What Happened to Drag Me to Hell? Inside Sam Raimi’s Brutal Horror Comeback
The What Happened to This Horror Movie episode on Drag Me to Hell was written by Jaime Vasquez:
Drag Me to Hell arrived in the spring of 2009 and became a surprise box office hit. Since its release, it’s stood out as a horror film that didn’t just torment its protagonist; it followed through, pushing its cruelty further than most mainstream thrillers were willing to go at the time. And that unapologetic approach came straight from Sam Raimi, a filmmaker who has never been especially interested in playing it safe.
But Raimi wasn’t always planning to direct the film himself.
So who was originally tapped to take the director’s chair? Who almost played the role of Christine Brown? And why did the film impress critics while leaving audiences sharply divided? Watch out for talking goats, cursed buttons, and loan extension requests that go very, very wrong, as we dig into What Happened to Drag Me to Hell.
From The Evil Dead to Spider-Man
Sam Raimi became one of the most successful directors in Hollywood, and it all started with movies that were goofy, spooky, and made on a shoestring budget. In the 1980s and ’90s, the Evil Dead trilogy built a devoted fanbase around the world. So when Raimi suddenly found himself directing the polished, crowd-pleasing Spider-Man, it caught a lot of people off guard. The low-budget horror guy in jeans and a T-shirt had officially become a studio filmmaker in a suit, overseeing massive Hollywood productions.
Raimi’s brother, Ivan Raimi, followed a very different path. He became a physician years before co-writing scripts for both The Evil Dead and Spider-Man trilogies. But one of his earliest Hollywood credits came from collaborating with several other writers on Darkman (1990), a comic-book-inspired action film that performed decently at the box office and earned even stronger reviews.
A Script That Sat on the Shelf
Though Drag Me to Hell felt like a return to Sam Raimi’s horror roots, the script itself had been sitting around for a long time. Raimi and Ivan originally wrote the story shortly after wrapping up Army of Darkness. Raimi then put it on the shelf while he moved on to other projects, eventually returning to it nearly two decades later.
At one point, Raimi even considered handing the directing duties off to Edgar Wright, who had already proven he could balance horror and comedy with Shaun of the Dead (2004). But Wright was tied up making the action-comedy Hot Fuzz, once again teaming up with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. Beyond scheduling conflicts, Wright reportedly felt he wasn’t the right fit for the project. In the end, Raimi decided to take Drag Me to Hell into his own hands and direct it himself.
Inspired by Night of the Demon
One of the main inspirations for Drag Me to Hell was Night of the Demon (1957), released in the U.S. as Curse of the Demon. The film stars Dana Andrews as John Holden, a man determined to expose a cult leader who curses his victims by unleashing a demon upon them.
The story was adapted from M.R. James’ short tale “Casting the Runes,” in which a character is doomed after being handed a piece of parchment inscribed with cursed symbols. Once marked, the victim is hunted for a fixed number of days before being killed at a preordained time.
Despite the dread and sense of inevitability built throughout Curse of the Demon, its protagonists ultimately survive. The same cannot be said for Christine Brown in Drag Me to Hell. Interestingly, though, her fate wasn’t always meant to be so brutal.
An Alternate Ending
In an early version of the script, Christine’s coworker Stu Rubin played a much larger role. Written as a desperate man, Stu accepts a hitman job arranged by the mother of Christine’s fiancé, Clay. The plan is to stage a mugging that spirals out of control, leaving Christine shot and Clay unharmed.
Instead, Clay fights back and is accidentally killed. Christine offers what she believes is a priceless coin to appease the attacker, only to unknowingly pass along a cursed button from her coat, the same button that curses her in the finished film. In this version, Stu is dragged to hell while Christine survives, though her victory is bittersweet, as Clay dies from his injuries.
While that ending is far from merciful, many fans have argued that being dragged to hell feels like a more fitting punishment for Stu. The final film shifts that cruelty onto Christine instead.
Does Christine Deserve It?
Although Drag Me to Hell is framed as a dark comedy, viewers have long debated whether Christine truly deserves her fate. She does, of her own volition, deny Mrs. Ganush a loan extension, a morally questionable choice. But the punishment she receives feels wildly disproportionate.
When asked in 2009 whether the story was based on a specific myth or legend, Sam Raimi described it as a complete fabrication. That said, he and his team researched the name “Lamia,” discovering it appeared across multiple cultures, often describing different types of demons. Raimi ultimately framed the film not as a mythological tale, but as a traditional morality story, the kind of cautionary fables told for centuries.
Casting Christine Brown
Originally cast as Christine Brown was Elliot Page, then credited as Ellen Page. Page ultimately exited the project to star in the 2009 sports comedy Whip It, directed by Drew Barrymore. The role instead went to Alison Lohman.
