It was only a matter of time before Sam Raimi’s inner perversions caught back up with him. Honestly it’s been quite a while since he’s seen anything close to the horror genre and if big industry success has taught us anything in the past, it’s that once a guy (or gal) grows a big budget there doesn’t seem to be any turning back to the kinds of small cookie productions that got them there in the first place. Yet that’s exactly what Raimi has done here.
Though the premise might sound absurd—a bank employee plagued by an evil demon (thanks to a handy-dandy gypsy curse)—anyone who was a fan of the Evil Dead Trilogy should understand that if your expectations are in any way serious, then you are certainly in for a disappointment (and the wrong demographic). And though it doesn't have the same grittiness, what’s great about “Drag” is that it remains true to its roots in spite of its glossy 2000 look.
A good deal of gross-out moments abound and there is a great group of dedicated character actors to back it up, the best of which is Dileep Rao, (who you might recognize from “Avatar”) playing the part of a psychic, who has agreed to help the accursed Christine (Alison Lohman), with a straight-faced ease and conviction of a holy man on April Fools' Day.
Though it can get a tad predictable, true aficionados will understand that it’s hardly the point of the whole endeavor. The pay-off is the haunted house vibe you get. And not one of those self-important ones where someone chases you through smoky corridors of cardboard with a plastic chainsaw. Think more along the lines of the Disneyland Haunted House. Only more disgusting. Either way, the idea is that it’s just plain fun to watch, the deadpan reactions multiplying at the sly perversity of it all. Just like fresh maggots on a slice of oozing harvest cake.
Best instances to imbibe when: A.) Animal sacrifice floats your boat. B.) Goats are wicked. Pun intended. C.) You think Justin Long has no right playing any other role than the foppish boy toy. D.) You miss guys like Tex Avery.
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