It is a special thing to create a character that is immensely popular and is somehow able to maintain that popularity over multiple decades. One of the most iconic personalities for the horror audience would have to be Elvira, played by Cassandra Peterson. For those unaware, Elvira was the host of Elvira’s Movie Macabre, a television program from the eighties in which the gothic sexpot interrupted B-horror movies with hilarious quips and sketches. The show was an immense hit with its audience, as the combination of sex appeal and comedy proved to be too irresistible. Despite the show only airing a few seasons during its original run, the character has continued to thrive in popular culture, most recently popping up in Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo! earlier this month. As with any hot property, Elvira got the opportunity to take her exploits to the big screen, a la Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, in 1988’s Elvira: Mistress of the Dark. The film did not make much of a dent at the box office, but it remains a cult favorite among fans. With Halloween right around the corner, there is no better time to revisit this unique journey.
Elvira: Mistress of the Dark finds our titular protagonist hard at work as the hostess of her Los Angeles-based television show. In what proves to be a very prescient plot development, a new owner takes over the station and gets more than a bit handsy with her. Elvira does not have to put up with such nonsense and subsequently quits the show in hopes of opening up a show in Las Vegas. The only catch is she needs $50,000 to get the show off the ground and her recent unemployment is not helping that dream come true. In a helpful bit of plot development, Elvira, who was orphaned as a child, learns that she has a long-lost great-aunt Morgana who has recently passed away and named Elvira as her beneficiary. Elvira loads up the car and sets a course for Fallwell, Massachusetts, to claim the inheritance, which includes a mansion, a recipe book and Morgana’s pet poodle, Algonquin. While Elvira was hoping for quick cash, she decides to fix up the dilapidated mansion to put it on the market , much to the chagrin of the conservative town.
You see, the puritanical citizens of Fallwell want the scantily clad, wise-cracking Elvira out of the town as soon as possible, as every moment she spends in the town reveals how quickly her presence is impacting its citizens. Cassandra Peterson wears the Elvira persona like a trusty glove, as she understands every aspect that makes the character charming and hilarious. Unfortunately, as good as her performance is, the script fails to provide much that would qualify this film as something essential. Elvira’s Movie Macabre worked because the character has a movie to play off and she was used sparingly to maximize the entertainment when she did appear on screen. When you devote an entire movie to her in which she is rarely absent from the screen, you are left with a character that overstays her welcome somewhat. Quick allusions to her god-given attributes on the show provided a quick chuckle, but all of the jokes made about her bosom become somewhat tedious by the end of the film. When she steers clear of these lazy jokes and offers up some hilarious double entendres, the movie feels a lot more creative. There are some truly laugh-out-loud moments in the film, but the consistency of the jokes leaves something to be desired.
One of the fun things about expanding the television show into a film is the way in which it is able to broaden the scope. While you get frustrated by the snotty nature of the Fallwell citizens, there are a lot of talented individuals inhabiting these characters which elevates the film quite a bit. A major standout is Edie McClurg (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) as Chastity Pariah, one of the most vocal adversaries of Elvira. The film also allows Elvira to participate in some supernatural activities such as witchcraft, which is one of the main plot points of the film. Elvira has a complicated family dynamic that will not help with her popularity with the town. The film is well-made from a technical perspective with some really lovely cinematography. The practical special effects on display are used well in a way that would please the heart of any B-movie lover. This film has the perfect lighthearted mood that you want to add to your Halloween viewing presentation, but it falls just short of delivering consistently hilarious jokes throughout the runtime. Even when you have to deal with some rough misses, there is still a lot to love about this movie. If you are a fan of the character and have never seen her journey to the big screen, you owe it to yourself to check it out.
Video Quality
This new Blu-Ray from Arrow Video gives Elvira: Mistress of the Dark an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.85:1 derived from an original 35mm interpositive scanned at 2K. The film has a pretty solid grain structure that preserves the filmic look of the picture, showcasing subtle details in the Fallwell locale. There are a few instances where the grain field becomes a bit heavier than normal, but these moments are few and far between. Skin tones look natural, with an excellent amount of facial detail present in close up. Colors pop off the screen nicely, especially in the bright primaries of the production design. Daytime exterior scenes look pretty stunning. Certain interior scenes display a bit of haziness in the darkest portions of the picture, which offers up a slight amount of crush. For the most part, black levels hold up pretty well with some admirable depth to the image. Arrow has lovingly given this film a new life on Blu-Ray which allows it to look the best it ever has.
Audio Quality
Arrow Video brings this Blu-Ray to consumers with a LPCM 2.0 track that is worthy of praise due to its reverence to the original intent. The dialogue holds up quite nicely, coming though clearly without being stepped on by the score or sound effects. With the respect paid to B-movies, this track is able to nicely incorporate some fun musical cues into the proceedings. The ending song and dance number comes alive in a pretty grand way sonically. This is a track that represents the film in a very satisfying way with a wide dynamic range and pleasing fidelity. Optional English (SDH) subtitles are provided on this disc.
Special Features
- Too Macabre – The Making of Elvira, Mistress of the Dark: A 1 hour and 37 minute documentary that delves into pretty much every aspect of the creation of this film that you would possibly want to know. The cast, crew and other pertinent personalities offer up a lot of interesting, honest tidbits about the development of the film including regrets on passing on a television series, plot elements that were forced into the film, how a young Brad Pitt auditioned for the film and so much more. It is always appreciated when a film gets such an exhaustive supplement to flesh out what you know about the work. This is an essential watch for fans of the character or interesting Hollywood dealings in general.
- Recipe of Terror – The Creation of the Pot Monster: A 22-minute look at the monster Elvira cooks up in the film along with some other special effects shots in the film with the cast and crew. There are some interesting tales about how they wanted Vincent Price in the uncle role, how they got around some budget limitations and more.
- Image Galleries: This disc offers up production stills, behind the scenes photos, special effects production photos, original storyboards, photos from the New York premiere and promotional material.
- Original US Theatrical Trailer: A two-minute long trailer that offers up a good overview of what you get from the film with some intense narration to hype everything up.
- Original US Teaser Trailer: A minute-long trailer that includes very little dialogue, but showcases a lot of the same imagery from the theatrical trailer.
- Audio Commentary #1: Cassandra Peterson (Elvira), Edie McClurg (Chastity Pariah) and John Paragon give a very entertaining and informative track featuring tales from the production of the film. The trio talk about uncomfortable shooting conditions, big hair, bad music choices, getting sick on set, performances from their friends in the film and more.
- Audio Commentary #2: Director James Signorelli and Fangoria editor Tony Timpone discuss the film in depth. Timpone keeps the information flowing by asking compelling questions, and Signorelli has a fairly good memory from the time of the production. This track is less free-wheeling than the first one.
- Audio Commentary #3: The final track features ElviraMistressOfTheDark.com webmaster Patterson Lundquist that offers a fun outsider’s perspective on the film. There are more moments of downtime since Lundquist does not have anyone to bounce off of, but he is a wealth of information and proves how much of a fan he is many times over.
Final Thoughts
Elvira: Mistress of the Dark is a celebration of a B-movie icon that slightly stumbles with its inconsistent script. The reliance of easy-jokes at the expense of Elvira’s appearance can be a bit exhausting, but there is enough wit elsewhere to balance it somewhat. While not a perfect movie, it is quite an enjoyable ride if you are a fan of the character or the B-movie culture. Arrow Video has released a truly impressive Blu-Ray with a stellar A/V presentation and more extras than you can shake a stick at. Add this one to your Halloween viewing schedule. Recommended
Elvira: Mistress of the Dark is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Arrow Video has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
