Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (film)
Elvira: Mistress of the Dark is a 1988 American comedy horror film directed by James Signorelli. It stars Cassandra Peterson as eccentric horror hostess Elvira, a character previously established in the television program Elvira's Movie Macabre. The character's feature film debut, the film's plot centers on Elvira inheriting a house that is nestled in the heart of an overtly prudish community. The film's screenplay was written by Peterson, John Paragon, and Sam Egan.[2]
| Elvira: Mistress of the Dark | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | James Signorelli |
| Written by | |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Hanania Bier |
| Edited by | Battle Davis |
| Music by | James B. Campbell |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | New World Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $7.5 million |
| Box office | $5.5 million[1] |
Elvira: Mistress of the Dark received mixed reviews from critics. Peterson was nominated for both a Saturn Award for Best Actress and a Razzie Award for Worst Actress in 1989 for her performance in the film. She went on to reprise her role as Elvira in the 2001 film Elvira's Haunted Hills.
Plot
Buxom Los Angeles TV horror hostess Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, quits her job after the station's new owner sexually harasses her. She plans to open an act in Las Vegas, but needs $50,000 for the project. Upon learning she is a beneficiary of her deceased great-aunt Morgana, she travels to Fallwell, Massachusetts, to claim the inheritance, which includes a mansion, a recipe book and Morgana's pet poodle, Algonquin.
In Fallwell, Elvira's worldly attitude and revealing clothes set the conservative town council against her, but theater operator Bob Redding befriends her. The town's teenagers quickly accept her, to the chagrin of their parents, who consider her a bad influence. Bowling alley owner Patty is interested in Bob, and at Elvira's late-night horror film festival at Bob's theater she succeeds in humiliating Elvira. Elvira struggles to sell the house so she can depart for Las Vegas. Meanwhile, she is unaware that her harsh but seemingly-harmless uncle, Vincent Talbot, is actually a warlock who is obsessed with obtaining Morgana's spellbook. He offers Elvira $50.00 for the book. When he visits Morgana's house to buy it from Elvira, Algonquin hides it much to Vincent's dismay. He plans to kill Elvira and conquer the world, and has been fueling the townspeople's hostility.
Elvira tries to impress Bob with a home-cooked dinner, but mistakenly uses the spellbook as a cookbook and summons a creature that attacks them. Elvira learns that the cookbook was actually her mother Divana's spellbook, and that Morgana hid her as an infant to protect her from Vincent. When Elvira tries to unleash the creature against the Morality Club at their picnic for revenge, she prepares the brew incorrectly and it instead has an aphrodisiac effect; the adults begin behaving sexually, dancing and removing their clothing while Elvira observes nearby. She is accosted by Vincent, who again offers to buy the book for a much higher price of $500 which is this time refused by Elvira. When Patty confronts Elvira, the resulting fistfight ends up humiliating Patty by revealing that her bra is stuffed.
Vincent leads the townspeople in arresting Elvira for witchcraft, which is still illegal in the state. They decide to burn her at the stake. The teenagers try to free her from jail but fail and accidentally lock themselves into a different cell. Bob tries to recover the spellbook from the mansion, but is tied up by Vincent and his goons, who take the book. Algonquin transforms into a rat and frees Bob by gnawing through his bonds. Elvira is tied to a stake and the fire is lit, but she uses Morgana's ring to summon a rainstorm which quenches the flames; she then escapes with Bob. At the mansion, Elvira and Vincent engage in a magical battle that sets fire to the house. Elvira banishes Vincent to the underworld, while the house and all of the magical artifacts are destroyed.
The next day, Elvira prepares to leave town. The townspeople apologize for their behavior, and they ask Elvira to stay. She kisses Bob but, as she is homeless, she insists that she must leave. As his sole living relative, Elvira has inherited Vincent's estate, which allows her to open her show in Las Vegas, where she performs a lavishly-produced musical number.
