Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988)

Upon arriving in a small town where she has inherited a rundown mansion, a famous horror hostess battles an evil uncle, and townspeople who want her burned at the stake.

Director:

James Signorelli

Writers:

Sam Egan, John Paragon

Stars:

Cassandra Peterson, Phil Rubenstein, Larry Flash Jenkins

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Phil Rubenstein	...	Director
Larry Flash Jenkins	...	Technical Director
Cassandra Peterson	...	Elvira (as Elvira)
Damita Jo Freeman	...	Associate Producer
Tress MacNeille	...	Anchorwoman
Edwina Moore	...	Hairdresser
Mario Celario	...	Rudy
Lee McLaughlin	...	Earl Hooter
Bill Swearingen	...	Cameraman
Charles Woolf	...	Manny
Bill Dance	...	Messenger (as William Dance)
William Cort	...	Lawyer / Game Show Host
Sharon Hays	...	Game Show Girl
Bill Cable	...	Cop
John Paragon	...	Gas Station Attendant

Storyline

When a chauvinist millionaire buys the television network where the sexy Elvira is the horror hostess of a late show, she quits her job with the intention of producing her own show in Las Vegas. However, the producers demand 50 thousand dollars from her and Elvira does not have the money. Out of the blue, she receives a telegram informing that her great-aunt Morgana died and she has an inheritance to receive. Elvira drives to the uptight town of Fallwell, Massachusetts, where her convertible breaks down. While repairing her convertible, Elvira inherits an archaic mansion, a recipe book and a poodle. Her great-uncle Vincent Talbot proposes to buy her book, but the poodle hides it in the sofa. Meanwhile, the conservative council of Fallwell feels uncomfortable with Elvira's clothes and behavior and does not let her find a job. But cinema owner Bob Redding and the local teenagers help Elvira. When she decides to cook a dinner to impress Bob, she uses Morgana's recipe and finds that it is...

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Plot Keywords:

inheritance | hostess | black comedy | small town | magic | 

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Taglines:

Here comes Elvira... there goes the neighbourhood!

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Official Sites:

Elvira's Official haunting ground on the Web.

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 September 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Elvira

Filming Locations:

Higgins-Verbeck-Hirsch Mansion - 637 South Lucerne Boulevard, Windsor Square, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$7,500,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$5,596,267

Company Credits

Production Co:

NBC Productions, New World Pictures, Panacea Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In real life, Cassandra Peterson (Elvira) began her career as a Las Vegas showgirl, a career her character also pursues.

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Goofs

When the lawyer is reading off the items that Elvira has inherited from her late great aunt, the lawyer is clearly wearing eyeglasses, but when Elvira says, "That's it? The house, a dog, and a book?," even though the lawyer is seen from the back, you can clearly see that he is not wearing eyeglasses. In the next scene, the lawyer is wearing eyeglasses again to announce what Uncle Vincent Talbot has inherited.

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Quotes

Elvira: [to Bob] My name's Elvira, but you can call me 'tonight'.

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Alternate Versions

The widescreen version is actually the regular full screen version but with the top and bottom blacked out. This is proven in the scene were the teenagers are watching Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! at the theater. For the scene were a woman with a shopping cart is running from an oversized tomato, the board with rollers the tomato is sitting on is cut off. As is the shot of Elvira's Elvis T-shirt when she suddenly sits-up from her nightmare. This is because the movie was shot in full screen, and matted for theaters. The extra space in the full screen version is dead space that was never meant to be seen.

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Connections

Referenced in The Real Ghostbusters: Flip Side (1988)

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Soundtracks

I Put a Spell on You
Written by Screamin' Jay Hawkins (as Jay Hawkins)
Performed by Joanna St. Claire

User Reviews

My favorite movie!

The basic plot: Shlocky horror movie hostess Elvira goes to a small,uptight,puritan town where she encounters an evil uncle, a hunk, some disgruntled teenagers, and some black magic.

The praise:Elvira. She is the smoky, the sexy, campy, the shlocky, the shticky the great one. The entire movie is a send-up of shlock horror, horror, porn,sex,porn,breasts,supernatural movies, show-biz movies, Camp,80's movies, materialism, Vegas, british horror,teen movies,middle-aged horniness, and horror parodies. All with a great soundtrack, a lot of yuks, and the smoky, the best, and better, Elvira. I don't know why I like it all,moreover it being my favorite movie,but who cares!It all ends with a great shlocky, glittering Vegas number! The must-see movie!