I feel bad letting an ending (no matter how bad) ruin what is otherwise a great film (if a bit overrated partly because it isn't Saw or Hostel) but I can't get over it.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW!!!
I think the main problem with the ending (and the movie sort-of) is that the Gypsy is the villain. That's it.
The Gypsy is antagonistic throughout the film so it never ends up being about Christine's fate but about waiting to see Christine beat her. And it's a good movie like that too. But Raimi stuck the wrong ending in. We wanted to see Christine beat the Gypsy yet she ends up losing for no real reason.
Honestly, is there a single person who will go see this movie who isn't an idiot who won't immediately say “Wrong Envelope”. Raimi couldn't have made it more obvious and cliche. I don't know why he left it like that since the rest of the film made such great fun of cliches yet he left this one in.
Raimi would have been able to keep the current ending if he had let the Gypsy die when she… um, died. That way the entire film could have been about the curse and not the woman who inflicted it. Take out the envelope scene so it isn't obvious what will happen (now you have to remember all the way back to the beginning to get any rumblings of a switch) and you have good plot progression.
Otherwise (and what I hope they do for a DVD release), let Christine win. As you have said Christine is too nice to deserve such a horrible fate. There is nothing wrong with ending a horror film happy if that is the best ending. The greatest horror film of all time, The Exorcist, ends happy, not too make the audience feel better but because it was the natural ending to the events.
FAN FICTION TIME!!! This is how I think the ending should have gone: Christine succeeds in passing on the curse to the Gypsy. As she is climbing out of the grave she notices fiery lighting and dark shadows. She then feels a tug on her leg. She looks back in horror as she sees the Gypsy being dragged to hell and bent on taking Christine with her. Christine grabs on to the only thing she can, the Cross. Christine struggles to stay above ground as the Gypsy keeps her hold. Slowly Christine loses her hold on the cross. Just as Christine is about to lose her grip on the Cross falls and bonks the Gypsy on her head. The Gypsy is burned and picked apart as she is dragged to Hell.
Tell me that wouldn't have had the entire audience cheering!
Otherwise, the movie is pretty good. It is scary one second then funny the next. It does capture the feeling of Raimi's earlier films (basically Evil Dead) while maintaining it's own feel. But I can't get over the horrible ending.
My brother said it best: Drag Me To Hell is like if your girlfriend came over and told you she wanted to blow you in the dark. So she gets at it and it's great! You can't believe how long you and she are lasting and how great it feels. Then, just as you are about to blow a huge load, the lights come on to show your girlfriend near the switch and her gay friend sucking on you. Yeah, you still got a great blowjob but the ending is the part your going to remember and it will sour the entire experience. Sorry, Raimi.
P.S. I found out that originally Ellen Page was supposed to play Christine. If it had stayed that way I wouldn't have had any problems with the ending.
If you'd watched other Raimi horror films, that ending is very much his style. “Yay we won… right? Wait, what was that… NOOOOOOOOOO!”
The Exorcist didn't have a happy ending, only a more “phew” ending. They defeated the evil… for now… because you know merely killing the host would never stop a demon for long. Hence the Exorcist II.
The way I look at it, she kind of deserved it in the end.
You spend the whole movie feeling bad for her, but at the same time you forget her entire reasoning for denying the claim in the first place: The greed for her promotion.
As the movie goes along, you meet her boyfriends rich parents, who are scum, but she feels the need to try to get the big promotion to cater to them so they will accept her.
You feel bad the whole time, but in the end she stops blaming her boss, stops blaming her competition, and admits that she could have given the lady the loan the whole time. Immediately after that the reveal of the button comes.
So, in a strange way, the girl we are made to feel bad for the whole time kind of deserved it.
The thing you forget to mention is that the Gypsy failed on the loan twice before. Business-wise it was the right decision (Gypsy would have failed to pay up again). Personally it was the right decision (get a promotion. Everybody has to look out for #1). And any sympathy to be had for the Gypsy afterwards was ruined when she snuck into Christine's car and TRIED TO MURDER HER (not forgetting to mention that whole “cursing someone to eternal torment in Hell” thing)!
MOVIEBOB CENTRAL 
I feel bad letting an ending (no matter how bad) ruin what is otherwise a great
film (if a bit overrated partly because it isn't Saw or Hostel) but I can't get
over it.
