Actress Lorna Raver has died at age 81.
Raver passed on May 12, 2025, according to SAG-AFTRA’s Summer 2025 magazine, which announced her death in their ‘In Memoriam’ section.
Raver, whose IMDb profile boasts 55 acting credits, is famously remembered for her role as Mrs. Ganush, the character who curses the protagonist, in the 2009 horror movie Drag Me To Hell.
Daily Mail has contacted a representative for Raver for comment but did not immediately hear back.
One fan posted to X of her passing, ‘What a memorable turn she gave in Drag Me To Hell. R.I.P.’
A fan tweeted: ‘#RIP Lorna Raver. The stage-trained actress was outstanding as Mrs. Ganush, the witch-like figure who curses Allison Lohman’s banker character in Sam Raimi’s ‘Drag Me to Hell.’ When she auditioned, “I was not fully aware of exactly what I was getting into.”‘
Drag Me To Hell actress Lorna Raver has died at age 81
Raver is memorably known for her portrayal of Mrs. Ganush, a woman who places a curse on the main star
‘Very sad. She was the highlight of Drag Me to Hell. RIP,’ another posted.
The appeal of working with director Sam Raimi, who also helmed 2004’s Spider-Man, is what drew Raver to join the cast.
Yet she was not ‘fully’ prepared for what the role entailed until she joined.
‘While I was familiar with [Raimi’s] other films, I was quite naive about the horror genre and had never even heard of the Evil Dead [franchise],’ she recollected in Jason Norman’s book Welcome to Our Nightmares: Behind the Scene With Today’s Horror Actor, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
She expressed interest in the project because of Sam Raimi but admitted she was not entirely aware of what she was diving into until filming began.
‘What I liked about the character,’ the actress said, ‘was that she was powerful.’
She previously said the role was ‘gruelling’ but ‘a lot of fun’ to do.
In a 2011 interview with JoBlo Movie Network, she shared, ‘It was a lot of fun. It was sometimes exhausting, but working with Sam was a great experience.’
Raver was inclined to join the film in order to work with director Sam Raimi
She emphasized that Raimi greatly involves actors in the creative process, mentioning that she had the opportunity to discuss the project with him ahead of shooting to ensure they shared a vision.
‘It was a great time. I actually had a ball doing it. I was a little apprehensive going into it but I had a wonderful time.’
While she may be best known for the 2009 horror, she has quite an acting resume that boasts appearances in some massive shows.
Though the majority of her appearances were for a single episode, Raver’s resume includes parts in The Bold and the Beautiful, ER, Beverly Hills, 90210, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Role, Felicity, The Pretender, Judging Amy, Ally McBeal, Star Trek: Voyager, Gilmore Girls, Weeds, Malcolm in the Middle, Desperate Housewives, Cold Case, NYPD Blue, Boston Legal, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Nip/Tuck, One Tree Hill, Bones, Grey’s Anatomy and The Young and the Restless.
While her screen career began in 1990, she has been acting for decades prior.
Early in her career, Raver, who was born in York, Pennsylvania on October 9, 1943, honed her craft at the Hedgerow Theater before heading to Broadway in 1979, according to THR.
One fan posted to X of her passing, ‘What a memorable turn she gave in Drag Me To Hell. R.I.P.’
Following a move to New York, she appeared in the off-Broadway production of Last Days of the Dixie Girl Cafe followed by Between Daylight and Boonville.
She eventually made the big move to Hollywood, making her first appearance on-camera in the 1990 Dana Carvey-led comedy film, Opportunity Knocks. She played the SNL star’s on-screen secretary.
In her last credited role, Raver narrated the 2016 audiobook for the Stephen King classic Cujo.
She has lent her voice to numerous audiobooks and has received multiple AudioFile magazine Earphone Awards.
In 2012, Raver’s long-time partner, writer and producer Yuri Rasovsky, passed at age 67.
