Christine Brown has
everything going for her by having a full
time job at a bank who hopes to be an
assistant manager, a great house with an
adorable kitten to keep her company as
well as a sympathetic and caring
boyfriend named Clay Dalton (Justin Long)
who loves her even if his family
disapproves of her.
Christine's boss Mr.
Jacks (David Paymer) pressures her to
convince him that she can do the job
being an assistant manager to make tough
decisions when she needs to so one day an
elderly gypsy lady named Mrs. Ganush
(Lorna Raver) asks for a
third extension on her mortgage because
she is struggling with economic problems
due to an illness. To prove herself to
Mr. Jacks, Christine, against her better
judgment, denies Mrs. Ganush the
extension. In desperation, Mrs. Ganush
prostrates herself before Christine,
begging and kissing the hem of her skirt.
Christine panics and shoves the woman
away, shaming her in public. As security
guards escort Mrs. Ganush out, Mr. Jacks
compliments Christine on how she handled
the situation and implies that if she can
close another big loan, the assistant
manager position will be hers.
It seemed that Mrs.
Ganush hid in the backseat of Christine's
car and attacks her in a struggle as Mrs.
Ganush tears a button from Christine's
coat and uses it to place a curse on her.
Then she disappears.
Christine has a long talk with Clay on
what happened at a coffee shop and then
later on they spot a fortune telling shop
and insists going there as the teller
named Rham Jas (Dileep Rao) tells Christine
that she has a dark spirit upon her.
Christine is tormented
in her home with supernatural forces
which appears as the silhouette of a
goat's head. The spirit breaks some
windows, cuts the power, and throws
Christine across the room, causing minor
injuries. Clay assumes that Mrs. Ganush
followed them and attacked Christine
again. She continues to be tormented by
nightmares of Mrs. Ganush attacking her
and this force won't leave her alone and
tried to talk to Mrs. Ganush about the
curse she left on her only to find out
that she died.
So she goes to the aid of Rham and he
tells her there's a demon called the
Lamia that is tormenting her and in order
to perform an exorcism she has to come up
10,000 dollars.
She also finds out she's not getting the
job she wanted at her bank so Christine
sells all her valueable things and goes
to the aid of a lady named Shaun San Dena
(Adriana Barraza) who tells her the
history on what happened to her son in
1969 when they tried to perfom one for
him which backfired. They go on with the
ceremony only to have Shaun killed by
this demon and it's up to Christine to
stop this evil force herself which is to
dig up Mrs. Ganushe's grave as well as
other activities firsthand to put an end
to her curse that was left on her.
I loved this film
as it's full of scares and thrills and
one of the best horror movies during this
year to top it all off.
We have some gross outs with the evil old
lady as well as some shocks and
sacrifices which made me think if
anything graphic happens I'm leaving the
theatre and thankfully that never
happened but there is a sacrifice of a
kitter killed offscreen and it bothered
me as it was a cute little tabby but I
can understand the black humor to those
who don't like cats and of course it's
only a movie and no animals were harmed.
This is the only part I would criticise
and felt like saying to Sam Raimi
how could he do that?
If you like films that are silent and
then something noisy happens that will
make you jump then this is the film for
you showing plenty of supernatural and
psychological moments on what can happen
to you if you do a deed someone doesn't
like which is of course karma.
Also it is disturbing on someone selling
everything they've got to pay someone to
perform an exorcism which is hard to
watch too.
The acting is very
well done as lead actress Allison
Lohman seemed a little too plain
like those typical Hollywood pretty faces
but proved her stuff well enough with her
stressful attitude and her aggressions
too making herself quite energetic. She
showed a nice bitchiness to her part as
well.
Justin Long has the right looks as
the young man next door type of appeal
and proves his stuff as the sympathetic
boyfriend in the film. He stresses his
character well enough too.
Lorna Raver was the best out of the
whole cast as an eccentric old woman in
the film and knew how to act outrageously
insane and aggressive showing perfect
terror with her facial expressions and
knew how to act beliveably violent and
demonicly ghostly too.
Dileep Rao knew how to come across a
bit humoress at first and very quietlike
and serious about his work as the fortune
teller in the film expressing his words
clear in an indian accent which was well
done.
David Paymer played a good bank
manager making his part very real and
expressing on what he has to say in a
good fashion.
Adriana Barraza made a perfect witch
doctor of some sort expressing her
behavior terrifically and showing nice
energy to her supporting role with a good
voice. Even if she didn't have a huge
role in the movie she will be well
remembered.
Reggie Lee knows his stuff as an
arrogant assistant employer at the bank
acting fresh but knew how to act pleading
when he did something wrong and not
wanting others to know about it.
Not much gore as
we spot a gruseome nosebleed.
Sam Raimi
still knows his stuff as a horror film
director since he hasn't directed a
horror film in 15 years till now. In fact
I'd say that this is his best work of
all.
He shows a terrific beginning that
involves a supporting cast of Spanish
actors played by Flor de Maria Chahua,
Shiloh Selassie, Ruth Livier
and Alexis Cruz performing a
ceremony with many suspenseful shots on
them flying around the room with evil
spirits around as well as a good shot on
young Selassie with a floor
breaking up looking like a firey hell and
a good close up shot on Chahua
watching in terror.
We have a good close up camera shot on
Lorna Raver tapping her fingers on a
desk at a bank with the camera looking up
at her. We then spot a good dialogue
scene between Alison Lohman and
Lorna Raver in a bank trying to sort
something out with River acting
gross in which we spot close up shots on
what she's doing.
