Lorna Raver, Actress Known for Drag Me to Hell, Dies at 81

Lorna Raver, the stage-trained actress whose chilling turn as the vengeful Mrs. Ganush helped propel Sam Raimi’s Drag Me to Hell into cult classic status, has died at age 81. Her death, recorded as May 12, 2025, was announced in the In Memoriam section of SAG-AFTRA’s Summer 2025 edition. The news closes a varied career that stretched from Off Broadway stages to television guest spots, a long-running run on The Young and the Restless, and a memorable foray into modern horror cinema.

Raver was born in York, Pennsylvania, on October 9, 1943, and built a career that began on the stage. She trained extensively in theater, performing in Off Broadway and regional productions before transitioning to film and television work in Los Angeles. Over the years, she accumulated more than 50 screen credits and became a familiar face on a wide array of popular television series, including The Practice, Ally McBeal, Boston Legal, ER, Grey’s Anatomy and Desperate Housewives. Her versatility allowed her to inhabit roles ranging from receptionists and judges to professors and nuns, reflecting a robust career as a dependable character actor.

The breakthrough for many fans came with Drag Me to Hell,...