DVD Monthly

Sam Raimi drags us to horror Heaven by way of Hell!

by Fergus McShane

Raimi may be better known now for his exploits in the Marvel world of Spiderman, but Drag me to Hell sees him return to his horror roots to show the new generation just how it’s done.

Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) is a pleasant but meek loan officer who in trying to show her boss some cut-throat assertiveness, inadvertently shames an old gypsy woman, who curses her in return. With her soul now destined to be dragged to Hell (as the title suggests), Christine must find a way to appease the demon and save her soul.

The plot is reminiscent to the Stephen King adaptation, Thinner (1996), and may be straightforward, but it is always in motion. And really, do you need much more explanation than - the protagonist needs to stop herself from being dragged to hell?

If the last few years have shown anything, it is that modern horror has forgotten that what is truly terrifying on screen is what cannot be seen. Unfortunately, now for every Drag me to Hell or The Mist there seem to be five Saw or Hostel films released… a scary proposition indeed.

But Raimi, who will always be known for his emergence into the film world with the Evil Dead trilogy, shows exactly why he is considered a master of horror. Sticking to simple tactics to scare up frights, it is impressive just how startling a scene can be that consists of the standard ‘silence followed by loud noise’ cliché. Certainly shock has always been one of Raimi’s strongest aspects, and when coupled with his genius employment of ‘slow pan and quick zoom’ cinematography, you are in for a terrifyingly bumpy ride.

Drag me to Hell contains the classic trait of any Sam Raimi film: the ability to quickly move between horror, slapstick action, gross-out moments and comedy. Which harks back to times when horror kept us on our toes rather than squirming in our seats. This is a very refreshing reversal indeed… and one that will hopefully lead to more filmmakers following suit rather than producing more formulaic Slasher movies.

But what stands out in the end is that Drag me to Hell is an impressively finished, well paced product with all the high-end values of a Hollywood film while maintaining a low-budget horror feel to it. Exactly what you want from a true horror master.

Did Drag me to hell have you running for the hills, or leave you wanting more? Let us know what you think.

Comics coming your way

By Fergus McShane

Comic Book adaptations are the flavour of the moment right now. So much so that over the next few years there are over 50 movies to be released with a graphic novel background, and the list is still growing.

Not only that, but last year the top two grossing films in the box office were Iron Man and The Dark Knight, taking over $850 million between them. And while Watchmen may not have hit the heights of the comic original, it is a worthy attempt at adapting one of the most complex plots of all time, by any film and source material standards.

So with this in mind we thought we would take a rundown of some of our most anticipated comic books soon to hit the silver screen. Check them out below:

1.  Y: The Last Man

The comic book series by Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra, about the only man to survive the mysterious simultaneous death of every male mammal on Earth. A series with the feeling of Children of Men where society must cope while humanity is doomed.

2. Judge Dredd

No, not a sequel to the hugely disappointing Stallone adaptation the first time round. But a fresh attempt that will hopefully be a re-imagining along the lines of The Dark Knight and The Incredible Hulk that takes on some of the classic Judge storylines.

3. The Last Christmas

What could prove to be a difficult transition from comic to cinema, this will be a sure hit if the insane comedy can be harnessed. But it’s certain that the plot alone will have folks flocking to see it - Santa returns from seclusion to find the world overrun by zombies and demons… Need I say more?

4 Ant-Man

Written by Joe Cornish and directed by Edgar Wright, biochemist Dr. Hank Pym uses his latest discovery, a group of subatomic particles, to create a size-altering formula. Though his first self-test goes awry, he develops an instrument that helps him communicate with and control insects.

5. Sin City 2

A follow-up to one of the films that started the modern buzz about comic adaptations and one that has been on and of for a few years. When everyone involved can finally set aside the time to get down to making this sequel, it will surely be pushing the boundary of film once again.

Some more hotly-tipped titles coming your way soon:

Danny Boyle, big in Beijing

The British film-maker rides a wave of approval in China, with censors relaxing strict quotas on foreign-made films to permit wide release of his Slumdog Millionaire.

His Oscar-winning film Slumdog Millionaire is a love letter to Mumbai, but its rags-to-riches story of a young orphan who rises from the slums to win a gameshow has found Danny Boyle favour across the border in China. The movie was recently approved for wide release by the country’s famously restrictive censors, and Boyle was today named jury president of the 2009 Shanghai international film festival.

Speaking at the premiere of his film in Beijing, Boyle described the appointment as “fantastic”. He said he had never been on a festival jury before but added that he would not make a list of criteria by which to judge the films in competition.

“It’s very rare in normal life, going to a cinema, that you know nothing about the film,” he told the Xinhua state news agency. “You should always approach those films with a completely open mind. And that’s what I’ll be doing.”

Slumdog Millionaire, which won eight Oscars last month, opens across mainland China from tomorrow. Weng Li, spokesman for the film’s distributor, China Film Group, said he was confident Chinese cinemagoers would considerably boost the film’s global box office, which currently stands at more than $200m (£137m).

Tang Lijun, the festival’s general manager, said: “Slumdog Millionaire is a perfect example for the cultural exchange between the eastern and western world.”

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