I picked up Sam Raimi’s “Drag Me to Hell” over the weekend on blu-ray with much excitement.  One, I had a half off coupon.  Two, this movie was amazing in theaters.  Read my review of it [here].

I went home giddy, and ripped the film from it’s plastic sheath…only to be incredibly disappointed.  First of all, the second disc was a digital copy.  Second as I looked at the running time between the theatrical and unrated versions I noticed they were both the exact same running time.  In fact, the unrated in 14 seconds SHORTER than the theatrical.  Third, I finally looked at the special feature selection…there was one, production video diaries.

Though I was very disappointed with this I had to pop it in and relive the fun I had while seeing it in theaters.  I hit smack into another wall.  The menus on this DVD are terrible!  They are the standard “Universal” menus, no flash to them, just still images that cascade across the screen, and option upon option that, when selected, lead you to another menu.  After I chose theatrical, went to the theatrical menu, I did gain a little hope back as there were options for other special features.  These features however are mostly for BD-Live users.  It allows you to bookmark and share your favorite scenes with other viewers of the film and watch trailers…so it’s basically Youtube on a DVD.

Once I started the film all those feelings went away.  The picture was stunning, the clarity of the image allowed me to really appreciate the film more, and also notice several more tidbits I missed upon first viewing.  Also, the visual effects, though a tad on the cartoony side, totally fit with the great quality of the film.  Sometimes this can be a “make it or break it” scenario for me.  I should have known with Raimi behind the camera that this would transfer well on all media.

The sound was excellent as well.  The full range was taken into consideration and everything was perfectly in balance.  I never ran into the problem where I was turning up the volume during dialogue and quickly muting when the music would start back up.  The scares were just as effective when music was used to build suspense, and the high pitched, whining viola that plays through the films score made my nerves cringe with its pitch just like in theaters.

Aside from the terrible lack of special features and even a commentary, this is definitely a film that all horror, and Sam Raimi fans need to have as part of their collection.  Maybe one day we’ll have a version with several commentaries like “Evil Dead 2″.

Read my “Drag Me To Hell” review [here].