Editorials
Does ‘Drag Me to Hell’ Take Place in the ‘Evil Dead’ Universe?
Modern cinema’s grasp on what constitutes a sequel, remake, spiritual successor, or reboot is tumultuous at best – is Better Luck Tomorrow part of the Fast & Furious franchise, for example? While this may sound like a rather broad stroke, it is one that is easily narrowed when pertaining to the realm of horror. Be it an unofficial Italian sequel (featuring a kick ass zombie vs. shark fight) or a tacked on post-credits scene, horror films have a wide array of slapdash world-building tools at their disposal, which are utilized to create uneven (and often maligned) results.
The one horror franchise that has transcended the constraints of trying to keep a cinematic barge afloat in a sea of studio politics, financial limitations, and creative differences is Sam Raimi’s beloved Evil Dead series. Fans and critics alike have embraced the inconsistencies, contradictions, and retcons between films and championed Evil Dead’s laissez faire attitude when it comes to storytelling. This is so omnipresent within the series that there is still debate/confusion/anxiety over whether or not Fede Álvarez’s 2013 film Evil Dead is a remake, a reboot, or a quasi-sequel (or perhaps all three?).
If a movie with the same name as the film it’s remaking or rebooting or who-the-hell-knows-what-ing can’t even be clear on the subject, I feel it is not out of the question that Sam Raimi’s underappreciated 2009 splatstick masterpiece Drag Me to Hell is part of this mad, mad, demon-filled world.
Before we dive into the deep end, I want to make it clear that there will be spoilers for Drag Me to Hell, all four official Evil Dead movies, and the first two seasons of Starz’s “Ash Vs. Evil Dead” television series in this article. Big, bloody, spoilers. So, if you have not seen the aforementioned works, stop reading this, lock yourself in a room for the next 24 hours, and binge watch away. Trust me, you’ll be better for it.
Let’s get the obvious stuff out of the way…
Aside from Sam Raimi directing the original Evil Dead trilogy and Drag Me to Hell, there is a lot of crimson connective tissue between them when it comes to the folks behind the camera. Sam Raimi and his brother Ivan share writing duties on Army of Darkness, the premiere episode of “Ash Vs Evil Dead,” and Drag Me to Hell. Producer Rob Tapert has bankrolled each of these projects. And Drag Me to Hell cinematographer Peter Deming was the director of photography on Evil Dead 2. While these were the names that jumped out at me, the list certainly goes on. Just go ask IMDb.
The other obvious standout when it comes to connecting Drag Me to Hell to the Evil Dead universe is the self-inflicted pastiche by Raimi and Co. Both properties center around an ancient evil stalking young people. This very familiar premise is translated to the audience through the subtle and wonderful use of predatory camera angles and the less subtle means of balls out demonic possession and physical assault (you know, the fun stuff). And with Evil Dead (2013) being the outlier, all these works feature a heavy dose of (mostly intentional) comedy companied with their buckets of…um, fluids.
But it doesn’t stop there…
The boldest evidence that really makes the strongest case for Drag Me to Hell’s existence in the world of Evil Dead is the iconography. Both works feature ceremonial daggers, dark grimoires filled with demon-summoning text that people love to read aloud for some reason, haunted relics, and, most importantly, demonologists.
When everyone’s favorite bone-headed demon hunter Ashley Williams made his return to the franchise in “Ash Vs. Evil Dead,” arguably the best addition to his world was awkward stock boy turned reluctant brujo Pablo Simon Bolivar, played by the insanely charismatic Ray Santiago. Pablo acts as a conduit between the horror occurring on screen and how it is presented to the viewer. This type of character has been used before in the Evil Dead films, but to a lesser extent. Professor Raymond Knowby can be heard on the recordings found by Ash and his friends in the first two films, regaling them with the horrors unleashed by the Necronomicon Ex Mortis. Ian Abercrombie also plays a similar role in Army of Darkness as the wise man who gives Ash instructions on how to reverse the tide of terror.
While Professor Knowby does play a larger part in the second season of “Ash Vs. Evil Dead” (and can also be heard in Evil Dead 2013), it is Pablo who inhabits that role for the duration of the series. He’s the guy who knows what’s going on, but doesn’t know that he knows it sometimes. It’s a wonderful place for a character to be and he carries out his duties without forcefully propelling the story. Meanwhile, at the Drag Me to Hell camp, half the goddamn cast is that character. Be it the curse-barking Mrs. Ganush or the humble fortune-telling Rham or the maniacal séance-conducting Shaun San Dena, Drag Me to Hell pushed the supernatural savvy archetype to the forefront of its story and lets these characters breathe life into their world.
There is one thing, though…
The one missing link is Bruce Campbell, of course. Ash makes no appearance in Drag Me to Hell – if he had been seen gawking from the train station platform as Christine is in fact dragged to hell by ravenous demons, this article would not exist. In the minds of many fans, Ash popping up would instantly make it Evil Dead canon. Case closed. But even with the absence of Ash, I feel it would be foolish to brush Drag Me to Hell aside, since characters do not have to be a defining factor in continuity.