SPOILERS TO FOLLOW!!!
I think the main problem with the ending (and the movie sort-of) is that the
Gypsy is the villain. That's it.
The Gypsy is antagonistic throughout the film
so it never ends up being about Christine's fate but about waiting to see
Christine beat her. And it's a good movie like that too. But Raimi stuck the
wrong ending in. We wanted to see Christine beat the Gypsy yet she ends up
losing for no real reason.
Honestly, is there a single person who will go see
this movie who isn't an idiot who won't immediately say “Wrong
Envelope”. Raimi couldn't have made it more obvious and cliche. I don't know
why he left it like that since the rest of the film made such great fun of
cliches yet he left this one in.
Raimi would have been able to keep the current
ending if he had let the Gypsy die when she… um, died. That way the entire
film could have been about the curse and not the woman who inflicted it. Take
out the envelope scene so it isn't obvious what will happen (now you have to
remember all the way back to the beginning to get any rumblings of a switch) and
you have good plot progression.
Otherwise (and what I hope they do for a DVD
release), let Christine win. As you have said Christine is too nice to deserve
such a horrible fate. There is nothing wrong with ending a horror film happy if
that is the best ending. The greatest horror film of all time, The Exorcist,
ends happy, not too make the audience feel better but because it was the natural
ending to the events.
FAN FICTION TIME!!! This is how I think the ending should
have gone: Christine succeeds in passing on the curse to the Gypsy. As she is
climbing out of the grave she notices fiery lighting and dark shadows. She then
feels a tug on her leg. She looks back in horror as she sees the Gypsy being
dragged to hell and bent on taking Christine with her. Christine grabs on to the
only thing she can, the Cross. Christine struggles to stay above ground as the
Gypsy keeps her hold. Slowly Christine loses her hold on the cross. Just as
Christine is about to lose her grip on the Cross falls and bonks the Gypsy on
her head. The Gypsy is burned and picked apart as she is dragged to Hell.
Tell
me that wouldn't have had the entire audience cheering!
Otherwise, the movie is
pretty good. It is scary one second then funny the next. It does capture the
feeling of Raimi's earlier films (basically Evil Dead) while maintaining it's
own feel. But I can't get over the horrible ending.
My brother said it best:
Drag Me To Hell is like if your girlfriend came over and told you she wanted to
blow you in the dark. So she gets at it and it's great! You can't believe how
long you and she are lasting and how great it feels. Then, just as you are about
to blow a huge load, the lights come on to show your girlfriend near the switch
and her gay friend sucking on you. Yeah, you still got a great blowjob but the
ending is the part your going to remember and it will sour the entire
experience. Sorry, Raimi.
P.S. I found out that originally Ellen Page was
supposed to play Christine. If it had stayed that way I wouldn't have had any
problems with the ending.
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BEST. ANALOGY. EVER.
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If you'd watched other Raimi horror films, that ending is very much his style. “Yay we won… right? Wait, what was that… NOOOOOOOOOO!”
The Exorcist didn't have a happy ending, only a more “phew” ending. They defeated the evil… for now… because you know merely killing the host would never stop a demon for long. Hence the Exorcist II.
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The way I look at it, she kind of deserved it in the end.
You spend the whole movie feeling bad for her, but at the same time you forget her entire reasoning for denying the claim in the first place: The greed for her promotion.
As the movie goes along, you meet her boyfriends rich parents, who are scum, but she feels the need to try to get the big promotion to cater to them so they will accept her.
You feel bad the whole time, but in the end she stops blaming her boss, stops blaming her competition, and admits that she could have given the lady the loan the whole time. Immediately after that the reveal of the button comes.
So, in a strange way, the girl we are made to feel bad for the whole time kind of deserved it.
Just a thought…
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The thing you forget to mention is that the Gypsy failed on the loan twice before. Business-wise it was the right decision (Gypsy would have failed to pay up again). Personally it was the right decision (get a promotion. Everybody has to look out for #1). And any sympathy to be had for the Gypsy afterwards was ruined when she snuck into Christine's car and TRIED TO MURDER HER (not forgetting to mention that whole “cursing someone to eternal torment in Hell” thing)!
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