Drag Me to Hell [DVD]

After dedicating himself for the best part of a decade to the Spider-Man franchise, director Sam Raimi returned to the horror genre with tremendous style in 2009 with Drag Me To Hell. A film that fused together the ethos of the director’s earlier Evil Dead movies with the toolbox of tricks that he’s picked up since doing big blockbuster movies, it’s a fabulously fun and quite unnerving piece of cinema.

Raimi’s working on a lower budget than we’ve seen him with for some time with Drag Me To Hell, but not for the first time, he makes every buck count. Few directors know the horror genre as well as Raimi, and he generates tension and jumps from clever set-ups and expertly executed sequences. Plus, he’s little intention of following the horror movie template here, which adds to the sheer entertainment factor.

So what’s so special about the Blu-ray? The extras package isn’t particularly enticing, after all. Yet the picture quality and quite stunning sound mix lift the film notably. The latter in particular, as the sound stage is swamped by subtle noises and audible shocks works extremely well, and is perhaps the best among a few reasons for considering a high-def upgrade here. A strong movie, wonderfully presented. --Jon Foster