Cast
- Cassandra Peterson as Elvira / Great-Aunt Morgana Talbot
- W. Morgan Sheppard as Great-Uncle Vincent Talbot
- Daniel Greene as Bob Redding
- Susan Kellermann as Patty
- Edie McClurg as Chastity Pariah
- Robert Benedetti as Mr. Calvin Cobb
- Kurt Fuller as Mr. Glotter
- Jeff Conaway as Travis
- Frank Collison as Billy
- William Duell as Lesley Meeker
- Pat Crawford Brown as Mrs. Meeker
- Ellen Dunning as Robin Meeker
- Kris Kamm as Randy
- Scott Morris as Sean
- Ira Heiden as Bo
- Tress MacNeille as Anchorwoman / voice of Great-Aunt Morgana Talbot
- Phil Rubenstein as Director
Production
Pre-production
As her Elvira character skyrocketed to fame, Cassandra Peterson announced plans to spin her off into a feature film.[3] NBC casting director Joel Thurm pitched the idea of a sitcom to network president Brandon Tartikoff,[4] who became enthusiastic about the notion. However, Peterson had her heart set on bringing the character to the big screen,[5] and there were concerns that she would never get the opportunity if she made the leap to prime time.[6] Tartikoff later finalized a deal for NBC to produce a film,[7] which would possibly be followed up with sequels,[8] and eventually a TV series[9] but he ended up leaving the network before a show materialized.[10]
Peterson and frequent writing collaborator John Paragon met in the comedy troupe The Groundlings, and he worked his way up from recurring guest-star to writer on her Movie Macabre series.[11] Sam Egan was brought into the fold because he was an experienced TV writer[12] and had impressed Peterson with his script for The Fall Guy episode "October the 31st," which he had written explicitly for her.[13] Tartikoff pushed for a storyline similar to Harper Valley PTA,[14] and after the first draft was turned in, the writers were forced to add a group of teenagers,[15] which resulted in reducing screen time for all of the other characters.[16][17]
After appearing in a small part in Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, Peterson thought Tim Burton was the perfect choice to direct her film, but he got tied up with the production of Beetlejuice.[18] Tartikoff tapped James Signorelli to direct.[11] Although Signorelli only had one feature film to his credit, he had been prolifically churning out commercial parodies on Saturday Night Live since 1977.
Peterson was dealt a crushing blow with the 1986 AIDS-related death of Robert Redding, to whom she dedicated the film[19] and named the character of Bob after.[20] She and Redding had collaborated to create Elvira's look,[21] and he painted the portrait which is used for Morgana Talbot.[22] Accustomed to Redding styling her wigs, Peterson became perpetually unhappy with their appearance and later admitted that she was too harsh with the film's wig stylist.[23]
The name of the fictional town of Fallwell, Massachusetts, where Elvira moves to in the film, has been noted for its resemblance to the surname of Jerry Fallwell, an American televangelist, conservative activist, and co-founder of the Moral Majority.[24][25][26]
Casting
Many roles were played by Cassandra Peterson's associates from The Groundlings, including Edie McClurg (Chastity Pariah), Tress MacNeille (Anchorwoman), Joey Arias (Hitchhiker), Lynne Marie Stewart (Bartender), Deryl Carroll (Charlie), and co-writer John Paragon (Gas Station Attendant).[11] Paul Reubens was also supposed to appear in a bit part, but this became unfeasible when Big Top Pee-wee went into concurrent production,[27] so his cameo came in the form of a Pee-Wee Herman doll that is visible in Elvira's dressing room. Additionally, Eve Smith was a regular on Movie Macabre (playing Elvira's Auntie Virus), Peterson's parents were prominently featured as extras during her character's arrival in Fallwell,[28] her assistant was the game show girl,[29] and the motorcycle cop was played by ex-boyfriend Bill Cable,[30][31] whom she had posed with for a 1974 Playgirl magazine spread. The following year, she was featured in another nude photo spread depicting intergalactic lovers floating through outer space, in the March 1975 issue of Playgirl with adult film star icon turned Hollywood Fixer, Paul Barresi.[32]
The role of Elvira's "Uncle Vinnie" was written specifically for Vincent Price, and although they had become friends, he passed due to the racy material.[33] Producer Joel Thurm zeroed in on William Morgan Sheppard for the part, but he became frustrated as Sheppard changed his readings from one audition to the next.[34] On the day that Sheppard had to audition for network executives, Thurm told him to be "more evil," and Sheppard took this note to heart, which won him the role.[11]
Bob Redding was written as the male "equivalent of a blonde bimbo,"[35] but they had difficulty finding anyone who had both the looks and the acting skills to pull it off.[36] All eyes were on Daniel Greene when he came in to audition,[37] and he was convinced that he got the part due to a genuinely stunned, naive reaction that he had to one of Peterson's off-color remarks.[38]
Kurt Fuller, who was cast as Fallwell's realtor, Mr. Glotter, was actually supporting himself working in real estate.[39] He was so convinced that he had bombed his audition that he told his agent that he quit showbiz. Later that day, his agent called to say that he had been offered the role.[40]
The role of Randy was narrowed down to two actors: Kris Kamm and Brad Pitt. Kamm won the part because Peterson felt Pitt was so handsome that Elvira would ignore Bob and fawn over him.[11][41]
Filming
The film was shot over a span of eight weeks,[42] between January and March 1988.[43] The first scenes were shot at a bowling alley in Montrose, California,[44] and Peterson worried about beginning the production with her character's big monologue,[11] but much bigger stresses were soon to follow.
One of the most problematic issues was Peterson's costar, Binnie,[45] a temperamental poodle[46] that did not seem to like anyone except his trainer.[47] Peterson would not allow them to use a permanent dye on the dog's fur, instead, they used a vegetable dye mixture that had to be touched up and reapplied daily.[48] The dog had trouble hitting its mark, it did not perform properly and actually attacked Kurt Fuller's ankle, leaving the actor with long-lasting scars, plus entire scenes had to be dubbed to mute the trainer's commands.[11]
Music
The original musical score was composed by James B. Campbell. Although there were several well-known songs in the film, licensing the original recordings was cost-prohibitive, so they were covered by stock singers.[49] The goofy ditty "Chicken Fried Steak", which is faintly heard at the gas station, was an original composition written and performed by the founder of The Groundlings.[50]
There was no soundtrack album and the majority of songs have never been issued, but "Here I Am" and two different versions of Lori Chako's "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" eventually surfaced on the digital compilation Elvira's Gravest Hits.[51]
| Song | Writer(s) | Performer |
|---|---|---|
| "Elvira's Theme" | Mark Pierson | Mark Pierson |
| "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" | Lori Chacko, Joey Balin | Lori Chacko |
| "Chicken Fried Steak" | Gary Austin | Gary Austin |
| "Tuesday's Come and Gone" | Ron McGowan, Edwina Travis Chin | Pamela Des Barres |
| "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall" | Traditional | Cassandra Peterson |
| "New World Symphony" | Antonín Dvořák | Pro Musica Symphony Orchestra |
| "Shout" | O'Kelly Isley, Ronald Isley, Rudolph Isley | Larry Wright |
| "Town Without Pity" | Dimitri Tiomkin, Ned Washington | Jess Harnell |
| "Weeping Like a Willow" | Dan Slider | Lynn Fanelli |
| "Bad" | Michael Jackson | Cassandra Peterson |
| "Maniac" | Michael Sembello, Dennis Matkosky | Rick Cershaw |
| "I Put a Spell on You" | Screamin' Jay Hawkins | Joanna St. Claire |
| "Here I Am" | Gary Poirot, John Paragon | Cassandra Peterson |
Reception
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, which categorizes reviews only as positive or negative, 56% of 25 reviews are positive.[52] Caryn James in The New York Times rated the film 2/5 in 1988 saying that "there are only a couple of fresh and funny moments."[53]
Writing for The Washington Post in 1999, Richard Harrington said the film "is stupid fun, a distaff, gothic version of Pee-wee's Playhouse. (...) [Elvira is] fun, a Transylvania Valley Girl grown up into the Queen of the Bs, but after 96 minutes you may start thinking more fondly about those '50s and '60s camp classics she's usually interspersed with."[54]
Anthony Arrigo said in Dread Central in 2020 that "Elvira managed to make a seemingly oxymoronic character into a household name, built off her bountiful looks, quick wit, and indefatigable charisma."[55] Daniel Barnes said in 2020 that "this one-note vehicle throws ambiguity and subtlety out the window in favor of a barrage of unfunny boob jokes."[56] In Nashville Scene in 2021, Jason Shawhan said it's "campy, witty and always eager to push the bawdy limits of a PG-13 rating."[57]
Peterson has stated that the distribution company for the film went out of business literally the day before release, causing the number of theaters showing the film to drop from over 2,500 to roughly 500, which resulted in the low box office.
Awards and nominations
The film received a Razzie Award nomination for Cassandra Peterson as Worst Actress in 1989, losing to Liza Minnelli for both Arthur 2: On the Rocks and Rent-a-Cop. "I even lost the worst actress, now that's sad!" Peterson quipped.[58]
Nominations
| Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fantasporto | Best Film[59] | Nominated | |
| Saturn Awards | Best Actress[60] | Cassandra Peterson | Nominated |
| Golden Raspberry | Worst Actress[61] | Cassandra Peterson | Nominated |
| Stinkers Bad Movie Awards | Worst Picture[62] | Nominated |
Legacy
1990s–2000s: Proposed sequel, and Elvira's Haunted Hills
Peterson quickly sold a script for a sequel, but it got tied up in red tape when Carolco Pictures went bankrupt.[63][64] She followed through with plans to star in a sitcom, but 1993's The Elvira Show did not secure a spot on the TV schedule. Soon after, she announced the forthcoming Elvira Vs. the Vampire Women,[65] but a contract dispute with Roger Corman prevented the film from being produced.[66][67]
The script for Elvira's Haunted Hills was written in the late 1990s, but after spending three years trying to get Hollywood to produce the project, she and then-husband Mark Pierson decided to finance it themselves.[68] The shoot in Romania was grueling, and they had difficulty securing distribution. In the same vein as Young Frankenstein, Haunted Hills spoofs the 1960s Roger Corman/Edgar Allan Poe films. Other than the Elvira character, there's no direct connection between the films, although it is sometimes referred to as a prequel since it is set more than a century earlier.[69]
2010s–present: Netflix and Shudder
Prior to Mistress of the Dark, there were already plans to feature Elvira in an animated series,[70] but this has yet to materialize. In 2019, Peterson pitched the idea to Netflix and Shudder, which both passed.[71] Around the same time, the character made her inaugural Scooby-Doo appearance in Return to Zombie Island. Elvira returned the following year with an increased role in Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo!, in which she spends the bulk of in a flat-top variation of the Macabremobile and dispatches another monster with a stiletto to the forehead.
Peterson's Scooby experience was so positive that, after years of trying to get a third film produced, she announced in 2020 that the next Elvira film will likely be an animated feature.[72] Although no specifics have been released, a detailed story treatment has been completed.[73]
In October 2021, Elvira's 40th birthday special was announced on the YouTube channel for Shudder streaming, with the video "Burn Witch Burn".[74] Throughout October, for Halloween, Elvira featured horror movies catalog on Netflix's YouTube channel, titled Netflix & Chills Meet Dr. Elvira.[75]
References
- ^ Elvira, Mistress of the Dark at Box Office Mojo
- ^ Thomas, Kevin (1988-09-30). "'Elvira' Matches Films She Introduces on TV". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-08-24.
- ^ Cuthbert, David (1984-10-31). "Elvira: The New Mistress of Halloween Night". Spokane Chronicle. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
Peterson is dying to star in a film of her own ("The Elvira Movie!") and envisions it as "a cross between The Rocky Horror Picture Show and something John Waters might do -- or Paul Bartel.
- ^ "Elvira: Mistress of the Dark Press Kit". Internet Archive. New World Pictures. 1988. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
It was talent chief Joel Thurm who cornered NBC's Brandon Tartikoff and recommended NBC consider Elvira for a TV series.
- ^ Irvin, Sam (2018). "Elvira Reveals All". Screem #36. Screem Publishing.
Brandon Tartikoff, the president of NBC, called me and asked if I would be interested in coming in to talk about a project. Would I? Yes! He had this idea for an Elvira sitcom, but I was obsessed with the idea of doing an Elvira movie.
- ^ Too Macabre: The Making of Elvira (Media notes). Arrow Video. 2018.
Producer Eric Gardner: In a 1980s Hollywood universe, once you are on prime-time television, you were labeled a television star. No one wanted you in a feature film.
- ^ Too Macabre: The Making of Elvira (Media notes). Arrow Video. 2018.
Producer Eric Gardner: Tartikoff said, 'I just secured from Jack Welch a fund to start a division called NBC Productions, and we are allowed to make movies. I told him that the first movie I would like to make -- I'd like to make an offer to Cassandra to make the Elvira movie.
- ^ Too Macabre: The Making of Elvira (Media notes). Arrow Video. 2018.
Cassandra Peterson: We were thinking, Elvira Goes to Prison, Elvira Goes to Hell, whatever. We were definitely thinking of a series, but when - for unseen reasons - the movie tanked at the box office, that was the end of all the rest of the movies! Super disappointing.
- ^ Too Macabre: The Making of Elvira (Media notes). Arrow Video. 2018.
Cassandra Peterson: I said, 'I'm gonna do a film, then I'll come back and do the TV show'.
- ^ Irvin, Sam (2018). "Elvira Reveals All". Screem #36. Screem Publishing.
Brandon Tartikoff left NBC in 1991 -- so there went your one big ally who wanted to turn Elvira into a sitcom. And any new regime is not going to be interested in developing projects from the old regime.
- ^ a b c d e f g Too Macabre: The Making of Elvira (Media notes). Arrow Video. 2018.
- ^ Irvin, Sam (2018). "Elvira Reveals All". Screem #36. Screem Publishing.
He was an experienced scriptwriter for Quincy and The Fall Guy. He was kind of the disciplinarian who kept John and I in line.
- ^ Cuthbert, David (1984-10-31). "Elvira: The New Mistress of Halloween Night". Spokane Chronicle. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
When I was on CHiPs, they toned my character down for network TV. That's why I was so happy with the script for The Fall Guy, where they not only wrote the whole story around me, but they kept my risque humor.
- ^ Too Macabre: The Making of Elvira (Media notes). Arrow Video. 2018.
James Signorelli: Brandon thought that if we could move this picture closer to Harper Valley, P.T.A., and a little further away from freaky horror movie, that we could broaden its appeal to the audience.
- ^ Vogen, Mark (Fall 2018). "Elvira Mistress of the Dark". RetroFan #2. TwoMorrows. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
Those teenagers in my first movie weren't originally there, until they tested the movie and decided there needed to be teenagers in the script. So those were an 'add-on' at the last minute.
- ^ Irvin, Sam (2018). "Elvira Reveals All". Screem #36. Screem Publishing.
When we first gave [NBC] the script, they said they loved it. But then they came back with script notes that said, 'We're going to be marketing the film to teenagers, so you have to add teenagers.' This meant that every other character got short-changed to make room for the kids.
- ^ Too Macabre: The Making of Elvira (Media notes). Arrow Video. 2018.
Cassandra Peterson: The teenagers were kind of forced on us, and in the end, I'm really glad they were because they're cute. The downside is that we never got any real character development because there's like 100 characters in the movie! In all of the reviews when the movie came out, everybody was like, "Eww, there's no character development." I go, "Well, thank NBC for that!"
- ^ Irvin, Sam (2018). "Elvira Reveals All". Screem #36. Screem Publishing.
In fact, I wanted Tim to direct Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, but by then, his career was really taking off and he was busy doing Beetlejuice.
- ^ Irvin, Sam (2018). "Elvira Reveals All". Screem #36. Screem Publishing.
Irvin: Sadly, he died young, at age 37. Peterson: Yes. Of AIDS. It was a tragic loss. We dedicated Elvira, Mistress of the Dark to him.
- ^ Cassandra Peterson (2017). Audio Commentary with Cassandra Peterson, Edie McClurg, John Paragon (Blu-Ray). Arrow Video. Event occurs at 44:50.
He was named after Robert Redding. That's where I got the name Bob, because I always called Robert 'Bobby.'
- ^ Irvin, Sam (2018). "Elvira Reveals All". Screem #36. Screem Publishing.
Robert Redding and I continued working on sketches for the look and he came up with the hairstyle that was based on Ronnie Spector of The Ronettes... Robert based the makeup on a picture he found in a Kabuki theater book... Robert had a big box of costume jewelry that he called 'the family jewels.' In that, he found the big ruby red ring for my finger... He was so creative, I adored him.
- ^ Patterson Lundquist (2017). Audio Commentary (Blu-Ray). Arrow Video. Event occurs at 27:45.
The painting there was painted by Robert Redding, who the film is dedicated to. He designed Elvira's entire look with Cassandra back in 1981, when she was cast for Movie Macabre.
