I disliked it.
I was well aware that director Sam Raimi loves over-the-top horror but for me, I felt the quality of Drag Me To Hell was lacking; the CGI a little dodgy and the storyline basic.
Having watched the trailer, I was also under the impression that this was your run-of-the-mill supernatural horror, especially considering the era in which this was released. The Conjuring, Sinister and Insidious all arrived in a similar time frame and so – with me watching Drag Me To Hell years later – I assumed it was part of that club.
Drag Me To Hell is every inch bonkers, ridiculous and unhinged (Picture: Rex Features)
But that’s what makes it so great (Picture: Rex Features)
Even now, it’s still billed as a supernatural mystery on a Google search.
However, anyone who has seen Sam Raimi’s blockbuster knows it’s more like a comedy caper than anything else.
Bonkers, ridiculous, unhinged and insane are probably some of the words to describe it best. It’s not quite Scary Movie levels of silliness but, honestly, it’s certainly heading in that direction. So when you’re expecting something that’s the complete opposite of what it is, it’s easy to feel a bit disheartened.
That’s what happened the first time I tried to digest Drag Me To Hell.
But then this Halloween, I decided to finally give it another go with a fresh mindset and no expectations.
I can hold my hands up and say, Drag Me To Hell is worth the watch (Picture: Rex Features)
This time, I decided to completely lean into the absurdity of it all and take it for what it is and, I can safely say I seriously enjoyed it and now regret not giving it another chance sooner.
Drag Me To Hell is still all of those things I felt the first time – bonkers, ridiculous, unhinged and insane, but that’s actually what makes it so good. It has one of the best meet-the-parents scenes I’ve ever seen and the demon lady vomiting straight into Christine’s mouth will always be iconic.
However, what I appreciate the most is the atypical ending.
It’s not often you get a big blockbuster that dares to offer you anything but a happy ending – although it would depend on how you see it, Justin Long’s fate earned a little cheer from me, I have to say.
After giving Drag Me To Hell a second chance, I’d say the lesson I’ve learnt is to not judge a horror on first watch.
Who knows, maybe one day I’ll actually have a change of heart about The VVitch…
Drag Me To Hell is available to buy on Prime Video or Apple TV.
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