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Home > Movies > Reviews > 2009

Drag Me to Hell
Review by Annie Young Frisbie | posted 5/29/2009

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Any orthodox Christian will agree that Christine, in fact, deserves what she gets. The Lamia is only a fictional device, but doctrine teaches that all human beings are doomed to be dragged to hell as a punishment for original sin. However, the rules set out by Raimi offer Christine only two options for salvation: foist the curse upon someone else, or triumph over the Lamia herself.

It's easy to see that the theology of Drag Me to Hell misses out on the glorious gospel truth that Jesus Christ triumphed over death so that Christine and the rest of us don't have to. And yet it's worth contemplating the false salvations offered, because in many ways Raimi's dichotomy shows clearly the two main categories of sin: those with which we harm others, and those with which we try to prove our worth to God. True freedom can only be found in the third way, through the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice on the cross.

Although Drag Me to Hell presents a part of the truth about the human condition, it's still a very scary movie, unsuitable for sensitive viewers. It also portrays an occult séance as part of Christine's battle to defeat the Lamia, and contains quite a bit of upsetting imagery. But moviegoers who can handle this sort of thing will find a treasure trove of moral and theological discussion fodder, but that doesn't mean that it's worth the ride.

Talk About It

Discussion starters

What makes Christine's choice a sin? How do "small" sins keep us from God?
What other sins does Christine commit in the film? How does sin beget sin? What way does the Bible offer us to break this cycle?
Christine is also sinned against in the film. How does she respond? How does the Bible say we should respond? How did Jesus respond?
Does Christine deserve what she gets?

The Family Corner

For parents to consider

Drag Me to Hell is rated PG-13 for sequences of horror violence, terror, disturbing images and language. The movie is filled with graphic violence and terrifying imagery. There is lots of blood and several deaths, including of a young boy. The plot of the film deals with a demon and portrays an occult séance. The PG-13 rating may seem too mild.

Photos © Universal Pictures

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[Reader Reviews]

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Displaying 1 - 3 of 35 comments.

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tony	Posted: October 20, 2009 5:39 PM

Not rated
Not sure, given the title of this movie, that the editors even considered this movie worthy of a review. The fact that it was given ANY kind of credence as having ANY movie-going worth, really has me questioning CT's discernment of evil and wisdom of God's will in general.

GetReal

Posted: July 16, 2009 12:36 PM


Sidesplitter, has no relationship with Jesus if he can make bogus claim as he did in the above article. Jesus see this piece of worldly trash think again. Too many so called Christians are either on the fence between being for God and the world until they just can't tell the difference between what is for God and against him. Wake up people before the lord returns and finds you sleeping.

J Carls

Posted: July 07, 2009 8:27 AM

If you are from the fire-and-brimstone branch of Christianity, this movie is right up your alley. However, I firmly believe that the target audience for this movie (teenagers and above) is smart enough to tell the difference between a popular entertainment and "witchcraft." This is a classic horror movie with its tongue firmly in it cheek, none of the "torture porn" that you see in so many modern horror movies (that I avoid) but with a high "yuck" factor that can be very funny. I would much rather my kids see an honestly scary movie like this and be able to ask them (as Ms. Frisbie's review implies) "What kind of world do these characters seem to believe in? What kind of world do you believe in? What are the real choices you have?" rather than just another rote tract in visual form.