HERE BE WITCHES 12 • Drag Me To Hell (2009) with Mary Wild

In this episode, we’re going to be discussing Sam Raimi’s comedy horror Drag Me To Hell in depth. Our protagonist is the young loan officer Christine (played by Alison Lohman), who, in order to prove to her boss that she can make the "hard decisions", chooses not to extend an elderly woman's mortgage. In retaliation, the woman, who turns to be a witch by the name of Mrs. Ganush, places a curse on Christine that, after three days of escalating torment, will plunge her into the depths of Hell to burn for eternity. The film follows Christine’s frantic attempts to rid herself of the curse, and her constant, increasingly violent persecution by otherworldly creatures

Anna is joined this episode by Mary Wild, the creator of the Projections lecture series, applying psychoanalysis to film interpretation, and the co co-host of the Projections Podcast with Sarah Cleaver. We go deep on different readings of Drag Me To Hell, from its gross-out effects, the body horror, how it portrays female ambition, trauma and insecurity, pathologies, body image, whether Mrs. Ganush is a witch (spoiler alert: yes), and PornHub as curated by Barbara Creed. 

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To coincide with our season of films and events, Here Be Witches, we will be focusing this first series on exploring all things witchcraft on film. Each episode, we will dive deep into films and TV shows that we can’t necessarily screen. Each episode, we’ll be joined with special guests to dissect and discuss a film or show, its legacy and the way witches are represented.

Find out more about our projects here: thefinalgirls.co.uk

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Follow Anna on @annabdemented and Olivia is on @livihowe 

Our special guest this episode is Mary Wild, find her on @psycstar