After a hiatus from horror to make the three Spiderman movies, writer/director Sam Raimi returns to the genre. I'm not a fan of horror films, but given the dearth of review material on my desk right now, I thought I would give Drag Me to Hell a spin. The story is average, but the video and audio were so good, they kept me watching until the end—a rarity with horror films!

My expectations were pretty low going into this, and for good reason. The trailers made it look like a complete rip-off of Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, and unfortunately it isn't as funny as the classic John Candy/Steve Martin movie. The first act sets up the scenario pretty well, but then it quickly falls apart when the two protagonists hit the road.

Former MI-6 spy Ray Koval (Clive Owen) is hired by a CEO (Paul Giamatti) to help steal industry secrets from a rival corporation. To Ray's surprise, the mole inside said corporation is none other than Claire Stenwick (Julia Roberts), who's duplicitous behavior five years earlier cost him his career. How did he get himself into this mess?

A copy-shop clerk (Shia LaBeouf) and a single mom (Michelle Monaghan) meet after receiving phone calls from an anonymous woman instructing them to do exactly as she says, or else. Using cell phones, LED signs, television screens, and other commonplace technology to pass on instructions, the mystery woman ensnares the unwitting pair in a vast and unthinkable plot. Pursued by a determined FBI agent (Billy Bob Thornton) as the nation's most wanted fugitives, the two must work together to discover who's manipulating them and why.