You know, Netflix and its audience rarely see eye-to-eye — whether we’re talking about canceling a beloved series after one season or hiking up subscription prices.
But then, in a November that still smelled faintly of pumpkin spice, Netflix appeared to finally get on the same page with its horror fans over the Drag Me to Hell (2009) movie ending. For once it felt like the fan base could get behind it – or so Netflix’s tweet boldly assured us. But never underestimate the power of a protagonist with a Twitter account.
Resharing the post, Alison Lohman, who played the ill-fated protagonist Christine Brown in the film, added her two cents with a succinct, “Strongly disagree.”
For those who missed this thrill ride of a movie, here’s the deal: The film, directed by Sam Raimi, follows Christine, a loan officer who, in an attempt to prove her toughness to her boss, denies an extension on a mortgage to an elderly woman named Mrs. Ganush, who, spoiler alert, turns out to be anything but a helpless old lady. Mrs. Ganush places a curse on Christine, condemning her to be tormented by a demon for three days before being dragged to hell.
As Christine battles with supernatural forces and a skeptical boyfriend who’s a tad too rational, her life becomes a countdown clock ticking towards doom. The ending hinges on Christine’s attempt to rid herself of the curse by giving a cursed button back to the original owner, which she believes is the only way to save herself. After several harrowing days, she believes she has successfully transferred the curse back to Mrs. Ganush by placing the button in the woman’s grave.
However, in a twist of fate, it turns out that Christine accidentally gave an envelope containing a coin to Mrs. Ganush’s grave instead of the envelope with the cursed button. She discovers this mistake when she finds the real cursed button in her car, just as she is about to board a train for a weekend getaway with her boyfriend. Realizing her error too late, she falls back onto the tracks as the demon emerges from the ground to drag her into hell, right before her horrified boyfriend.
The ending brings the story full circle, with Christine’s initial decision to deny Mrs. Ganush’s extension directly leading to her ultimate demise.
Now, this user perfectly explains the horror logic (I know, I’m good at oxymorons, aren’t I?) here:
Indeed, in the realm of horror movies, the usual script has us watch in suspense as the protagonist dodges, ducks, dips, dives, and… sometimes, despite all that, still gets dragged to doom. It’s not just about subverting expectations. We all knew it was either hell or no hell for Christine.
However, we’re led along a harrowing path, encouraged to root for Christine’s salvation, only to find our hopes dashed in the most shocking way possible. This collective disappointment, this shared shock, is what makes the ending of Drag Me to Hell particularly poignant.
Why did Lohman suddenly decide to air her grievance about a tweet from last November? Hollywood did her character dirty, and maybe, just maybe, she’s not ready to be forgotten or forgiven. After all, being dragged to hell is one heck of a way to exit the stage, and it’s hard not to sympathize with her. Or maybe, just maybe, this was a hint that all is far from over? The ending isn’t “perfect” because this isn’t going to remain how Christine’s story wraps up? Both Justin Long and Raimi have raised hopes for a sequel — maybe, this is Lohman’s style of confirming that possibility?
Attempts to decode her cryptic disagreement aside, Lohman is entitled to her opinion. But hey, if it gets people talking about a horror movie from 2009, that’s got to count for something, right?
The only time Netflix and its subscribers agreed now has the strongest rejection it could find
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