Drag Me to Hell: Collector’s Edition (4K UHD Review)

Reviewed by: Tim Salmons
Review Date: Jan 15, 2025
Format: 4K Ultra HD

Director

Sam Raimi

Release Date(s)

2009 (October 29, 2024)

Studio(s)

Ghost House Pictures/Universal Pictures (Shout! Studios/Scream Factory)

Film/Program Grade: B+
Video Grade: A
Audio Grade: A+
Extras Grade: A

Review

Drag Me to Hell was, above all things, a triumphant return by Sam Raimi to the genre he so prevalently took part in before becoming a major Hollywood director. After a string of more mainstream films, including the original Spider-Man trilogy, he decided to tackle horror once again, this time with a fresh story. The resulting film was a critical and commercial success, with many hailing it as a fine return to genre form. Outside of the pilot for Ash vs Evil Dead and various touches throughout Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, he has yet to return to the director’s chair for another film like it, at least as of this writing.

Christine (Alison Lohman) is a young loan officer with a caring boyfriend (Justin Long) and a good life. Eager to prove to her boss (David Paymer) that she has what it takes and can make tough decisions, she denies an extension on the mortgage of an old gypsy woman (Lorna Raver), which she quickly regrets. Soon finding herself cursed by the old woman, she sets out to end the nightmares and demonic torments that constantly plague her daily existence, but more importantly, she fully endeavors to prevent herself from being dragged to Hell in three days time.

What’s interesting about Drag Me to Hell is the role reversal of its lead character. Most viewers are actively cheering on Christine’s demise because of how selfish of a person she turns out to be (at least this viewer was). She’s clearly flawed, even if she means well. It’s a strange dynamic, and one that feels novel in an otherwise stale script. It’s partly why the film holds up as well as it does. Most of the characters, outside of the ghoulish and haunted figure of the old woman, have little to no impact. It’s all about Christine, as it should be, but even the rest are forgettable.

The only thing that really spoils the film is its use of CGI, which even in 2009 when it was released, didn’t look great. Otherwise, the practical special and make-up effects work, as well as Alison Lohman’s performance, are all very good. Like many of Sam Raimi’s previous genre-based films, Drag Me to Hell’s mix of comedy and horror is very well-blended. One is often reminded of Bruce Campbell as the lead since Lohman is essentially given the same kind of abusive on-screen treatment, but above all, it’s still an enjoyable dark romp.

Drag Me to Hell was shot by cinematographer Peter Deming on Super 35 mm film (Kodak Vision2 250D 5205, Vision2 200T 5217, Vision3 500T 5219) using Panavision Panaflex Gold II and Panavision Panaflex Platinum cameras with Panavision Primo anamorphic lenses, finished as a 2K Digital Intermediate, and presented in the aspect ratio of 2.35:1. Scream Factory debuts the film on Ultra HD from a new 4K Digital Intermediate remaster approved by Sam Raimi and Bob Murawski, graded for High Dynamic Range in HDR10 and Dolby Vision, and presented on a triple-layered BD-100 disc. Both the theatrical and unrated versions are included via seamless branching. As this is a film that’s very much about textures and shadow, it requires plenty of digital muscle to present its properly. Bitrates on this new UHD primarily sit between 70 and 80Mbps, dipping and spiking throughout depending on the amount of data on screen, with solid levels of fine detail throughout. The HDR grades deepen black levels and improve the contrast, widening the gamut for the film’s sometimes golden palette, mixed with sporadic uses of green and red (obviously). The image is stable with no visible flaws, definitely improving upon previous 1080p incarnations.

Audio is included in both English 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio, with optional English SDH subtitles. The 5.1 track is booming and active, featuring abundant speaker to speaker activity, crystal-clear dialogue reproduction, aggressive sound effects and ambient activity, and plenty of breathing room for Christopher Young’s excellent musical score. An object-based audio track has the potential to put things over the top, but both of these tracks offer plenty of aural muscle. It’s worth noting that each presentation has also replaced the inherent subtitles in the film with a disc-based subtitle track.

