There's my review. Don't bother reading on now that you know.

Be warned that there may be spoilers here. DO NOT read this is you want to see a great horror flick any time soon- spoiling this movie for yourself WILL, I repeat, WILL ruin the whole thing for you. If you haven't already seen it- hell, even if you've already gone and seen it once- go to the nearest theater and catch a showing before it's not in cinemas any more. Trust me. Take my recommendation. Be warned.


*SPOILERS DAMMIT*

I've seen this film in theaters twice, and if it weren't for one thing I would have enjoyed the second time even more if it weren't for one thing- the big, awesome surprise ending. I mean, sure, it's decently predictable- it is the name of the movie, after all...- but it caught me so off-guard and left me feeling cold and shaken. The audience was silent upon leaving the theatre, just like with good ol' Cloverfield- it was such a traumatic ending that they all needed a half hour or so to make words ever again, that horrible mental image of the protagonist in their minds. Oh, sure, Christine ABSOLUTELY BLOODY WELL DESERVED IT- Sam Raimi, the director and writer, actually designed her as a horrible person so she would genuinely deserve and lead up to her deserved ending, a pretty girl with an ugly soul that tricks the audience into thinking that she's a kind girl next door. She kills a kitten. She almost passes her curse onto several innocent souls. She blames her boss for something she KNOWS she did, trying to convince Big Scary Goat Demon to take his soul instead of hers. And what's worse, it's ALL HER FAULT- she's the one who started it by being an utter bitch to the poor old Hungarian woman, and she thinks that the woman's the bad guy. Snort.

And despite all that, Raimi keeps us rooting for her right up until that horrid ending. I think it's mostly because of Clay- played by Mister Mac, a certain Justin... something- that I don't want her to suffer. Clay was immensely likable, he sacrificed a hell of a lot for his girlfriend- financially, emotionally, and, in the end, psychologically- and it was all for naught. The ending, despite its simple scare value, it... I mean, he was going to propose to her! Jesus Christ. Poor bastard. He had to see that! They really built him up as the most empathetic character of all time- he supported Christine, despite not believing a word she says about Big Scary Goat Demon and thinking it's all in her head. I mean, really. If it weren't for him, the ending would have a slightly more "HA! What you deserved" effect, but seeing his reaction to

*I swear to God, if you haven't seen the movie yet and are still reading, you must have some sort of problem/be too scared to see the movie, snort*

...

His reaction to seeing his girlfriend brutally dragged, kicking and screaming, into the depths of Hell, her face becoming charred and burnt as she screams for his help before the ground closes up, leaving no trace of her existence other than That Damn Button... that's what broke my heart about the ending, what left that trauma in my mind and the mind of everyone who saw it.

And there are people who say that HE should have been dragged to hell, for a twist ending! Assholes. I don't care if it would have been better, Clay is a GOOD person and Christine is a CUNT, and anyone who disagrees can take it up with the PERSON WHO WROTE AND DESIGNED THEIR CHARACTERS FROM THE START AND SAYS THE SAME THING. If Clay had been hellbound, I would have hated the movie. However, Raimi believes in moral and karmic retribution, so Clay is actually left unharmed throughout the film- well, aside from the fact that he's undoubtedly insane now that he's seen what happened to Christine.


And she had so many opportunities to save herself, too. The Lamia must have been laughing his ass off the entire time. *Shakes head*


If you're still reading, you're either A: not going to see it, or B: you already have. So, aiming for the latter, tell me what you thought. I'm off to give Clay a supportive pat on the back.