“Drag Me To Hell” is a return to the horror genre for director Sam Raimi (“Army Of Darkness”, “Spider-Man”). For his “Evil Dead” films, Raimi gained a reputation for being able to successfully combine violent horror with comedic elements. “Drag Me To Hell” undoubtedly has moments of comedic brilliance but it feels very uneven.

In this film, Christine Brown (Alison Lohman “Matchstick Men”) is an ambitious loan officer at a bank. She makes the decision to evict an elderly gypsy woman (Lorna Raver) for repeatedly failing to pay her bills. However, Christine comes under sustained attack from supernatural sources when the gypsy places a curse on her. Can Christine lift the curse or is she destined to be dragged to Hell?

Alison Lohman does a good job as Christine. She’s likeable, smart and capable. I almost feel like I could compare her to the female leads of “Alien” or “Halloween”. Still, I must confess that she’s never as captivating as Bruce Campbell’s Ash from the “Evil Dead” films. Lorna Raver is also really good as Mrs. Ganush. She looks like the most stereotypical gypsy ever. None of the other characters are particularly interesting. Some of the effects on the various supernatural manifestations are rather underwhelming.

“Drag Me To Hell” has some hilarious moments. We see an elderly woman get a stapler jammed in her mouth during a fight and we also see a possessed man regurgitate a cat’s corpse. I wanted more ridiculous moments like these. Also, the special effects throughout were disappointing. Many of Raimi’s other films such as the “Evil Dead” trilogy and “Darkman” had great special effects. “Drag Me To Hell” is inconsistent and it’s a shame because I like Raimi as a filmmaker. Maybe a Bruce Campbell cameo would have helped me enjoy this movie more.