The Purge Anarchy has none of the original cast or characters from the first film and the series shifted from the home invasion genre to a late ‘70s era Walter Hill-style dystopian thriller. Yet we all agree that these two films are connected because of their iconography and their inciting event which is The Purge itself (and, of course the title of the film).
The same can be said for George Romero’s Living Dead film cycle, in which none of the characters or titles are consistent, but we consider them to exist in the same world because, well…because zombies and George told us so. But this furthers the point that characters do not dictate continuity. The fact that the Evil Dead films exist in Ash’s world is not defined by Ash, himself. Quite the contrary: the world of Evil Dead validates Ash’s existence.
This begs the question: short of using the same cast, characters, and adding numbers or sub-titles to the name of the film, what components of a film make a follow up a true-blue sequel?
It’s up to you…
If nothing else, Drag Me to Hell is an “unofficial” film in the Evil Dead universe. All the hallmarks that make Evil Dead wonderful are present: gore, humor, demons, screaming animal heads, more gore, etc. I watched a nice little double feature of Evil Dead 2 and Drag Me to Hell while working on this article, and let me tell you, those two films go together better than Revenge of the Sith and The Empire Strikes Back. Their tones mirror each other wonderfully and complement one another like a bottle of Merlot and a can of squeeze cheese (I am a classy man).
So, does Drag Me to Hell take place in the Evil Dead universe? Honestly, it’s up to you. If you’re willing to accept the disparity within other film franchises, maybe we all should welcome Drag Me to Hell with open arms and bring it into the fold of one of our great horror universes.
After all, what’s in a name?
Editorials
Before ‘The Odyssey’ There Was ‘Jason and the Argonauts’ and Ray Harryhausen’s Legendary Monsters
Greek mythology is the talk of the town, or at least of the internet at the moment, and with good reason. Christopher Nolan’s retelling of Homer’s The Odyssey opened this weekend in theaters and, as of this writing, is on track to rake in $120 million in the U.S. and $250 million worldwide.
That’s quite a feat for an R-rated sword and sandal epic based on a story that was first put to papyrus over 3,000 years ago. Of course, mythology has been a film standard practically since the beginning of the medium and has proven to be fertile ground for storytellers. One of the great tellers of these tales is not a writer or director but an innovative special effects master and producer, Ray Harryhausen, and among his greatest achievements is Jason and the Argonauts (1963).
The story of Jason and the quest for the golden fleece predates the Homeric period by a generation or two, and there are certainly similarities to the later works, specifically The Odyssey. Both are seafaring adventures captained by men of both strength and wit. Their crews are filled with colorful characters as well, including Hercules and Argos in the Jason tales and Eurylochus and Polites among Odysseus’s men. Both encounter the beautiful and bizarre on their journeys. The major differences are in tone and theme. The Odyssey is a more contemplative piece about men of war finding it is practically impossible to truly return home.
Jason and the Argonauts, especially in the hands of Harryhausen, producer Charles H. Schneer, director Don Chaffey, and writers Beverly Cross and Jan Read, is a tale of adventure, romance, betrayal, gods, and perhaps above all—monsters.
Strictly speaking, nearly all the Harryhausen films are fantasy films, but all are filled with some of the most incredible monster creations in all of cinema. Telling mythological stories was a way of making monster movies that parents would not object to their children seeing. That whiff of the movie-going experience being educational gave him license to bring to life dozens of indelible creations, starting with The 7th Voyage of Sinbad in 1958 all the way to Clash of the Titans in 1981. So, rather than spoil the story of Jason and the Argonauts, I will be focusing on its main attraction, its unforgettable monstrosities.
Talos: The Bronze Giant That Changed Movie Monsters
After Jason (Todd Armstrong) and his crew set off on their quest aboard the Argo, they quickly find themselves running out of food and water. Calling upon the help of his protector Hera, Queen of the Gods (Honor Blackman), Jason is guided to the Island of Bronze but warned not to take anything from the island but food and water. While chasing a herd of goats, unlikely pals Hercules (Nigel Green) and Hylas (John Cairney) discover the gargantuan bronze statues of the gods and Titans created by the long-departed Hephaestus.
In the base of the statue of Talos, they discover the treasure trove of the gods, and Hercules decides to take a giant golden needle that he intends to use as a javelin. Of course, this awakens Talos, who pursues them back to the Argo.
Talos was one of Harryhausen’s favorite creations, and he reveled in giving life to the stiff movements of the man of bronze. In one sequence, Talos blocks the narrow waterway that is the only means of escape and plucks the Argo out of the sea as though it were a toy, shaking the crew overboard and breaking the mast in two. Jason once again asks Hera for help, and she advises him to “look to the ankles” of the statue. He spots a kind of hatch on the heel of the giant and, after much struggle, removes it, releasing a flow of steaming liquid that is apparently the driving force of Talos, who weakens, cracks, and falls to the beach, breaking into pieces.
