Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (1988)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Director:

James Signorelli

Writers (WGA):

Sam Egan (written by) &
John Paragon (written by) ...

Release Date:

30 September 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror

Tagline:

Here comes the best DOUBLE FEATURE ever made!!!

Plot:

Elvira, who is the host of a cheap horror movie program finds that she is the heir to an aunt's mansion in New England...

Plot Keywords:

Beautiful Woman | Fire | Large Breasts | Inheritance | Mob Scene

Awards:

3 nominations

Cast

Cassandra Peterson	...	Elvira / (Aunt) Morgana Talbot
William Morgan Sheppard	...	Vincent Talbot (as W. Morgan Sheppard)
Daniel Greene	...	Bob Redding
Susan Kellermann	...	Patty
Jeff Conaway	...	Travis
Edie McClurg	...	Chastity Pariah
William Duell	...	Lesley Meeker
Phil Rubenstein	...	Director
Larry Flash Jenkins	...	Technical director
Damita Jo Freeman	...	Associate producer
Tress MacNeille	...	Anchorwoman
Edwina Moore	...	Hairdresser
Mario Celario	...	Rudy
Lee McLaughlin	...	Earl Hooter
Bill Swearingen	...	Cameraman

Also Known As:

Elvira (Philippines: English title)

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Australia:M | UK:15 | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Company:

NBC Productions

Trivia:

During the scene in which Elvira is being burned at the stake, the heat from the flames was so intense that it melted Cassandra Peterson's black Elvira wig.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Vincent is chasing Elvira near the end of the movie, he has a bloody hole in his forehead from Elvira's stiletto heel as he slips through the cemetery gates, but she hasn't thrown it at him yet.

Quotes:

Elvira: Hey, nice jacket. Who shot the couch?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman: Fly Hard (#1.19)" (1994)

Soundtrack:

Town Without Pity

The cup(s) of horror runneth over with titillating humor

This movie is simply the best horror-film parody ever made. And it's also just one darned enjoyable flick. I guess you could call it a guilty pleasure. True, it is pure cornball, but I have grown to love it, and I watch it regularly every year around Halloween, since (naturally) several channels on TV routinely feature it as part of that select batch of Halloween pictures that just scream for annual broadcasting.

Extremely well filmed (IMHO), I am always really amazed at how nice it is to see it again each year – it holds up well and looks fantastic even today, after 13 years.

From a physical perspective, Elvira (Cassandra Peterson) - with that showgirl figure and that over-the-top tight-fitting black costume - just grabs your attention with both, um, *hands*, from the get go, and never lets go. But there's much more to revel in here than just her physical assets: her acting, her ditzy charm and irreverent risqué sense of humor will just have you lapping it up. In short, you'll just love Elvira from top to bottom (unlike the townies in the story, many of whom decidedly did not take kindly to her sudden arrival in their up-tight little burg in Massachusetts).

This movie is just busting out all over with titillating, slightly off-color humor (or: off-colour humour for those of you on the other side of the Atlantic) from start to finish. There are many funny and memorable lines in this movie of the double-entendre variety; it's hard to keep abreast of them all. (I'd list a few of my racier favorites here, but in the interest of not offending the delicate sensibilities of anyone reading this who is NOT into that sort of humor, well, it might be best for you to just go watch the movie and compile your own list).

I can't say anything bad about this movie at all, except that sadly it does end, and you are left wanting more (of Elvira). LOTS more. Alas, c'est la vie.