# Drag Me to Hell **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 28, 2009, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drag-me-to-hell/497973 "2009-05-28T22:22:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Blue\_Mood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@Blue\_Mood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Mood)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2009, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drag-me-to-hell/497973/1 "2009-05-28T22:22:56Z")
I just surprised my husband by taking him to see this film, and ended up being surprised myself. I usually don’t like horror movies, but this one was thoroughly enjoyable. ---
**Author:** ![Squeaker\_Snow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Squeaker\_Snow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squeaker_Snow)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drag-me-to-hell/497973/2 "2009-05-29T00:30:43Z")
Oooooooooh, I am so jealous of you! I’m going to see it this weekend. The title itself has to worth the price of admission. DRAG ME TO HELL. Do they give out Oscars for titles? If not, they should! I asked my husband while we were watching a commercial for it last night, “How do you think they got ahold of our home movies?” I just hope they show it at the drive-in. That would be heavenly! Horror movies were made to be seen at the drive-in. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drag-me-to-hell/497973/3 "2009-05-29T00:41:10Z")
I’ll be seeing it right after work tomorrow. I don’t see Bruce Campbell’s name anywhere on the IMDB credits. Surely he makes some kind of appearance? ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drag-me-to-hell/497973/4 "2009-05-29T02:03:37Z")
The PG-13 rating in a horror/suspense flick leaves me waiting to catch it for free on HBO one lazy Saturday afternoon a few years later. The artificial barrier of knowing there are certain places the movie can’t go, or certain lines that can’t be crossed, kills the viewing experience for me. I skipped the later Terminator and Predator flicks for a similar reason, their previous installments had all been an earned hard R for graphic violence. I can’t go into the new ones knowing that the alien or robot who should be topping their predecessor’s actions, will now be kinder, gentler, and concealed in shadow. ---
**Author:** ![baronsabato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed655f/32.png) [@baronsabato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/baronsabato)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drag-me-to-hell/497973/5 "2009-05-29T03:23:32Z")
Just wondering- what do you usually not like about horror flicks, and what was different about this one? I for one enjoy horror films a lot- the cheesier the better (although truly scary ones are good too, but that tends to be fairly rare). Where did this one rate on the cheesiness scale? ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Mood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@Blue\_Mood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Mood)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drag-me-to-hell/497973/6 "2009-05-29T10:02:05Z")
> [@baronsabato](#): > > Just wondering- what do you usually not like about horror flicks, and what was different about this one? I don’t like nasty things jumping out willy nilly for no reason other than to make me jump. (I also hate balloons popping). There was some of that in this movie, but it fit in with the plot. I think the main reason I liked it is that the main character was so endearing, and I could really relate to her. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it was the most well-developed character I’ve ever encountered on celluloid, but she certainly wasn’t one-dimensional. Also, there were a few bits where I found myself laughing out loud - something I haven’t experienced in a horror film before. > [@baronsabato](#): > > Where did this one rate on the cheesiness scale? I’m not an expert, but it felt enjoyable cheesy, rather than gratuitously cheesy, if that makes any sense. ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Mood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@Blue\_Mood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Mood)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 10:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drag-me-to-hell/497973/7 "2009-05-29T10:04:38Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > The PG-13 rating in a horror/suspense flick leaves me waiting to catch it for free on HBO one lazy Saturday afternoon a few years later. The artificial barrier of knowing there are certain places the movie can’t go, or certain lines that can’t be crossed, kills the viewing experience for me. The reviews on IMDB mention this and say that it’s not a reason to stay away for this particular movie. There was certainly plenty of gore, but it was not a gorefest, if that’s what you’re after. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drag-me-to-hell/497973/8 "2009-05-29T10:15:33Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > I don’t see Bruce Campbell’s name anywhere on the IMDB credits. Surely he makes some kind of appearance? I think I read in an interview that he deliberately chose not to cameo in it, to avoid the expectation he’d be appearing as Ash, momentarily distracting the audience and taking them out of the film. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drag-me-to-hell/497973/9 "2009-05-29T11:52:51Z")
> [@blondebear](#): > > I don’t see Bruce Campbell’s name anywhere on the IMDB credits. Surely he makes some kind of appearance? IMDB says he was too busy with Burn Notice. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drag-me-to-hell/497973/10 "2009-05-29T12:36:25Z")
I’ve seen the commercial for this many times and my first thought,to the point that I was almost going to start a thread, is always that it seems like they’ve spoiled things by showing the scene where the gross undead person is in bed with her and also the fangy dude. Do those scenes still come off as surprising / scary? And did I see the Mac dude in there? ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Mood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@Blue\_Mood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Mood)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drag-me-to-hell/497973/11 "2009-05-29T12:44:44Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > … it seems like they’ve spoiled things by showing the scene where the gross undead person is in bed with her and also the fangy dude. Do those scenes still come off as surprising / scary? Yes, for both me and my husband. There’s enough suspense throughout that you don’t really know what’s going to happen when, even if you’ve guessed some twists. > [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > And did I see the Mac dude in there? Sorry, don’t know who that is. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drag-me-to-hell/497973/12 "2009-05-29T13:19:44Z")
