Rent Drag Me to Hell (2009)

American Banking nightmare - Drag Me to Hell review by joannajuki

There's a bank and there's an innocent loans officer. The pretty loans officer repossesses a witch's house (read: Romany type with avenging relatives), the next thing we know special effects are let loose. Cue: protective but powerless boyfriend.

We could feel sympathy for the old hag, but of course we don't because she's "Carrie", grown old, and we do feel sorry for the pretty loans officer, even though she repossessed out of dutiful obligation to the banking system.

I will say this for the film - I have never seen institutional sexual discrimination so accurately portrayed. Here is a young woman who is working hard and trying to make her way in the world, and always having to work twice as hard as the man who can so easily schmoozy with the boss.

Is that why she played hardball against a poor granny, was it a personality clash or culture clash? We never know - but I could relax about the horror, it was over the top enough to hear Mom saying "it's only a movie".

Fluid Romp But Not Brilliant - Drag Me to Hell review by CP Customer

For Evil Dead fans this will have to do. Sam puts Alison through the grinder as she is tormented by a demon intent on taking her to hell. The outline is predictable and you can guess as to what is going to develop next. However Raimi displays his customary skills by inventing unique ways of molestation. There are numerous problems, as despite her best efforts Alison doesn't have the skill or charisma to carry of this role. The ending feels out of place and the special effects are badly implemented. It seems they are no match for models and skillful stunts. Yet Drag Me To Hell is a fun romp and an ideal rental. It is far from classic Raimi; perhaps we've been too generous with his return to the horror genre. The competition is sadly weak nowadays and this is far from his best work.