TV horror hostess Elvira (Cassandra Peterson) quits her job when she’s sexually harassed by the new station boss. With dreams of opening an act in Las Vegas, Elvira is thrilled when she finds out a great-aunt has left her inheritance to her, including a mansion. Shortly after arriving in the small town of Fallwell, Elvira realises she isn’t going to be embraced by the community and she has to go to battle with an evil uncle, and the rest of the town who want to burn her at the stake.
Elvira is a cult horror figure and ‘Elvira: Mistress of the Dark’ was star Cassandra Peterson’s attempt to take the character into the mainstream. Released in 1988, the film was a critical and commercial failure but over the years since its release, it’s gone on to achieve cult status with a hardcore group of fans very passionate about it. While the film may not have set the world alight, the character of Elvira has lived on and now ‘Elvira: Mistress of the Dark’ is getting a 4K restoration release by ARROW.
It's not hard to see why ‘Elvira: Mistress of the Dark’ failed to connect with mainstream audiences. The film’s plot is frankly bonkers and it plays heavily into camp and sexual innuendo. That’s never going to be everyone’s cup of tea and the entire concept is fairly niche. Looking at it through a modern lens, the film’s humour hasn’t aged particularly well, with the majority of the jokes revolving around Elvira’s ample bosom. That being said, the film isn’t a total disaster and if you watch it for what it is – silly fun – then you might find enough to enjoy.
Cassandra Peterson is undoubtedly the best thing about the film. Her commitment to the character of Elvira is impressive and she plays the role superbly. Using every inch of her feminine charms, Peterson portrays the titular character as a strong and empowered woman, who doesn’t take no for an answer. She has men falling at her feet but Elvira is always one step ahead of everyone else. Her arrival in Fallwell upsets the women of the town, who believe that she’s bringing a corrupt influence to an otherwise God-fearing town.
In terms of plot, there isn’t much of one outside of Elvira causing chaos in a small town. There’s some fun to be had with some of the visual gags of the film, but really this is a series of sketches threaded together with a loose narrative. The thing that holds everything together is Peterson determined performance, as she powers through the film’s 96 minutes.
The 4K release is absolutely packed with extras. There’s an introduction to the film by director James Signorelli along with a 2017 audio commentary by him with Fangoria editor Tony Timpone. There are additional archival audio commentaries too featuring Peterson. Alongside those are a selection of featurettes, storyboards and image galleries, as well as trailers.
‘Elvira: Mistress of the Dark’ does look superb with this 4K restoration. It’s fair to say that the film has never looked and sounded better. The colours are more vibrant and the picture impressively clear. The larger-than-life cartoon world of Elvira really pops on screen and those fans who have loved the film for decades, will be delighted with this new release. If you didn’t like the film the first time around, your opinion isn’t going to be swayed, but if campy fun is your vibe, you could do a lot worse than this.
Cast: Cassandra Peterson, Phil Rubenstein, Larry Flash Jenkins Director: James Signorelli Writers: Sam Egan, John Paragon & Cassandra Peterson Certificate: 15 Duration: 96 mins Released by: ARROW Release date: 11th November 2024 Buy ‘Elvira: Mistress of the Dark’ now
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