Elvira, Mistress of the Dark
| Elvira Mistress of the Dark | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | James Signorelli |
| Produced by | Eric Gardner Mark Pierson |
| Written by | Cassandra Peterson John Paragon Sam Egan |
| Starring | Cassandra Peterson |
| Music by | James B. Campbell |
| Cinematography | Hanania Bier |
| Editing by | Battle Davis |
| Distributed by | New World Pictures (20th Century Fox) |
| Release date(s) | September 30, 1988 |
| Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $7.5 million |
| Box office | $5,596,267[1] |
Elvira, Mistress of the Dark is a 1988 comedy horror film directed by James Signorelli. Cassandra Peterson reprises her role as horror hostess Elvira in her feature film debut. The screenplay was written by Peterson, John Paragon, and Sam Egan.[2]
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[edit] Plot
Los Angeles TV horror hostess Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (Cassandra Peterson) quits her job after an outburst involving sexual harassment with the station's new owner. She discovers she has been included in the will of her late great-aunt Morgana. Upon arriving in the small town of Fallwell, Massachusetts, the sexy and brazen Elvira creates an instant uproar amongst the community of repressed teenagers and conservative townsfolk.
Elvira's dreams of a wealthy inheritance fade as she realizes that her great-aunt's will has endowed her with nothing more than a large dilapidated home, a strange poodle, and a seemingly useless book of recipes (which is actually a very powerful and long-lost witchcraft book). Before long, Elvira discovers her malevolent great-uncle Vincent (W. Morgan Sheppard) is dead set on getting the recipe book and is willing to do whatever it takes to get it, even if it means convincing the townsfolk to brand Elvira as a witch and burn her at the stake.
[edit] Cast
- Cassandra Peterson as Elvira / Aunt Morgana Talbot
- (no cast credit listed for 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
- Kurt Fuller as Mr. Glotter
- Jeff Conaway as Travis
- William Duell as Lesley Meeker
- Pat Crawford Brown as Mrs. Meeker
- Ellen Dunning as Robin Meeker
- Ira Heiden as Bo (the geek)
- Tress MacNeille as Anchor woman and voice of Aunt Morgana Talbot
[edit] Reception
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. Rotten Tomatoes maintains it with a 33% rating, indicating mixed-to-negative reviews.
[edit] Soundtrack
The original music score was composed by James B. Campbell and the soundtrack features the single I Put a Spell On You performed by Joanna St. Claire.
[edit] Sequel
In 2002, The Elvira Movie Company and Media Pro Pictures released Elvira's Haunted Hills, the official sequel.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ Elvira, Mistress of the Dark at Box Office Mojo
- ^ Thomas, Kevin (1988-09-30). "'Elvira' Matches Films She Introduces on TV". LA Times. http://articles.latimes.com/1988-09-30/entertainment/ca-3005_1_midnight-movie. Retrieved 2010-08-24.
- ^ US. "Official MySpace". Myspace.com. http://www.myspace.com/2macabre. Retrieved 2010-07-07.