There's a good tense moment with
Raver trying to kneel down and plead
to her on keeping her house and getting
crazy bout it with Lohman
freaking out. Then we spot good raging
actions on River trying to
attack her with bit part actors like Bill
E. Rogers as a security taking her
out of the bank while going in such a
maniacal aggression.
We have a good quiet moment with Lohman
in a parking lots trying to get to her
car looking a little nervous that someone
is watching her.
We have a good moment with Lohman
in her car and it's too silent but then a
handkerchief hits her window as she does
well screaming in surprise along with a
good shot on River in the
backseat with her evil glance and trying
to strangle her as we have a good shot on
Lohman trying to drive the car and
crashing into a vehicle showing great
suspenseful shots on their struggle as
well as Raver tearing a button
on her coat and holding it in the air.
There's a nice moment when Lohman
is at her home and then hears sounds in
her home with a bunch of noisy things in
her home and good quick shots on the
things surrounding her house looking like
a poltergeist happening as it makes you
cringe big time with a good ghostly
shadow effects too.
We have a nice shot on Lohman
staring at a fortune telling shop as if
something is telling her to go there and
have a good silent moment between her and
supporting actor Dileep Rao as a
fortune teller trying to tell her fortune
and then a good jump shot on a ferocious
spirit lunging and then he is nervously
telling her he can't help her and will
refund her money which looked believeably
directed too.
There's a nice shot on Lohman
sleeping with a fly circling around her
and going through her nose and in her
mouth which looked creepy along with a
good shot on maggots circling around her
with Raver terrorising her which
looked grossly directed but in a good
way.
There's a good shot on Lohman
sneezing with blood gushing out of her
nose and hitting supporting actor David
Paymer as an employer who reacts
well by being grossed out.
We have a good moment with Lohman
knocking on a door and a bit part actress
played by Bojana Novakovic as
the elderly lady's granddaughter showing
a good stand offish attitude when Lohman
tries to plead to her to see her grandma.
We spot good shots on family members
dining looking like they're having a
party and then she falls onto a corpse
with gross results and Lohman
does well screaming to get the corpse off
of her.
We have a good close up shot on Lohman
reading a book about sacrifices to do
away evil spirits and then a cute shot on
her kitten pawing at her.
We have some good shadowy effects with Lohman
trying to hide in her room with a nice
shot under the door showing goats feet
making the picture look really spooky.
There's a good shot on Lohman
holding up a knife calling for her kitty
as it was strongly directed but didn't
like what was going to happen.
There's a good scene with Lohman
acting full of life towards Justin
Long as her boyfriend thinking that
her troubles are over. Raimi adds
a good touch to that moment.
There's a good dialogue with supporting
actress Molly Cheek as a parent
towards Lohman at a dinner table
acting a bit prissy towards her and then
showing like they are having a good
conversation. Next we have a creepy but
comedic moment with Lohman spotting her
cake possessed and then she goes off
ranting and screaming. Raimi
knew how to turn the tables during this
moment.
There's good shots on Lohman
putting stuff in boxes and then behaving
aggressively in a shack to look for other
stuff along with a nice jumping moment on
a haunting of Raver putting her
hand in her mouth with many good shots on
her about to pull a rope that's tied to
an anvil ready to set it off.
We have a good dialogue between Paymer
and Lohman when she tries to ask
about a job as assitant manager and he
tells her some upsetting news which was
really believeable to others about
employment with a good close up shot on
Lohman getting teary.
We've got a great setting with Lohman
and Rao approaching
supporting actress Adrianna Barrazza on
performing an exorcism and have good
shots on them performing a ceremony with
the chants and Barrazza singing
a chant too. We spot many possessions
with attackings etc. which Raimi seems
to pay his tribute to his Evil
Dead years.
There's many good takes on Lohman
at a diner drinking coffee or eating
something as well as acting aggressive
towards bit part actress Lia Johnson
as a waitress.
We spot some good shots on Lohman
digging up a grave with a camera shooting
up her and it's raining heavily and she
gets aggressive towards the dead corpse
stuffing the button in the dead bodies
mouth and having a bitchy attitude. Then
we spots numerous suspenseful shots on
her trying to climb out of the grave and
slipping and sliding which makes you
wonder if she will get buried alive under
the mud.
Raimi shows a perfect shocking
ending at a railway station with Lohman
and Long but won't give that away folks.
It leaves a door open to a sequel that's
for sure.
We have some terrific
classical suspenseful music with the
great banging sounds to make you jump
too. There's also the nice sad echoey
piano playing for the sad moments as well
as the chanting music for the hauntings.
Mrs. Ganush: I beg
and you shame me?
Christine Brown: I
beat you, you old bitch!
Mr. Jacks: [after
being sprayed head to toe in blood]
"Did I get any in my mouth?"
Christine Brown:
Here kitty, kitty...
Christine
Brown: It's a harvest cake.
Goat:
[bleating] You tricked me, you
black-hearted who-o-o-o-o-ore! You
b-i-i-i-i-i-i-i-itch!
Waitress:
So you're just going to sit here all
night, drinking coffee?
Christine Brown: Yes... No! Maybe!
Whats it to you?
Christine Brown: Honey, I'm
working a job where tips is my living,
and coffee drinkers DON'T TIP!
Christine Brown: [Holds up
envelope containing the cursed button]
You keep the coffee coming honey, or I'll
give you a tip you won't forget!
Clay
Dalton: You have such a good heart.
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