Scream Factory’s 3-Disc Collector’s Edition 4K Ultra HD release of Drag Me to Hell features 1 UHD disc dedicated to both versions of the film, and 2 1080p Blu-ray discs with the unrated and theatrical versions presented separately. Everything sits in a black Amaray case with an insert and a slipcover that replicates the original theatrical artwork. The following extras are included on each disc:

DISC ONE: UNRATED & THEATRICAL VERSIONS (UHD)

None.

DISC TWO: UNRATED VERSION (BD)

Pardon My Curse: Making Drag Me to Hell (HD – 114:26)

DISC THREE: THEATRICAL VERSION (BD)

To Hell and Back: A Conversation with Alison Lohman (HD – 12:36)
Curses! Lorna Raver Talks Drag Me to Hell (HD – 15:58)
Hitting All the Right Notes: Christopher Young and the Music of Drag Me to Hell (HD – 17:09)
Production Video Diaries (HD – 35:09 – 14 in all)
Interviews with Sam Raimi, Alison Lohman, and Justin Long (SD – 33:37 – 3 in all)
Theatrical Trailer (HD – 2:21)
TV Spots (SD – :49 – 2 in all)
Image Gallery (HD – 31 in all – 2:11)

Pardon My Curse is a nearly two-hour documentary by Daniel Griffith of Ballyhoo Motion Pictures about the making of the film, which essentially replaces some of the material found on Via Vision’s Limited Edition Blu-ray release. It includes new and archival interviews, as well as behind-the-scenes footage, storyboards, and animatics. Featured are actors Alison Lohman, Lorna Raver, Dileep Rao, producer Grant Curtis, writer and co-producer Ivan Raimi, co-producer Cristen Carr Strubbe, editor Bob Murawski, director of photography Peter Deming, first assistant director Michael J. Moore, production designer Steve Saklad, art designer James Truesdale, costume designer Isis Mussenden, special make-up effects designer Greg Nicotero, special effects supervisor Jim Schwalm, prop master Ellen Freund, sketch artist and prop designer Christian Cordella, visual effects co-ordinator Bruce Jones, stunt co-ordinator Randy Beckman, stunt double Lisa Hoyle, puppeteer Shannon Shea, composer Christopher Young, and conductor Hummie Man. There’s plenty of footage of Sam Raimi working on the set, but sadly, like almost all home video releases of his films, he didn’t participate in the new extras.

The rest of the interview material was included with Scream Factory’s 2018 Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release, and was produced by Hutson Ranch Media. In To Hell and Back, Alison Lohman talks about her experiences making the film and working with Sam Raimi. In Curses!, Lorna Raver talks about how much fun she had making the film, revealing herself to be the total opposite of the character she played. In Hitting All the Right Notes, Christopher Young tells of his long-time desire to work with Sam Raimi and the music he created for the film. The Production Video Diaries were shot during the making of the film, featuring various pieces of behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with the cast and crew, including Sam Raimi, Alison Lohman, Justin Long, David Paymer, Dileep Rao, Lorna Raver, Greg Nicotero, and Peter Deming, among others. Next are three EPK-sourced interviews with Sam Raimi, Alison Lohman, and Justin Long, as well as the film’s trailer, 2 TV spots, and an Image Gallery containing 31 stills of promotional images, behind-the-scenes photos, and posters.

Not carried over from the aforementioned Via Vision Limited Edition Blu-ray is an audio commentary on the unrated version by Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson, and five separate interviews: Editing Drag Me to Hell (Bob Murawski), Channeling Drag Me to Hell (Dileep Rao), Designing Drag Me to Hell (Steve Saklad), Illustrating Drag Me to Hell (Christian Cordella), and Scoring Drag Me to Hell (Christopher Young).

Scream Factory has mightily improved upon their previous Collector’s Edition Blu-ray release of Drag Me to Hell with top notch presentations of both versions of the film, an excellent feature-length documentary, and some additional bonus material to spare. This is a terrific upgrade and comes highly recommended.

- Tim Salmons

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