Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (film)

As her Elvira character skyrocketed to fame, Cassandra Peterson announced plans to spin her off into a feature film.[4] NBC casting director Joel Thurm pitched the idea of a sitcom to network president Brandon Tartikoff,[5] who became enthusiastic about the notion. However, Peterson had her heart set on bringing the character to the big screen,[6] and there were concerns that she would never get the opportunity if she made the leap to prime time.[7] Tartikoff later finalized a deal for NBC to produce a film,[8] which would possibly be followed up with sequels,[9] and eventually a TV series[10] but he ended up leaving the network before a show materialized.[11]

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.[12] Sam Egan was brought into the fold because he was an experienced TV writer[13] and had impressed Peterson with his script for The Fall Guy episode "October the 31st," which he had written explicitly for her.[14] Tartikoff pushed for a storyline similar to Harper Valley PTA,[15] and after the first draft was turned in, the writers were forced to add a group of teenagers,[16] which resulted in reducing screen time for all of the other characters.[17][18]

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.[19] Tartikoff tapped James Signorelli to direct.[12] 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[20] and named the character of Bob after.[21] She and Redding had collaborated to create Elvira's look,[22] and he painted the portrait which is used for Morgana Talbot.[23] 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.[24]

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.[25][26][27]

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).[12] Paul Reubens was also supposed to appear in a bit part, but this became unfeasible when Big Top Pee-wee went into concurrent production,[28] 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,[29] her assistant was the game show girl,[30] and the motorcycle cop was played by ex-boyfriend Bill Cable,[31][32] whom she had posed with for a 1974 Playgirl magazine spread.[33]

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.[34] 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.[35] On the day 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.[12]

Bob Redding was written as the male "equivalent of a blonde bimbo,"[36] but they had difficulty finding anyone who had both the looks and the acting skills to pull it off.[37] All eyes were on Daniel Greene when he came in to audition,[38] 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.[39]

Kurt Fuller, who was cast as Fallwell's realtor, Mr. Glotter, was actually supporting himself working in real estate.[40] 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.[41]

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.[12][42]

The film was shot over a span of eight weeks,[43] between January and March 1988.[44] The first scenes were shot at a bowling alley in Montrose, California,[45] and Peterson worried about beginning the production with her character's big monologue,[12] but much bigger stresses were soon to follow.

One of the most problematic issues was Peterson's costar, Binnie,[46] a temperamental poodle[47] that did not seem to like anyone except his trainer.[48] 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.[49] 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.[12]

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.[60]

Peterson quickly sold a script for a sequel, but it got tied up in red tape when Carolco Pictures went bankrupt.[65][66] 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,[67] but a contract dispute with Roger Corman prevented the film from being produced.[68][69]

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.[70] 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.[71]

Prior to Mistress of the Dark, there were already plans to feature Elvira in an animated series,[72] but this has yet to materialize. In 2019, Peterson pitched the idea to Netflix and Shudder, which both passed.[73] 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.[74] Although no specifics have been released, a detailed story treatment has been completed.[75]

In October 2021, Elvira's 40th birthday special was announced on the YouTube channel for Shudder streaming, with the video "Burn Witch Burn".[76] Throughout October, for Halloween, Elvira featured horror movies catalog on Netflix's YouTube channel, titled Netflix & Chills Meet Dr. Elvira.[77]