Sad news today as it’s been reported that Lorna Raver, who terrified audiences as Mrs. Ganush in Sam Raimi‘s Drag Me to Hell, is dead at the age of 81. Raver died on May 12, but news of her passing wasn’t revealed until it was included in the “In Memoriam” section of SAG-AFTRA’s Summer 2025 magazine edition.
In a statement to the New York Post, her representative said, “She will now fly in Heaven, not be dragged to Hell. She was an incredible lady and artist. A true chameleon, the complete opposite of this character in real life.“
Although Raver was familiar with Sam Raimi, she wasn’t as well-versed with his iconic horror movies when she auditioned for the role in Drag Me to Hell. “While I knew of [Raimi’s] work from other films, I was so ignorant of the whole horror genre that I had never even heard of the Evil Dead [movies],” she said in Jason Norman’s 2014 book, Welcome to Our Nightmares: Behind the Scene With Today’s Horror Actors. “I was definitely interested in doing it because of Sam Raimi, but I was not fully aware of exactly what I was getting into until it happened… What I liked about the character was that she was powerful.“
Of course, Raver is known for much more than Drag Me to Hell. She was particularly prolific on television, appearing in episodes of ER, The Practice, Beverly Hills 90210, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, Felicity, The Pretender, Judging Amy, Ally McBeal, Star Trek: Voyager, Gilmore Girls, Charmed, NYPD Blue, Cold Case, Desperate Housewives, Malcolm in the Middle, Weeds, Boston Legal, CSI, Nip/Tuck, Eli Stone, Bones, One Tree Hill, Grey’s Anatomy, and more. She also made appearances in movies such as Opportunity Knocks, Freeway, Walkout, Armored, The Caller, and more.
Our thoughts and condolences go out to Lorna Raver’s family and loved ones. She will be deeply missed.
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