Hollywood loves a good horror film, they always have. From films based on real life murders to alien invasions everyone loves to be scared in one way or another. However the recent slew of bad sequels and even worse remakes is a very new phenomenon and Hollywood appears to be doing rather well from these shambolic films as people flock to see a safe horror film.
While new to the mainstream these dodgy horror films have always been there dwelling in the sewers of the million dollar studios used to create the a-list movies you love, these are the b-movies and this is their time.
B-movies are cheap, badly made, unrealistic, jumpy, and at times very funny. I credit one man with the return of the b-movie and while it may have been slow he’s brought it into the main stream without you even realising it. His name is Sam Raimi. Yes I know he made Spiderman, Spiderman 2, and the shocking Spiderman 3, but look at the terrible humour in that, it’s all b-movie….
It started with Evil Dead in 1981. If you’ve seen this film you will know what I’m talking about and if not then stop reading this and watch it immediately it will change your life like only a film with a woman being raped by a tree can. Starring Bruce ‘the chin’ Campbell as Ash this film is the epitome of b-movie. The effects consist of shaky camerawork and super fast tracking shots that are sometimes painful to watch. The plot is about a book which has released a demonic curse upon a cabin where 5 friends are staying and the only way to kill anyone who becomes ‘infected’ is to dismember them. The script and acting are beyond funny and the gore is just epic.
As bad as I just made that sound it is one of the most original films probably ever made and Sam Raimi was just 21 at the time. Of course he made a sequel and guess what? It was just as good or bad, however you want to look at it. Over 20 years later and he has returned with Drag Me To Hell.
Now, Drag Me To Hell may not seem like a b-movie but it definitely is. Hailed as the return to form for Sam Raimi it couldn’t be anything less.
Thinking about it now the plot was fairly stupid and there wasn’t actually that much of it happening. It centres around Christine Brown, a bank worker who is cursed by a gypsy who she refused a loan, this curse unleashes the demon Lamia who in three days will take her soul to hell. The ending was quite shocking and left me feeling a little bit betrayed, but later I thought that’s ace!
Sam Raimi just can’t help himself from making that sort of classic horror. I know lots of people hated this film, but it’s just like the exorcist really and nobody said that was silly. If you want realism watch a harrowing drama. The comedy here isn’t laugh out loud but more the sort of humour that makes you ashamed of being scared as dead bodies leak embalming fluid and a nose bleed looks more like a knife wound. The director even managed to squeeze in an evil dead like scene where Christine Brown is heroically passing on her curse in a muddied grave.
Everyone can respect a film that does exactly what you want it to do and doesn’t shove some ulterior message down your throat. The only thing shoved down throats here is buttons.
The only thing differentiating this from Raimi’s earlier work was the acting which by newcomer Alison Lohman (Christine) was excellent. It looked and felt low-budget and it didn’t try to be anything more than what it was. This is why B- movie is the new A-movie when it comes to horror.
