Sam Raimi's Terrifying PG-13 Horror Movie Is Streaming For Free Before Halloween

When the great Sam Raimi announced that, as a palate cleanser after making three mega-budged superhero movies in a row (his "Spider-Man" trilogy starring Tobey Maguire), he was planning to make his first balls-to-the-wall horror movie since 1993's "Army of Darkness," genre fans rejoiced ... until they learned the film would be rated PG-13. After all, Raimi had earned carte blanche with his three blockbuster web-slinger flicks. Why not let er' rip with a down and dirty "spook-a-blast?"

If you asked me to name the 10 most intense PG-13 movies of all time, Sam Raimi's "Drag Me to Hell" would absolutely be on the list. It is a relentlessly terrifying tale about an ambitious bank loan officer (Alison Lohman) who gets cursed by an elderly Romani woman (Lorna Raver) when she repossesses the financially struggling woman's house. Lohman's heartlessness, goaded on by her boss (David Paymer), leads to her being cursed; suddenly, she's scrambling to learn everything about Romani superstition and customs before she is consigned to the bad place.

Given that this is the scary season, you're probably in the market for some great horror movies; however, if you're a non-fan looking for a new-to-you fright flick, you might find the myriad of choices overwhelming. If you're okay with streaming movies for free with ad breaks, Tubi's got you covered with some classics that might have passed you by. One of those movies could very well be "Drag Me to Hell." But why, aside from knowing it's a horror film directed by Raimi (who never, ever misses in this genre), should you give this movie a shot?

Again, I can't overstate just how viciously Raimi goes for the jugular in "Drag Me to Hell." He gets away with a surprising amount of blood (though you'll find more on the 4K unrated edition from Shout! Factory), and will have you howling and shrieking in equal measure. The Raimi that gave us gonzo classics like the "Evil Dead" films, "Darkman" and "The Quick and the Dead" is in rare form. It's a master class in pacing (thanks to editor Bob Murawski), and Raimi (who wrote the script with his brother Ivan) keeps the narrative plates spinning with off-handed ease. And judging from its trailer, it looks like he hasn't lost an ounce of zip on his fastball with his latest horror flick, "Send Help" (which reunites him with his "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" star Rachel McAdams).

If there's a bummer aspect to "Drag Me to Hell," it's that it features the last great performance from Lohman (who's since more or less retired from professional acting). It's a toss up between Ridley Scott's "Matchstick Men" and this as to which represents her best work. It'd be wonderful to get Lohman back in front of the camera, but you certainly can't argue with someone wanting to focus on raising their kids. I bet not one of them grows up to be a bank loan officer.