Drag Me to Hell (2009)

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General		Extras
Category	Horror	Menu Animation & Audio Trailer-3 trailers Featurette-Selection of short production diary features
Rating
Year Of Production	2009
Running Time	94:49 (Case: 99)
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Ads Then Menu
Region Coding	1,2,3,4,5,6	Directed By	Sam Raimi
Studio Distributor	Ghost House Pictures Roadshow Home Entertainment	Starring	Alison Lohman Justin Long Lorna Raver Dileep Rao David Paymer Adriana Barraza
Case	Amaray-Transparent
RPI	?	Music	Christopher Young

"Even nice people can go to hell"

     Drag Me To Hell opens in frenetic fashion with an apparently possessed Mexican boy being tormented by unseen forces and eventually meeting a demonic end. Transitioning to a more suburban scene we encounter Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) as the nice as pie bank loan officer who is vying for the assistant manager’s position in her branch. Unfortunately for her, a new employee, Stu (Reggie Lee), is crawling all over the boss (David Paymer) and undermining her position as front-runner for the job. After suggestions are made that she is not aggressive enough in chasing bank profits Christine decides to take a stand and refuse a bank loan extension to the seriously strange Mrs Sylvia Ganush (Lorna Raver). To say this turns out to be a bad move is a massive understatement as Christine becomes the subject of a car-park attack and Hungarian curse that turns her life into a living hell.

     Christine’s boyfriend Clay (Justin Long) tries to reassure her but unsettling events lead her to seek the advice of Indian psychic medium Rham Jas (Dileep Rao). It is discovered that the curse has destined Christine to be tormented by the demon Lamia, and eventually to be dragged into hell within three days. To avoid this demise a coat button given to her by Mrs Ganush in the car park must be gifted to another person so that the curse is transferred away. Unfortunately the recipient of the button will then also be the target of the curse. The implication of this action is not lost on the previously incorruptible Christine, but as her desperation increases so also her moral values decline. What follows until the movie’s conclusion is a frantic effort to escape the demon pursuing her and the ghastly fate that awaits.

     Being a Sam Raimi film the script and direction are all completed with tongue firmly in cheek. Also as you’d expect there are numerous gruesome scenes, with some done so comically that you are more amused than horrified. I won’t spoil the anticipation but let’s just say that the fist in the mouth, popping eyes, talking goat, and séance “jig” are laugh out loud moments. Alison Lohman also must have wondered why she signed up to star because she ends up covered in all sort of revolting substances - from mud, to mucus, to a mouth full of maggots – and more. The special effects are really very good for a comparatively low budget film, with some looking intentionally fake to add to the humour. This really is one over-the-top romp with Raimi’s inventive imagination firmly set in overdrive. Whilst there is a moral message underlying the plot the overall premise presented here is to entertain.

Video

     This film is presented in its cinematic 2.35:1 aspect. This is an excellent transfer in nearly all respects and I could detect only minor faults. Blacks were excellent and colours strong and vibrant when required. The colour palette was deliberately cooled in some scenes (for example when Mrs. Ganush is involved) but otherwise there are nice rich hues. The blood (and there was plenty of it) was a realistically lustrous red and the flames of hell a lovely gold. Flesh tones are very good in close-up with no patchiness or uneven detail. The grave digging scene introduced some minor macro blocking and noise – probably due to the frenetic action and challenging lighting conditions involved. Overall the video quality was very good.

     The picture detail was a sharp and detailed. There were no film artefacts.

     This is a dual layer disc but I could not see the layer change using my equipment.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     The default Dolby Digital 5.1 at 448Kb/s offering delivers all the scares and bumps with great aplomb. A movie such as this needs a lot of directional effects and the surround track delivers this in spades. There is a lot of action in front and behind with swirling winds surrounding you at times. The Dolby Digital 2.0 at 224 Kb/s offering is technically fine but a vastly inferior option as the surround effects are so important in enjoying the movie. Dialogue is crisp and clear with no synchronisation problems. The movie score by Christopher Young is suitable intense and accompanies the action on screen very well indeed.

     The front sound stage was very good with main voices coming from the centre channel and effects used very well from all directions. Surround channel use was extensive and used appropriately. The subwoofer was used well to complement the explosions and effects.

     This audio track is definitely one of the better offerings available on DVD.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Menu

     The menu featured looping audio with animated background.

Trailers (6:50)

     Unless otherwise noted, all the following extras feature a 1.78:1 video aspect with Dolby Digital 2.0 audio at 192 Kb/s. Both sound and video quality is excellent.

Intro (1:32)

     Introduction by Justin Long to the "production diaries" extras.

The Bloody Nose (2:38)

     How the spurting blood nose effect was created. A cleaner's nightmare.

Inside The Psychic World (2:50)

     Set and prop design for the studio of psychic Rham Jas.

Makeup Effects (2:13)

     Transforming Lorna Raver into the demented gypsy woman Sylvia Ganush.

Justin Long Profile (2:36)

     A focus on Justin Long's contribution to the movie.

Alison In Mud (3:05)

     Production and prop information on Alison Lohman's mud "bath" scene. Looks like fun!

The Nightmare (1:54)

     The Ganush nightmare puppet scene. Alison Lohman initially struggles to suppress laughing but the maggot vomit sobers her up.

Alison's Wirework (2:13)

     Alison Lohman's wire stunt where she is thrown around the room.

The Parking Lot Fight (1:44)

     Lorna and Alison fight it out in the car with no holds barred.

The Goat (2:48)

     No animals were hurt in the filming of Drag Me To Hell. Billy the goat was too cute to sacrifice so an animatronic goat was substituted.

Set Tour: The Great Room (2:45)

     Set and prop design for the "great room" of the mansion. Includes some background to the fire jig scene.

Puzzle Car (1:36)

     Creation of the Ford Focus car which could be pulled apart depending on what was required in the scene.

Dragging Her To Hell (2:48)

     The special effects created for the film's conclusion.

Sound Design (2:59)

     Sound mixer Marti Humphrey and others discuss how sound effects were melded into the film and also a closing farewell from Justin Long.

    This Region 4 Director's cut version has slight differences to the theatrical version and includes different cuts and angles of the cat murder scene, vomited blood during the nosebleed scene, and a more intense fight between Christine and Mrs. Ganush. It appears identical to the Region 1 Director's cut version apart from subtitle and language options.

     Drag Me To Hell is a wonderful foray into the inventive mind of Sam Raimi and a real hoot to watch. The scares and laughs are mixed quite liberally with the gruesome scenes so over the top that they really don’t offend. Both video and audio quality is very good to excellent, with the surrounds in particular getting a real work out. The extras are quite interesting but very short. It would have been great to have included a more significant “making of” featurette and director’s commentary. Drag Me To Hell is a real homage to classic Raimi as seen in the Evil Dead movies and, to me, ticks all the boxes for fun factor. Overall I’d class this DVD as highly recommended.

     The video quality is very good. The audio quality is excellent. Extras are good but short.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall