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: Mistress of the Dark

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

$7,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,660,041, 2 October 1988

Gross USA:

$5,596,267

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$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

Production began on January 20, 1988, and filming took eight weeks.

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Goofs

At the beginning of the Flashdance sequence, Elvira is wearing high heels, but during the dance, she's clad in flat shoes and standing on her toes.

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Quotes

Elvira: Whoa. Must have taken too much antacid in the sixties.

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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 220 Volts: Anos 80 (2012)

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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

Funny Cult-Trash

When a chauvinist millionaire buys the TV network where the sexy Elvira (Cassandra Peterson) is the horror hostess of a late show, she quits her job with the intention of producing a show of her own 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 Fallwell, in Massachusets, where her car breaks. While repairing the car, Elvira inherits an old house, a recipe book and a poodle. Her great uncle Vincent Talbot (W. Morgan Sheppard) 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 the cinema owner Bob Redding (Daniel Greene) 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 indeed a spell book that belonged to her mother Divana. Further, Morgana has protected her from the warlock Vincent that wants the book to take over the world and destroy Elvira, who is a powerful witch. When Elvira refuses to sell the spell book to Vincent, her convinces the council that she is a witch that must be burned at the stake. How will Elvira stop the evil Vincent?

"Elvira: Mistress of the Dark" is a funny cult-trash that works for the fans. This cheesy film is hilarious despite all the silliness and the sexy Cassandra Peterson is the responsible for making it worthwhile watching. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Elvira: A Rainha das Trevas" ("Elvira: The Queen of the Darkness")