Yes, I said it! A pox on the house of Raimi! Why did he choose to release the utterly terrifying trailer for his new horror movie, “Drag Me To Hell,” on this quiet March evening when I am completely by myself? Why did he do it? Does he like to torment me? I’ve been hearing about this project for awhile, so I didn’t hesitate in scooping up a little preview when I saw it on Variety.com. Little did I know I was in for a pretty spine-tingling two minutes which would cause me to strain my neck from looking over my shoulder for the rest of the evening.
I think the reason Sam Raimi is often so good at horror films when other guys languish is because he doesn’t take them too seriously. The tone of his films is always unpredictable, veering quietly from seriousness to absurdity, and such a light-on-its-feet disposition can serve a thriller quite well by keeping the audience off-balance. Yes, we all know that it’s great to go all Ridley Scott and make something super-serious like “Alien,” but there’s quite a bit to be said for pinches of comedy actually making horror flicks scarier. It’s almost as if the viewer stops trusting the director, thinking, “If this guy will take such a scary scene and make it campy, he’ll do anything! He’s a wild man!”
Go watch it, it really is pretty creepy.
http://www.dragmetohell.net/
In unrelated news, I’ve also been watching a Kung Fu masterpiece called “The 36th Chamber of Shaolin.” Pretty much your stereotypical cheesy martial arts flick, but it’s all part of the charm, and the rigorous training the protagonist endures at the titular Kung Fu temple is extraordinary, as good as any training sequence ever filmed. The fight choreography is also magnificent, and I sincerely mean that; it’s held back only slightly by the conspicuously fake “blades” sometimes wielded by the characters.
I’m beginning to have a real fondness for these kinds of movies, and the wide-eyed earnestness that makes them so appealing. Their B-movie veneer betrays compelling, if melodramatic, narratives that are easy to get wrapped up in. The action scenes are lovingly constructed, a far cry from the crass cut-and-paste jobs typically displayed in Western cinema, and there’s a real art to how the performers carry them out. On the whole, Kung Fu movies are just fun: fun to watch, fun to think about later, fun to talk about. Other types of action movies will split your head open with gore and ear-piercing sound effects, but this stuff is a total delight. Good times.
WOW! That was a great trailor! I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight for fear that I’ll turn over and see that old woman next to me! Good stuff, good stuff.
As to why The Rew may be “completely by myself” this eve, see the first part of “Guest Author” below ~
I almost watched it.
But I won’t.