Fun In Hell: The Triumphant Return of the Horror Film

For a long time, there was no sense of magic, discovery, and most importantly, fun in horror films. Instead, we had deep, depressing forays into the human psyche ("The Ring," "The Orphanage," "Joshua," etc.). Horror films lost their innocence. They were grim and uncompromising--no longer about making viewers jump and laugh in terror, but about inflicting nightmares and shaking people to their core. When not dealing with psychological elements, filmmakers were stripping the horror genre down to its essence, delivering pure, unadulterated violence ("Saw," "Hostel"). It got to the point where audiences were no longer seeking out horror films for love of cinema, but for the desire to simply witness murder.

Sam Raimi's "Drag Me to Hell" is the perfect antidote to this disturbing behavior. It marks a return to the classic, escapist horror structure of 80s gems like Raimi's own "Evil Dead I" and "II" and with its bells and whistles, reminds us that what we are watching is only a movie. The "Hostel" films on the other hand are so immersed in violence that they no longer apply to the film world, thus becoming simple displays of pain and torture seemingly untouched by human hands. Unlike "Hostel," "Drag Me to Hell" carries with it a history of film and truly seems like a love letter to cinema. This is evident in the beginning in which the 80s-style Universal Pictures logo appears and operatic, 1930s-esque creature feature music plays over the credits. A strong, warm feeling of nostalgia rushed over me. For the first time in a long time, a horror movie evoked other films instead of focusing on the simple act of violence. I felt at home and more importantly, at peace with the film world. Thank you, Mr. Raimi.