- ^ Cassandra Peterson (2017). Audio Commentary with Cassandra Peterson, Edie McClurg, John Paragon. Arrow Video.
- ^ Mulay, James J., ed. (1989). The Horror Film: A Guide to More Than 700 Films on Videocassette. Cinebooks. p. 76. ISBN 978-0933997233.
In fact, the screenplay is an old-fashioned 60s-style slam against the establishment that takes a playful poke at Reagan-era morality. With the town named Fallwell (as in Jerry Falwell), there can be little doubt as to where the film's sentiments lie.
- ^ Corey, Joe (April 29, 2020). "Blu-ray Review: Elvira: Mistress of the Dark". InsidePulse. Retrieved November 9, 2022.
Turns out Falwell [sic] is a very uptight puritanical kind of town. This can be felt in the name which plays off the dead Rev. Jerry Falwell who used to run the Moral Majority.
- ^ Kröger, Lisa; Anderson, Melanie R. (2022). Toil and Trouble: A Women's History of the Occult. Quirk Books. p. 238. ISBN 978-1683692911.
But the name of the fictional town is also intriguing. The filmmakers have never commented on the choice, but it bears an uncanny resemblance to Jerry Falwell Sr., the televangelist who ran a megachurch in Virginia at the time. Along with Liberty University, his conservative Christian school, Falwell also led the Moral Majority, a political lobbying group that was behind some of the major political developments in the 1980s, including getting Ronald Reagan elected to the office of president.
- ^ Rick, Creepy (1988). "Creepy Rick's Crypt". Film Threat No. 17.
Pee-Wee and I long ago talked about doing cameos in each other's movies, and then what happened was we were filming our movies at exactly the same time. He was working 5-11, and I was working the same hours on mine, so that great idea fell by the wayside.
- ^ Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, Audio Commentary with Cassandra Peterson, Edie McClurg, John Paragon (Media notes). Arrow Video. 2018.
Cassandra Peterson: There's my mom and dad! Phyllis and Dale. They came out and got their first part in a movie. See, in the yellow shirt. John Paragon: Your dad's got big glasses on.
- ^ Patterson Lundquist (2017). Audio Commentary (Blu-Ray). Arrow Video. Event occurs at 06:24.
The blond model there, that's Sharon Hays. She was credited as an assistant to Cassandra Peterson and made an appearance in the film.
- ^ Patterson Lundquist (2017). Audio Commentary (Blu-Ray). Arrow Video. Event occurs at 08:40.
And that would be Bill Cable, who dated Cassandra a number of years before.
- ^ Cassandra Peterson (2017). Audio Commentary with Cassandra Peterson, Edie McClurg, John Paragon (Blu-Ray). Arrow Video. Event occurs at 08:27.
This is my old boyfriend, Bill Cable.
- ^ . 2015-02-24. Archived from the original on 2019-08-17.
The Cassandra Peterson connection is that she's the model posing with him in those 'Playgirl' pics.
- ^ Irvin, Sam (2018). "Elvira Reveals All". Screem #36. Screem Publishing.
He thought it was a little bit racy. To be honest, I think that was the opinion of his wife, Coral Browne. I talked to him about it and assured him we were going for a PG-13 rating, but he passed.
- ^ Too Macabre: The Making of Elvira (Media notes). Arrow Video. 2018.
William Morgan Sheppard: Joel, a very sweet man, said, "For God's sake, will you just keep it one way?! Every time you come in, you do it differently!"
- ^ Too Macabre: The Making of Elvira (Media notes). Arrow Video. 2018.
Cassandra Peterson: The reason that Elvira was with Bob, and she was with that kind of guy, is because he is the equivalent of a blonde bimbo girl, to me. We were looking for all muscles and no brains.
- ^ Too Macabre: The Making of Elvira (Media notes). Arrow Video. 2018.
Cassandra Peterson: We saw so many actors for that part! Either they looked exactly perfect and couldn't act their way out of a paper bag, or they weren't muscular enough but they were good actors.
- ^ Too Macabre: The Making of Elvira (Media notes). Arrow Video. 2018.
Cassandra Peterson: When we all saw Daniel Greene, we knew it the second he walked in. We were just praying that he could act. And he could!
- ^ Too Macabre: The Making of Elvira (Media notes). Arrow Video. 2018.
