DRAG ME TO HELL 4K Review: Mad, Visceral Storytelling
Sam Raimi’s 2009 return to horror after the 1992 Army of Darkness, Drag Me to Hell, is from a more innocent time. Just like ye old E.C. Comics and Tales From the Darkside, Drag Me to Hell is a morality play, but wrapped in a big-budget extravaganza.
The film has those hyper-kinetic camera moves and zooms, Raimi’s trademark. This film follows Alison Lohman’s (Gamer) Christine Brown, a loan officer in Los Angeles who’s got her eye on the assistant manager promotion. In order to get it, she’s got to win over her boss, who’s leaning towards giving her misogynistic co-worker the job.
Unfortunately, she decides to show her boss that she can “make the hard decisions.” This means that when Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver) comes in for an extension for her home loan, Christine decides that she’s had too many extensions already. The proud older woman goes so far as to beg on her knees.
I really don’t know how anyone can deny a grandmother the time to get enough money to ensure she doesn’t get kicked out onto the street, but capitalists are cruel.
Big mistake. Huge.
Soon after comes an insane battle in the parking garage, featuring Raimi’s Evil Dead light yellow 1973 Oldsmobile, and quite the physical catfight between Christine and whatever kind of witch Mrs. Ganush might be. The results are equal parts visceral, funny, and freaky. Sequences like these are why Raimi is a master filmmaker. One just cannot look away.
Mrs. Ganush curses Christine, who just ends up making increasingly bad decisions, like sacrificing a kitten; I can’t decide if she’s morally corrupt or just stupid. Perhaps a heady blend of afraid and willfully ignorant.
Basically, she’s American.
And neither Justin Long's boyfriend character Clay (big time golden retriever energy) nor spiritual advisor Rham Jas (Dileep Rao), can help Christine. And it’s really fun to watch her get what she deserves --- a fast-pass ticket to Hell.
Last time I reviewed this film, it was for Scream Factory’s Collector’s Edition Blu-ray in 2018; you can check that review out here.
Once again, Scream Factory delivers the goods, and this time around, they’re shipping out Drag Me to Hell in a three-disc, 4K package that combines the new 4K scan in addition to the previous Blu-ray and those features. Let’s check out what they’ve got:
Bonus Features for UHD/Blu-ray
- DISC ONE (4K UHD) - Unrated And Theatrical Version - 2160p Ultra High-Definition HDR Widescreen (2.40:1)/English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 & 2.0
- NEW 4K Scan From The Original DI Film Negative Approved By Director Sam Raimi And Editor Bob Murawski
- Presented In Dolby Vision
DISC TWO (Blu-ray) - Unrated Version
- NEW 4K Scan From The Original DI Film Negative Approved By Director Sam Raimi And Editor Bob Murawski
- NEW "Pardon My Curse: Making Drag Me To Hell" -- Two-Hour Behind-The-Scenes Documentary Featuring New And Archival Interviews With Co-Writer/Producer Ivan Raimi, Actors Alison Lohman, Dileep Rao And Lorna Raver, Director Of Photography Peter Deming, Production Designer Steve Saklad, Artist Christian Cordella, Make-Up Effects Designer Greg Nicotero, Editor Bob Murawski, Composer Christopher Young, And More!
DISC THREE (Blu-ray) - Theatrical Version
- NEW 4K Scan From The Original DI Film Negative Approved By Director Sam Raimi And Editor Bob Murawski
- “To Hell And Back” - Interview With Actress Alison Lohman
- “Curses” - Interview With Actress Lorna Raver
- “Hitting All The Right Notes” - Interview With Composer Christopher Young
- Production Video Diaries Featuring Behind-The-Scenes Footage And Interviews With Sam Raimi, Actors Alison Lohman And Justin Long, And More
- Vintage Interviews
- Theatrical Trailer
- TV Spots
- Image Gallery
The new feature-length documentary on the film is great fun; I really liked hearing FX maestro Greg Nicotero and composer Christopher Young share their thoughts and recollections on the making of the film.
Speaking of the film, Drag Me to Hell looks fantastic in this release. And the sound? Wow. At times, this mix will reach out just to punch you in the face. Many times, actually, but you’ll always hear all of the intense sound design, along with crystal-clear dialogue. I love love love a great sound mix.
Anyway, this release is highly recommended for Raimi and horror fans, and it sounds like there are less than 100 first-run copies of this first pressing with the collectable slipcover, so if you want one, get one asap over at Scream Factory.
