Common Sense Media Review
By James Rocchi
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
More scares than gore, but still too much for young kids.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Drag Me to Hell
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 12 parent reviews
Based on 60 kid reviews
Kids say the film blends horror and comedy, often leading to more laughs than scares, with several over-the-top gore scenes that feel cartoonish rather than genuinely frightening. While it's generally suitable for tweens and teens, some viewers found its gross-out moments and violence excessive, suggesting it's more appropriate for those 13 and older, especially for first-time horror fans.
- horror-comedy mix
- not truly scary
- excessive gore
- suitable for teens
- cartoonish effects
- comical violence
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
Loan officer Christine Brown (Alison Lohman) works at a L.A. bank; she's trying to earn a promotion to assistant manger, enjoying her relationship with her boyfriend Clay (Justin Long) and generally trying to get ahead. But when she denies a loan extension to an old woman (Lorna Raver) to prove thay she can make the "tough calls," the woman retaliates by attacking Christine and then by cursing her, shackling Christine's fate to the arrival of a spirit called "The Lamia," which in three days' time will pull her to eternal damnation.
Is It Any Good?
Quick, lively, and full of lighthearted (albeit bloody) mayhem, DRAG ME TO HELL deserves to be one of the sleeper hits of the summer of 2009. It traffics more in scares than gore (although it does have enough of an ick factor to have you squirming in your seat), and it's built around a sympathetic character and has an underlying theme about the costs of modern capitalism and getting ahead -- plus, of course, monsters, demons, and spirits.
Raimi has returned to his roots here, and the fact is that he's even better as a filmmaker -- more comfortable with effects, more skilled in his storytelling, more carefully calibrating the line between over the top and out of bounds that so few horror filmmakers know how to walk. Lohman's also terrific; she's scared and vulnerable, but she's also a decent person trying like crazy to get out of a serious problem. Lohman makes you buy Christine's emotional and moral journey as much as you believe the supernatural scares and action. Drag Me to Hell is a real pleasure -- a mix of old-fashioned B-movie ideas and great modern movie-making skill.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the choices Christine faces. What could her character have done differently? What would the cost of those decisions be?
Families can also discuss the tradition of horror films as cautionarytales; do the scares and startling moments make the message go downmore easily?
Movie Details
- In theaters : May 29, 2009
- On DVD or streaming : October 12, 2009
- Cast : Alison Lohman , Justin Long , Lorna Raver
- Director : Sam Raimi
- Studio : Universal Pictures
- Genre : Horror
- Topics : Competition , Fantasy ( Ghosts , Magic , Monsters ) , Holidays ( Halloween )
- Run time : 99 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : sequences of horror violence, terror, disturbing images and language
- Last updated : September 5, 2025
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