Daniel Greene: As I chatted with them and they told me about the role of Bob, Cassandra said something to me that was rather outrageous, and I think the expression on my face, my look of shock and innocence... [laughs] I remember them saying, "That's Bob!"
- ^ Too Macabre: The Making of Elvira (Media notes). Arrow Video. 2018.
It is interesting that I played Harold Glotter, realtor, and I was Kurt Fuller, realtor. I think I still had my toe in real estate. I used none of my real estate experience for the role!
- ^ Too Macabre: The Making of Elvira (Media notes). Arrow Video. 2018.
I call my agent and he says, "How'd it go?" I go, "I quit, I'm out of show business. It was terrible! They didn't laugh, everything I did bombed." An hour later, he called back and said, "Well, they offered you the job, but I told them you quit show business."
- ^ Irvin, Sam (2018). "Elvira Reveals All". Screem #36. Screem Publishing.
I kept notes on everybody -- and the comment I wrote next to Brad's name was, "Yum-Yum." He was so freakin' cute, and I thought, "If he's in the movie, Elvira would hit on him instead of the older hunk that she was supposed to swoon over."
- ^ "Elvira: Mistress of the Dark Press Kit". Internet Archive. New World Pictures. 1988. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
Filming took place over eight weeks on various sound stages and locations in the Southern California area.
- ^ Cassandra Peterson (2017). Audio Commentary with Cassandra Peterson, Edie McClurg, John Paragon (Blu-Ray). Arrow Video. Event occurs at 01:33:50.
The whole thing took eight weeks to shoot. We started on January 20, 1988 and it went through March 18, 1988.
- ^ "Elvira: Mistress of the Dark Press Kit". Internet Archive. New World Pictures. 1988. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
Locations included the Montrose Lanes bowling alley in Montrose, California, which served as Patti's Tidy Bowl Lanes.
- ^ "Elvira: Mistress of the Dark Press Kit". Internet Archive. New World Pictures. 1988. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
This newest and, literally, brightest Hollywood star is Binnie, the usually white male miniature poodle of many talents who is cast as Gonk (short for Algonquin), one-third of Elvira's inheritance.
- ^ Too Macabre: The Making of Elvira (Media notes). Arrow Video. 2018.
Cassandra Peterson: Gonk was a really mean little bastard! I mean, I love dogs, I love animals, and every time I'm doing a scene with him, I wasn't really sure if he was just gonna bite my hand off if I pet him. I was always holding him and trying to smile, and inside I'm going, "I hope he doesn't bite me in the face."
- ^ Too Macabre: The Making of Elvira (Media notes). Arrow Video. 2018.
Cassandra Peterson: He loved his trainer. He only had eyes for her. Everybody else, he's just like, "I hate you!" He just loved her.
- ^ Too Macabre: The Making of Elvira (Media notes). Arrow Video. 2018.
Cassandra Peterson: I insisted that the dye be vegetable dye because it's not good to dye animals with hair color. They had to redo it every morning because half of it had faded away, so they loved me for that.
- ^ Patterson Lundquist (2017). Audio Commentary. Arrow Video. Event occurs at 40:47.
All of the music in this film, the vocals were re-recorded. It was cheaper.
- ^ "Tweet". Twitter. The Real Elvira. 2020-04-26. Retrieved 2021-02-25.
The song was made for the movie. Written and performed by Gary Austin, who was the founder of the @groundlings.
- ^ "Elvira – Elvira's Gravest Hits". Discogs. Retrieved 2021-02-24.
- ^ "Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (1988)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 5 November 2022.
- ^ "Review/Film; 'Elvira,' a Friendly Witch". The New York Times. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Harrington, Richard. "'Elvira, Mistress of the Dark'". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "ELVIRA: MISTRESS OF THE DARK Blu-ray Review – The Peaks Of Horror Comedy". Dread Central. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ ""Elvira Mistress of the Dark" Scare Daniel Review". Dare Daniel. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Hindi Horror, Killer Klowns, Elvira and More, Now Available to Stream". Nashville Scene. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Cassandra Peterson (2017). Audio Commentary with Cassandra Peterson, Edie McClurg, John Paragon (Blu-Ray). Arrow Video. Event occurs at 1:34:44.
