Drag Me to Hell Star Lorna Raver Dies at 81: Beloved Character Actress Remembered
Hi, I’m Quinn Parker, and yes, I had three espressos before noon so buckle up because I have feelings and facts and a whole lot of tea to spill about Lorna Raver.
Stop the presses and cue the dim lighting: veteran character actress Lorna Raver, famed to many as the withering Mrs. Sylvia Ganush in Sam Raimi’s 2009 horror hit Drag Me to Hell, has died at 81. Her passing occurred on May 12 but was not publicly noted until her name appeared in the SAG-AFTRA Summer 2025 magazine “In Memoriam” list released August 11, which also featured tributes to other industry figures. No cause of death has been disclosed as of publication, and representatives have offered warm remembrance rather than details.
Michael Greene, who represented Raver, told The Post that she “will now fly in Heaven, not be dragged to Hell,” a line that feels equal parts comforting and cheeky given her most famous role. Greene called Raver “an incredible lady and artist” and described her as a “true chameleon,” the exact opposite of the haunted, cantankerous character she played on-screen.
Born October 9, 1943 in York, Pennsylvania, Raver’s career was a slow-burn classic actor’s arc. She began at the Hedgerow Theater near Philadelphia and built a stage resume that carried her from New York off-Broadway shows in the late 1970s to Chicago and eventually Los Angeles. Early notable theater credits include the 1979 off-Broadway production of Robin Swicord’s Last Days of the Dixie Girl Café and Matt Williams’ Between Daylight and Boonville in 1980.
Raver’s film debut came relatively late, in 1990, playing a secretary opposite Dana Carvey in Donald Petrie’s Opportunity Knocks. Her most visible cinematic moment came nearly two decades later when Sam Raimi cast her as Mrs. Ganush, the cursed, wrinkled old woman whose vengeful spirit haunts Alison Lohman’s character. Raver told interviewer Jason Norman in the 2014 book Welcome to Our Nightmares that she knew Raimi’s name but hadn’t grown up in the horror-movie loop and only fully understood the film’s wild ride once she was in the thick of it.
On television Raver was reliably busy, with more than 50 TV credits across several decades. She played recurring or guest roles in industry staples: The Young and the Restless (as Helen Miller in 1997 and later Rebecca Kaplan from 2006 to 2007), the 1997 pilot of The Practice, and one-off appearances as judges or other authority figures on Ally McBeal and Boston Legal. You could also spot her in ER, Saved by the Bell: The New Class, Beverly Hills, 90210, Gilmore Girls, Desperate Housewives, Nip/Tuck, and Grey’s Anatomy, to name a sampling.
Her final screen credit was the 2013 film Rushlights, after which Raver stepped away from acting. Colleagues and fans alike often pointed to her stage roots and her ability to morph into any supporting role as reasons she remained beloved in casting circles and among genre fans. Her Mrs. Ganush performance remains a standout for horror aficionados and casual viewers alike, a performance that combined grotesque make-up and authentic, sharp-tongued pathos.
So yes, the industry is a little quieter today. The news came low-key via a union memorial rather than a press release, which feels poetic in its own way for a working actor who built a life out of dependable craft rather than tabloid headlines. For those who loved her work, expect tributes from horror communities and soap opera fans alike. For anyone curious about her trajectory, start with Drag Me to Hell and work backward through her steady stream of TV appearances.
Okay, I need to calm down after that! Lorna Raver’s talent lived large inside small, unforgettable roles and she’ll be remembered for transforming support into spectacle. Whew! That was a LOT to process!
Sources: Celebrity Storm and New York Post, The Hollywood Reporter, SAG-AFTRA Summer 2025 Magazine, Welcome to Our Nightmares (Jason Norman)
Attribution: Creative Commons Licensed