> [@WOOKINPANUB](#): > > And did I see the Mac dude in there? [Justin Long](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0519043/) is in the cast. ---
**Author:** ![WOOKINPANUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wookinpanub/32/132_2.png) [@WOOKINPANUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WOOKINPANUB)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drag-me-to-hell/497973/13 "2009-05-29T13:32:18Z")
Just wanted to pop back in and say I just read a \*glowing \*review in the Wall Street Journal of all places. Between that and \*\*Blue Mood’s \*\* comments, I think I’m definitely going to have to see this. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drag-me-to-hell/497973/14 "2009-05-29T14:27:13Z")
> [@Blue\_Mood](#): > > Also, there were a few bits where I found myself laughing out loud - something I haven’t experienced in a horror film before. Then you need to watch _Evil Dead 2_ which _Drag Me to Hell_ is a kind of spiritual successor to. You don’t need to see the first one and the third movie is also a must see but it shifts straight from horror/comedy to out and out comedy. I’ve been interested in the new movie since it’s Sam Raimi returning to the crazy horror/comedy that made him popular to begin with. I wasn’t planning on seeing another movie in the theater this summer but everything I’ve heard has been so gushing with praise for the film I might pop out this weekend to catch it. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drag-me-to-hell/497973/15 "2009-05-29T16:04:57Z")
It has an 82 at Metacritic (_Star Trek_ has an 83, for comparison purposes) and a 95 at RT. I’ll definitely check it out when I get a chance; glad to see Raimi in familiar territory again. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drag-me-to-hell/497973/16 "2009-05-29T17:46:58Z")
> [@Blue\_Mood](#): > > The reviews on IMDB mention this and say that it’s not a reason to stay away for this particular movie. There was certainly plenty of gore, but it was not a gorefest, if that’s what you’re after. The thing is I don’t enjoy gore or gorefests, I just like knowing that the movie can “go there”. That makes me squirm in my seat - thinking _man, how far can they take this_. That said, story and characters are obviously more important. Saw and Hostel are garbage to me. I’m thinking more along the lines of Silence of the Lambs. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2009, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drag-me-to-hell/497973/17 "2009-05-30T00:45:30Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > The thing is I don’t enjoy gore or gorefests, I just like knowing that the movie can “go there”. That makes me squirm in my seat - thinking _man, how far can they take this_. That said, story and characters are obviously more important. Saw and Hostel are garbage to me. I’m thinking more along the lines of Silence of the Lambs. From an AICN review: “Raimi manages to scare us in a wholly satisfying manner in a PG-13 format. Let me just say this before I go any further: I’ve seen the finished film, and I’m a little surprised that it got a PG-13 rating. What I also noticed is that there is no swearing stronger than the word “bitch” (at least not that I can remember) and there’s no nudity. So Raimi effectively said to the MPAA, “I’m not giving you any other opening besides cartoony blood and guts to give me an R rating,” and so they didn’t. And if you don’t give this film a shot because it’s PG-13, you’re categorically insane and I’ll hereby revoke your Horror Fan ID badge and decoder ring. I couldn’t stop thinking about Robert Wise’s 1963 masterpiece THE HAUNTING, perhaps one of the scariest films ever made, a film that used nothing more than sound, shadows, and inventive camera work to scare us to death. Raimi’s takes entire chapters from Wise’s playbook, as well as a few tricks out of his own bag, to make us grip the armrests and curl our toes with fear.” ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2009, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drag-me-to-hell/497973/18 "2009-05-30T02:10:03Z")
Sam put together a fun little movie. I wouldn’t call this a gory film at all. Although there are various fluids spraying about, there’s only one instance of it actually being blood as far as I remember. Alison Lohman isn’t the “winking-at-the-camera” heroine that I expected from _The Evil Dead_ trilogy. She plays it fairly straight, but gets feisty when the scenes require it. She looks equally good in a yellow sun dress or drenched in mud in a graveyard, though! Lorna Raver was a hoot as Mrs. Ganush, and Dileep Rao was pretty funny as the Mystic/Fortune Teller guy. The rest of the cast was okay–Justin Long’s part could have been played by anyone, I think. I do believe I caught a glimpse of Bruce Campbell. If you blink, you’ll miss him: I think he was the cop talking to her in the parking garage. ---
**Author:** ![BMax](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bmax/32/4267_2.png) [@BMax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMax)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2009, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drag-me-to-hell/497973/19 "2009-05-30T02:28:27Z")
> [@Squeaker\_Snow](#): > > Oooooooooh, I am so jealous of you! I’m going to see it this weekend. The title itself has to worth the price of admission. DRAG ME TO HELL. Do they give out Oscars for titles? If not, they should! > > I asked my husband while we were watching a commercial for it last night, “How do you think they got ahold of our home movies?” > > I just hope they show it at the drive-in. That would be heavenly! Horror movies were made to be seen at the drive-in. I’m seeing it at the drive-in in about an hour. Taking my full-size pickup and putting a futon mattress in the bed. I’ll try to post tomorrow. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [May 31, 2009, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drag-me-to-hell/497973/20 "2009-05-31T01:08:46Z")
Terrific fun. Expertly constructed, unapologetically manipulative, and both completely inevitable and wonderfully surprising at every turn. Not gory at all, but plenty of unpleasant viscera to spare, and (except for a couple moments), not dependant on CG effects to deliver the goods–just the right angle, cut, sound effect. It’s old school genre filmmaking at its best. I had a blast. 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/drag-me-to-hell/497973.md?page=2)