- ^ IMDb Fantasporto 1990
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- ^ . Stinkers Bad Movie Awards. Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on October 17, 2006. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
- ^ "Elvira, Mistress of the Dark". Femme Fatales, Vol. 10, No. 5. November 2001.
I wrote the script for another Elvira movie right after Elvira, Mistress of the Dark was released. I sold it to a company. They went bankrupt and took the script down with them.
- ^ Schiff, Laura (January 1998). "Elvira, Mistress of the Dark". Femme Fatales, Vol. 6, No. 7. Retrieved 2021-02-25.
I went to make a second movie very soon after the first one, and I got a deal with Carolco Pictures. I wrote the movie and they bought it and then they went bankrupt. And my movie got stuck in bankruptcy... I couldn't get the script back from Carolco.
- ^ "Attractions Fatale". Femme Fatales, Vol. 3, No. 1. Summer 1994.
Undaunted, Peterson is shopping the pilot to other networks while seeking finance for her next film project, tentatively titled ELVIRA VS. THE VAMPIRE WOMEN.
- ^ "Elvira, Mistress of the Dark". Femme Fatales, Vol. 10, No. 5. November 2001.
So I was back to square one and decided to go into negotiations with Roger Corman on ELVIRA AND THE VAMPIRE WOMEN. As much as I love Roger, I would've ended up making $1.50 an hour with the contract he wanted me to sign. He would have retained the rights and made all of the money from it.
- ^ Schiff, Laura (January 1998). "Elvira, Mistress of the Dark". Femme Fatales, Vol. 6, No. 7. Retrieved 2021-02-25.
I talked to Roger Corman about making the sequel. We talked about it and talked about it over the years. I was always having meetings with him, and yes, great, he wanted to do it, and it just kind of never happened. The amount of money was prohibitive for him.
- ^ "Elvira, Mistress of the Dark". Femme Fatales, Vol. 10, No. 5. November 2001.
After finishing the script, the team of Peterson and Pierson shopped it around to companies for over three years before finally coming to the conclusion that they would have to make the movie themselves or surrender the project altogether.
- ^ "Elvira, Mistress of the Dark". Femme Fatales, Vol. 10, No. 5. November 2001.
The first thing she fixed on was that HAUNTED HILLS should be a prequel, not a sequel: "I decided I wanted it set in Carpathia in the year 1851, so it's already funny from the opening scene that Elvira looks exactly the same as she does today".
- ^ Eric Gardner (2018). Too Macabre - The Making of Elvira: Mistress of the Dark. Arrow Video. Event occurs at 42:30.
We had aspirations to do a Saturday morning animated series, so we wanted to make sure she didn't care any too-risquee baggage with her.
- ^ "Elvira Actress Clarifies Reports of Streaming Project, Teases New Movie on the Way". 2019-09-13. Retrieved 2021-02-25.
"I pitched my animation project to Netflix and Shudder and they both passed on it, because they're really not into doing animation", Peterson confirmed.
- ^ "Elvira: Mistress of the Dark 2 May Become an Animated Movie". 2020-10-22. Retrieved 2021-02-25.
"I haven't done anything in animation until this Scooby-Doo thing as the character and the character lends itself so well to comic books and animation, she really is kind of a cartoon character anyway. I think that's the way it's going to go.
- ^ "Why The Next Elvira Movie Will Probably Be Animated (Exclusive)". 2020-10-22. Retrieved 2021-02-25.
"I have written a treatment and I just collaborated with someone, another writer, on a little more detailed treatment. I am honestly thinking that it is gonna go the way of animation now. I think it may have gone past the point of me wanting to do a live movie as Elvira", she told TooFab.
- ^ "Burn Witch Burn" Music Video from Elvira's 40th Anniversary Special | A Shudder Original. Shudder (YouTube). Retrieved November 4, 2021.
- ^ Elvira. Netflix & Chills Meet Dr. Elvira. United States: Netflix (YouTube). Retrieved 30 October 2021.
External links
- Elvira: Mistress of the Dark at the American Film Institute Catalog
- Elvira: Mistress of the Dark at IMDb
- Elvira: Mistress of the Dark at AllMovie
- Elvira: Mistress of the Dark at Box Office Mojo
- Elvira: Mistress of the Dark at Rotten Tomatoes