Lohman later said she loved performing her own stunts, a commitment that gave the film a more physical, authentic feel and allowed production to keep shots intact rather than cutting around a stunt double.
To prepare, she immersed herself in classic horror, revisiting films like The Shining to get into the headspace of a character being pushed through increasingly terrifying situations. Filming proved so intense that Lohman admitted she sometimes relied on tequila at night just to get some sleep.
Justin Long, Lorna Raver, and a Milky Eye
Horror veteran Justin Long was cast as Christine’s fiancé, Clay Dalton. Long has described Clay as deeply rational and grounded, someone convinced there’s a logical explanation for everything. Long himself, however, has openly talked about his belief in the supernatural.
Playing the pivotal role of Mrs. Ganush is Lorna Raver. She reportedly auditioned with only the bank loan scene before later discovering just how far the story escalates. To shape Mrs. Ganush’s unsettling presence, Raver worked with a Hungarian dialect coach, translating portions of her dialogue into Hungarian, an effect Raimi liked so much he kept some of it in the final cut.
According to special effects artist Greg Nicotero, the makeup team knew they’d be working closely with Raver throughout the shoot. Aside from her milky eye prosthetic, the makeup was designed to enhance, not obscure, her features. As Mrs. Ganush’s rage intensified, so did her appearance.
Bugs, Mud, and Blood
For the infamous scene where Mrs. Ganush vomits bugs into Christine’s mouth, the effects team used a puppet head fitted with a hidden tube and plunger mechanism. When triggered, it launched maggots and worms toward Lohman. Some were CGI. Others were practical props, like pasta. Still unpleasant. Slightly less horrifying.
The graveyard sequence was saved for the end of production. After early mixtures caused Lohman to break out in hives, the team sourced mud from a spa in Calistoga, California. To stage it safely, they built a steel trapezoid around the coffin, allowing mud to pour in while Lohman performed inside. Rain rigs completed the look. The sequence took roughly two weeks to shoot.
The nosebleed scene was originally even more extreme, with blood spraying nearly 20 feet across the office. Greg Nicotero eventually got the rig working exactly as Raimi envisioned, only for Raimi to decide it was too much and scale it back.
The car attack sequence proved one of the most physically demanding scenes. Lohman and Raver were encouraged to really fight, comparing bruises afterward. The crew built a car that could come apart piece by piece to safely escalate the chaos.
Box Office, Reviews, and Divided Audiences
Drag Me to Hell was released on May 29, 2009, and performed well at the box office. Made for around $30 million, it earned roughly $91 million worldwide.
Critically, the response was even stronger, with many reviewers praising Raimi’s gleeful return to horror and his practical, effects-driven style.
Audience reactions, however, were more divided. While some viewers celebrated it as a return to Raimi’s roots, others criticized the heavy CGI, exaggerated performances, and what they saw as a predictable story. The result was a film critics largely embraced, but audiences couldn’t quite agree on.
The Uncut Version
To secure a PG-13 rating, four scenes were trimmed or altered for the theatrical release. The extended cut restores more graphic elements, including a bloodier nosebleed sequence and a more explicit depiction of Christine’s ritual sacrifice of her cat.
Even smaller moments were intensified, such as the aftermath of Mrs. Ganush’s fatal encounter with an anvil. The director’s cut pushes these scenes further, revealing just how much more extreme the film originally was.
Will There Ever Be a Sequel?
A decade after the film’s release, Raimi was asked whether a sequel was possible. He said he’d be open to the idea if someone came up with a strong story, but admitted the ending feels so final that he wouldn’t know where to begin.
And honestly, after that ending, it’s hard to argue.
Drag Me to Hell exists in its own dark corner of horror. Fans of Sam Raimi embraced it as a return to the genre that made him famous, while others walked away feeling the film was overtly cruel.
Interestingly, Alison Lohman has said she initially believed she was making a straightforward horror movie. It wasn’t until she watched it with an audience that she realized how strongly the tone leaned into dark comedy, as crowds laughed through some of the bleakest moments.
And tone matters. It tells the audience how to process what they’re seeing.
Drag Me to Hell may be grim, but it’s also packed with bursts of humor and exaggeration that pay tribute to old-school horror, the kind of movies that gleefully toy with their characters instead of guaranteeing safety for the protagonist. After all, this is the director of Evil Dead II, where even mounted deer heads can erupt into maniacal laughter.
Raimi’s return to horror was never going to be subtle. It was always going to be mean, playful, and a little unhinged. And that, my friends, is What Happened to Drag Me to Hell.
A couple of previous episodes of this show can be seen below. For more, check out the JoBlo Horror Originals YouTube channel—and don’t forget to subscribe!
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