Drag Me to Hell

Sam Raimi and his brother Ivan wrote the story in the 1990s as The Curse, shelved it through the Spider-Man years, and finished it in 2007. Raimi offered it to Edgar Wright, then shooting Hot Fuzz, who declined, saying it would only feel like karaoke. Raimi is plain: they aimed at PG-13 from the start and did not want the outrageous violence and gore of the Evil Dead films. The fear is built on disgust and sound rather than blood, and since the curse carries a three day limit stated early, the film runs as a countdown of attacks, not a mystery. Lorna Raver, who plays Mrs. Ganush, worked with a Hungarian dialect coach and had parts of the script translated, and Raimi had her use those words in the attacks. Hell was not all computer made: Tippett Studio built a one fifth scale miniature and added fire and embers later. A shot of the Lamia, goat like with a hag’s head, was made and never used. At the 36th Saturn Awards it won best horror or thriller film. A good fit if you want the deadline set at the start and the film run as a countdown. Not for anyone waiting for horror to come from blood, since the weight was put elsewhere on purpose.