Alison Lohman:  Sam Raimi. I remember first talking with him on the phone about it. I think it was a three-hour conversation, maybe more. He went into such detail, like a little kid telling a story around a campfire, and I just knew I had to do this movie with him.

The thing is, I’m not a big horror fan. It takes a lot for me to be scared. Before I spoke with Sam, I didn’t think it would be right for me.  I didn’t think I had my finger on the pulse of it or for any kind of horror movie.  Fortunately, I learned what makes the best horror movies so good and what makes Sam so great.

What did Sam Raimi teach you about horror films? 

AL:  I love Sam because it’s never about the horror only. Sometimes it is about those scary moments, but it’s more about the characters. In Drag Me To Hell, he really cared about Christine, her relationships, and having these moments that are very real, that we can all relate to.

By the time she has to confront this demon, you’re there with her. The horror, in a way, is just the icing on the cake. You enter this other world with him that’s so solid and detailed that you feel supported by it. And you trust it to take you on that ride.

 

AL:  I had meetings with Sam to get an idea of what he was thinking in terms of the character. I also met with a loan officer, which is what I play on screen. I didn’t know anything about banking and I’m awful with numbers, so I needed to have an idea of what that life was like and the people who actually live it.

I also hung out with Justin Long, who plays my boyfriend, just to get to know each other better, to have that rapport on screen.

And then, of course, I watched horror classics every day, looking for those moments. Whatever film I was watching, I would look at the rhythm and the pacing. I mean, I would just sit there, turn off the lights, and watch films like The Shining. Other times, I would watch just a single clip from a movie to find that inspiration for what I needed to do.

 

AL:  Not the horror ones, no. So I watched The Evil Dead movies, Army of Darkness. I’d seen A Simple Plan and The Gift before, which I loved. I mean, I’ve always loved Sam’s work, especially the Spider-Man movies. You can see his personality in all of them. He has a very wry and dry sense of humor. And that humor that you see in this movie is also there in his personality.

 

AL:  Well, the fight scene in the car took about two weeks to film. It was all very choreographed, very specific, coordinating our actions with the camera. A lot of it is about hitting marks while making it look as wild, frenetic and spontaneous as you can, like when I knock Mrs. Ganush’s dentures out on the front seat.

 

AL:  I know… There are some interesting moments, some uniquely Sam Raimi moments when you have this older women, Lorna Raver, gnawing on your chin with her saliva on your face.

 

AL:  Weird and gross! I didn’t believe him. I would never believe him when he’d tell me about the things he was planning. When you read the script, it actually describes it, “she suckles on her chin.” And I thought, ‘Oh, yeah, right, he’s just trying to be flowery on the page.’

No, he actually meant suckling on the chin. I had no idea that he was really going to do that until we did it (laughs). Yeah, we had some strange moments. Sam choreographed the whole thing. But we had to make it look as spontaneous as we could. 

 

AL:  I’d met her before, and she’s very sweet. But I have to say, it was hard for me to separate Lorna and [her character] Mrs. Ganush when we were filming. When we would cross paths on the way to our trailers or whatever, it was hard not to fear her. She played the character that well. She’s good. She’s a good actress. She evoked a lot of feelings in me (laughs).

AL:  Sleep. I didn’t have any sleep during this movie. It takes enormous amounts of energy to keep your adrenaline high, filming scenes where you’re being scared all the time and fighting for your life. So I was really trying to survive the movie while my character was trying to survive this demon (laughs). I would come home and wouldn’t know how to come down from it. But, you know, you learn little tricks. A lot of times just going for a long walk can do it. Or tequilla works too (laughs).  

In your face horror in Drag Me To HellIt was a wild movie, I’m telling you. Nothing that I’ve experienced in my life comes close. I felt run down a lot of the time. I actually got shingles afterwards. The only thing that kept me going was Sam. Not only would he push me and force me to keep going, but he also inspired me. Even though he was torturing me throughout this movie, he’ssuch a gentleman. I mean, he really is a contradiction. He would be so sweet and nice and then he’d be literally, bouncing me off the ceilings.

 

AL:  I think there were a couple of parts where I had a stunt person, but for the most part it was me. It’s definitely me flying throughout the room. And I wanted that. So to be fair, it wasn’t just Sam. I asked for it, basically!

 

AL:  No, not really. Though sometimes, I am. Today, actually, I walked in my bedroom and had these random thoughts that someone was in there, watching me. I don’t normally have those feelings. Maybe it has more to do with making this movie (laughs). And that’s not really being superstitious (laughs).

 

AL:  I don’t know. I think it takes too much energy.  It really does. But I would really love to work on another Sam Raimi movie. That I’d do in a heartbeat.