Fridae

Long before director Sam Raimi made it to the big-time with his Spider-Man movies, he was directing a series of B-grade horror flicks called The Evil Dead. They mixed ghosts, gore and goofy humour to delirious effect, and were initially banned in several countries for their extreme images. Now, Sam has chosen to return to gutbucket-horror genre with the cheesy but chilling Drag Me To Hell. And as horror fans, we couldn't be more pleased.

Alison Lohman (from Big Fish and White Oleander) plays a bank officer who turns down a request for a loan extension from a gypsy woman (Lorna Raver) who wears a glass eye and false teeth. Mad at Alison, the gypsy promptly puts a curse on her, transforming her life into a living hell. Soon, Alison is taunted by a terrifying creature that upends her house, career and relationships. How can she stop the curse?

Mixing maggots, mediums, mannas and all sorts of mumbo jumbo, Drag Me To Hell is a satisfying spookfest that will have you covering your eyes one minute, and then laughing at cheesy scares the next. You'll flinch as demons come charging at you, gypsies gnash their filthy fangs, and spectres spring out to surprise you. And you'll chuckle at the silly one-liners that the script throws up as if to remind you that "it's just a movie".

This is B-grade horror at its most baroque and blithe. Whether you're into horror or not, Drag Me To Hell should keep you at the edge of hysteria - and hysterical laughter.