Drag Me to Hell Plot Summary
Drag Me to Hell is a 2009 supernatural horror that centers around Christine Brown, a loan officer played by Alison Lohman. Her life takes a terrifying turn when she denies an extension on a loan to an elderly woman, Mrs. Ganush (Lorna Raver). In retaliation, the old woman places a Lamia curse on Christine. The movie tracks Christine as she battles to rid herself of the curse with the help of her friends and other interventions.
The film begins with a couple seeking help from a medium, Shaun San Dena (Adriana Barraza), for their child, who has been hearing disturbing noises. The parents reveal that their child had stolen a chain from a gypsy woman, leading to the disturbances. Despite Shaun’s best efforts to help, an unseen force attacks the family and pulls the child into the depths of hell.
What happened between Christine and Mrs. Ghanush?
The scene then shifts to Christine Brown, a loan officer, heading to work. At the office, Christine and her colleague Stu (Reggie Lee) are competing for a promotion to the role of Assistant Manager. Mr. Jacks points out to Christine that the position requires someone who can make tough decisions. During her lunch break with her boyfriend Clay (Justin Long), Christine learns that some old woman named Mrs. Ganush is asking to see her.
Mrs. Ganush asks for an extension on her mortgage, but Christine refuses, saying the bank has already granted her a couple of extensions. After Mrs. Ganush’s constant requests, Christine turns to her manager, Mr. Jacks, for advice, who tells Christine it’s her decision to make. With her eyes on the promotion, Christine ultimately denies Mrs. Ganush’s request.
A desperate Mrs. Ganush gets on her knees and begs Christine for an extension again, but Christine calls security on her. Mrs. Ganush becomes aggressive and attacks Christine. Security escorts the old woman out of the building, but Christine later finds Mrs. Ganush in her car, where they get into a violent fight. During the struggle, Mrs. Ganush snatches a button off Christine’s sweater and curses it.
After this encounter, Christine and Clay walk home, but Christine suddenly decides to have her fortune read. She meets Rham Jas, a seer, who reveals to Christine that she is cursed. While Clay is sceptical, Christine is partly convinced that Rham Jas is right. When Christine reaches home, an unseen force attacks her and bashes her face against the kitchen counter.
Clay calls the doctor for Christine, who reveals that it was an aftershock of the violent attack she had suffered earlier. At night, Christine sleeps peacefully with Clay by her side, but her sweet sleep is interrupted by a horrific dream. In this dream, Mrs. Ghanush attacks Christine and stools a swarm of insects on her. Christine wakes up in shock, but Clay comforts her.
The next day, Christine heads to the bank as usual for work as if nothing had happened.
Did the sacrifice work for Christine?
At the bank, Christine can’t help but hear flies buzzing in her stomach as she suffers constant nosebleeds. Christine also accidentally splatters blood on her manager while trying to stop the nosebleed. Stu takes advantage of the situation and snags a loan file from her desk to sabotage Christine’s chance of getting that promotion.
Later, Christine goes to Mrs. Ganush’s granddaughter’s house and discovers that Mrs. Ganush has passed away. Seeking help, Christine visits Rham again, who tells her about the curse of the Lamia, a demon summoned by gypsies for dark deeds. He tells her that the Lamia torments its victims for three days before taking their souls.
Rham also reveals that the curse is placed by cursing an object and giving it back to the victim. This is where Christine realizes that her button is the cursed object. When Christine asks for a solution, Rham suggests sacrificing a small animal to appease the Lamia. Christine refuses, but Rham gives her a book about animal sacrifices just in case Christine changes her mind.
While at home, Christine is once again attacked by Lamia and thus decides to sacrifice her cat to get rid of the curse. Christine goes through with it and believes she has freed herself from the sinister curse. The next day, Christine and Clay join the latter’s parents for lunch.
During lunch, Christine starts hallucinating and loses control, prompting her to leave the lunch abruptly. She goes to see Rham, who suggests contacting the spirit to dissuade it from taking her soul. Rham recommends Christine see Shaun San Dena, a medium but warns that she will charge $10,000 cash for the service.
What Happened at the seance?
When Christine asks for an advance at the bank, Mr. Jack refuses. She then gathers some belongings from her house to sell, but the amount falls short, and Clay ends up paying the remaining amount. They head to Shaun’s mansion and plan a séance to contact the Lamia. They plan to trap the Lamia’s spirit in a goat and then sacrifice it to rid Christine of the curse.
During the séance, numerous unwanted spirits appear at first, but eventually, the Lamia enters Shaun’s body. Christine successfully transfers Lamia’s spirit into the goat, but Milo, Shaun’s assistant, accidentally unleashes the goat, and it ends up biting him. The Lamia is then transferred to Milo. Shaun manages to drive the spirit out of Milo’s body, but Milo dies immediately afterward. Christine asks if she has been freed of the curse, and Rham informs her otherwise.
Did Christine Brown survive the curse?
Rham suggests that Christine give away the cursed button as a gift to someone else but also warns that the receiver’s soul will burn in hell for eternity. Christine ponders over whom to give the button to when Clay suddenly hits the brakes, causing all the papers in Christine’s bag to fall into the car. When Christine gets home, she searches in a panic for the button and finds it in one of the envelopes.
Christine sits at a diner and once again contemplates whom to give the button to. She even considers giving it to Stu but changes her mind. Finally, she decides to return the button to Mrs. Ganush’s grave. Christine digs up the grave and tries to return the button, but it doesn’t work. In a moment of desperation, she makes a formal announcement and forces the button into Mrs. Ganush’s mouth, choking her with it.
Christine returns home and takes a shower to leave for the vacation she has planned with Clay. While showering, she receives a call from Jack informing her that Stu tried to frame her in controversy but failed, and as a result, the new position is hers. Ecstatic, Christine buys a new coat for the trip while Clay waits for her at the station with a wedding ring.
At the station, Christine confesses to Clay about how she could have granted an extension to Mrs. Ganush but chose not to. When Clay asks about her old coat, Christine realizes she has mixed up the envelopes and still has the cursed button. Panicked, she falls onto the train tracks, and the ground cracks open, and she is dragged into hell.