Echoes of this scene can be found in all kinds of stories from Achilles’ heel to the small vulnerable spot on Smaug’s belly in The Hobbit, to tangling the legs of the Imperial AT-AT’s in The Empire Strikes Back. Even the Death Star has a touch of Talos to it.
Harryhausen’s Harpies and Hydra Bring Ancient Myth to Life
Next, the Argonauts encounter the old man Phineas, played by Patrick Troughton of Dr. Who (he played the Second Doctor) and The Omen (1976) fame. As punishment for sins that go unnamed in the film, Zeus torments Phineas day and night with harpies who steal his food and leave him only scraps.
The harpies are flying, blue, rather demonic-looking creatures complete with bat wings and horns. They look something like living gargoyles and are masterworks by Harryhausen. The crew lures them into the ruins of a temple and covers the entire structure with a net before releasing the top and snaring the harpies. The stop-motion work in this sequence is some of the best Harryhausen ever created and is seamlessly placed into frame with the live-action elements, as was among Harryhausen’s greatest strengths.
The special effects of the film use every tool available at the time, as demonstrated by the next major effects sequence, “the clashing rocks.” The sequence utilizes stop motion, miniatures, rear projection, location and stage work with the actors all blended together, sometimes into a single shot. The clashing rocks are more-or-less a rock slide, but combined with the destruction of a different ship that tries to make passage between the rocks and the knowledge that Hera is now forbidden to interfere with Jason’s fate, real stakes are afforded to the scene. Hera pulls a fast one on Zeus (Niall MacGinnis), however, which allows Triton, king of the Mer-people, to rise from the sea and stabilize the rocks, giving the Argo safe passage.
The crew then rescues Medea (Nancy Kovack) and heads to their final destination, Colchis at the end of the world, where Jason and the Argonauts are welcomed by King Aeetes (Jack Gwillim). Eventually, after a betrayal and turn of events, Jason finds the golden fleece, which is guarded by another great Harryhausen monster, the Hydra, a multi-headed serpent. The most famous aspect of the Hydra, growing back two heads for every one cut off, is not depicted here, but the sequence is still harrowing.
Jason fights the dragon with his sword and at one point is wrapped in its tail, depicting Harryhausen’s love of intercutting and interrelating his stop-motion creations with actors and other live-action elements. The sequence also demonstrates that the artistry of Harryhausen and the craftspeople in his workshop was not limited to fantasy creatures; they were also masters of recreating believable human figures.
Why Harryhausen’s Monsters Still Feel Alive
Perhaps the most famous Harryhausen creation, the one that has had the greatest lasting influence, is what is called in the film the “children of the hydra’s teeth” and the “children of the night” by Aeetes, who calls on the goddess of darkness Hecate to bring them to him. Fire rains down from the sky and reduces the hydra to a skeleton. Aeetes orders his men to gather its teeth, which he collects in a helmet and, cornering Jason and his men, sows on the ground like seeds. Reanimated skeletons of dead soldiers rise up out of the ground and attack the Argonauts in what is certainly one of the most iconic sequences in all of fantasy cinema.
It is an expansion of a similar scene in The 7th Voyage of Sinbad in which the fearless sailor fights a single skeleton, but this time there are more than half a dozen reanimated warriors complete with the famous “Harryhausen brow,” in which the empty eye sockets are given a sinister frown. Even today, the sequence is thrilling. Though our technology has given us tools that look more realistic, there is a magic in stop-motion that remains unmatched despite all our advances in CGI.
This sequence has directly influenced many movies over the years, but for the horror crowd, the clearest examples are Freddy’s skeleton fighting Donald Thompson (John Saxon) in A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987) and the deadite army in Army of Darkness (1992). The animators even included the slouch of the “children of the hydra’s teeth” in the Nightmare 3 scene, and Sam Raimi insisted the Army of Darkness skeletons all have the Harryhausen brow.
Beyond these films, Harryhausen’s work has had a massive influence on horror, fantasy, and science fiction films for decades, while also making an indelible mark on popular culture at large. Among his acolytes are stop motion genius Phil Tippett, and filmmakers including Joe Dante, Guillermo del Toro, Peter Jackson, George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, John Milius, Don Coscarelli, and many others. The fingerprints of Harryhausen can in many ways be seen even in Nolan’s The Odyssey, which relies on tricks from throughout film history rather than only more recent innovations like CGI.
Above all, Harryhausen was a storyteller who sought to make audiences fall in love with the great adventure stories that have been with us for thousands of years. These stories speak to the heart of our humanity in ways that will always feel fresh when told in innovative ways. Harryhausen also always had in him the true joy of creation. Bringing his monsters to life was a long, sometimes tedious, process, but Harryhausen clearly understood that all that time and attention to detail would imbue every creation with humanity that cannot be replicated by taking the easy way around.
Despite the limitations of budget, star power, and other resources that his films often lacked, that love of storytelling always shone through. Perhaps that is why his creations endure along with the kinds of ancient stories he so loved to tell.
At their heart, they are one thing above all—deeply and undeniably human.
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