Elvira, Mistress of the DarkFor all you night owls who stayed up a little too late watching old horror movies on TV in the Eighties, you might have come across an eye-catching emcee, a hostess clad in a sexy witch's dress--designed to accentuate her, ahem, assets--with a feisty attitude and predilection for humorous jabs at the programming. And in between the commercial breaks, Elvira--whose secret identity is Cassandra Peterson--would entertain with her wit and appeal, and keep your insomnia company. Like a spunky younger sister to Morticia Addams, Elvira charms and beguiles, like in her feature film debut, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.
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Elvira, Mistress of the Dark follows the, ahem, titular character as she seeks to make her dream of performing in her own Las Vegas revue a reality. After quitting her job with a small-time TV studio, following no doubt one too many sexual harassment incidents, she receives timely news about the untimely passing of her (not just good, but) great aunt, Morgana. Picking up the scent of an inheritance, Elvira packs her bags and makes her way to the reading of the will in the puritanical village of Fallwell, Massachusetts. From the moment her howling convertible breaks down in the streets of the Norman Rockwell-esque locale, she draws the eyes of the townsfolk for her risque appearance, and is immediately considered a threat to Fallwell's repressed perception of normalcy, enforced by the town's own council on morality, led by the patronizing and aptly-named antagonist, Chastity Pariah (Edie McClurg). But even Chastity Pariah is a mere speed bump compared to the mountain of malevolence concealed in the form of Elvira's own uncle, Vincent Talbot (W. Morgan Sheppard), the arch-nemesis of his late sister, Morgana, who bears less of a grudge that he received nothing form Morgana's estate than that he is hindered in his acquisition of Morgana's "Book of Recipes" by Elvira, to whom the tome is bequeathed. Because as Elvira discovers one evening while trying to prepare a dish for the hunk she's trying to seduce, the naive Bob (Daniel Greene), that the book is more than just a unique way to fix up a casserole, it is an arcane grimoire, possessed of the black magic collected by Elvira's mother, Divana, and imbued with the power to bestow upon the wielder at the time of a lunar eclipse mastery of the dark.
Elvira, Mistress of the Dark is a light-hearted, campy comedy, laden with gothic charm, just like the late-night show which made the voluptuous vamp such a success. Elvira's personality is expanded upon and made even more interesting in the film, throughout the bevy of jokes about the midnight siren's chest and her suggested promiscuity. Interestingly, Elvira's journey to claim her legacy recalls another film from the Eighties--featuring a fellow member of the comedy troupe, The Groundlings, Pee-Wee Herman (Paul Reubens): Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. There are even assorted cameos and casting featuring members of the improv group in Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. There are no grand claims that Elvira's journey is intended to be a sweeping tale of what is important in life, and learning to value one's history. Elvira begins her quest concerned only with financing her show in Las Vegas, and comes to the will reading expecting big money and big prizes. What she discovers is how her vivacity for life is able to infuse the youth of the town of Fallwell with a sense of independence and a freedom from the oppressive regime of their domineering parents. Elvira's bold attitude awakens new feelings in the more open-minded residents of the town, who discover that they need not fear the morality police; so in a way, Elvira's story is one of a liberator...even if she just wanted to make a buck at the onset. Her passion for film also serves as a connection between her and Bob, who runs a local theater, one woefully unpopular due to his choice to show an abundance of boring, G-rated nature films. (This leads to one of many great sight gags in Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, the kind that lead to hilarious censor dodging. Yes, Bob, there are two "e's" in matinee.) Elvira wears her passion for the Eighties on her sleeve--such as it is--and this is manifested best of all in her grand finale to her movie night at the theater for the town's teens, when she rips off--I mean, "re-enacts"--the famous scene from Flashdance, even if her bucket gets replaced by her padded nemesis for Bob's affection, Patty (Susan Kellermann) with something other than gold glitter. And while Elvira, Mistress of the Dark is a sexy comedy, it also plays to some of the horror movie tropes like those hosted by the well-endowed vixen of late night programming. Her "Uncle Vinny" gradually transforms from merely a cruel and cross old man into a menacing, cackling warlock who would not be out of place in a Hammer horror film. But Elvira's dream is the star of her show--it gets an extended sequence at the finale--and reinforces that saying that "ghouls just wanna have fun". Unpleasant dreams...
Recommended for: Fans of the great Elvira and her humorous persona taken into a story full of sexy witchcraft, clash of values, and following one's dream. And be prepared for plenty of jokes which draw attention to two of Elvira's most infamous assets: her wit and her zeal. Why, what did you think I meant?
Elvira, Mistress of the Dark is a light-hearted, campy comedy, laden with gothic charm, just like the late-night show which made the voluptuous vamp such a success. Elvira's personality is expanded upon and made even more interesting in the film, throughout the bevy of jokes about the midnight siren's chest and her suggested promiscuity. Interestingly, Elvira's journey to claim her legacy recalls another film from the Eighties--featuring a fellow member of the comedy troupe, The Groundlings, Pee-Wee Herman (Paul Reubens): Pee-Wee's Big Adventure. There are even assorted cameos and casting featuring members of the improv group in Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. There are no grand claims that Elvira's journey is intended to be a sweeping tale of what is important in life, and learning to value one's history. Elvira begins her quest concerned only with financing her show in Las Vegas, and comes to the will reading expecting big money and big prizes. What she discovers is how her vivacity for life is able to infuse the youth of the town of Fallwell with a sense of independence and a freedom from the oppressive regime of their domineering parents. Elvira's bold attitude awakens new feelings in the more open-minded residents of the town, who discover that they need not fear the morality police; so in a way, Elvira's story is one of a liberator...even if she just wanted to make a buck at the onset. Her passion for film also serves as a connection between her and Bob, who runs a local theater, one woefully unpopular due to his choice to show an abundance of boring, G-rated nature films. (This leads to one of many great sight gags in Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, the kind that lead to hilarious censor dodging. Yes, Bob, there are two "e's" in matinee.) Elvira wears her passion for the Eighties on her sleeve--such as it is--and this is manifested best of all in her grand finale to her movie night at the theater for the town's teens, when she rips off--I mean, "re-enacts"--the famous scene from Flashdance, even if her bucket gets replaced by her padded nemesis for Bob's affection, Patty (Susan Kellermann) with something other than gold glitter. And while Elvira, Mistress of the Dark is a sexy comedy, it also plays to some of the horror movie tropes like those hosted by the well-endowed vixen of late night programming. Her "Uncle Vinny" gradually transforms from merely a cruel and cross old man into a menacing, cackling warlock who would not be out of place in a Hammer horror film. But Elvira's dream is the star of her show--it gets an extended sequence at the finale--and reinforces that saying that "ghouls just wanna have fun". Unpleasant dreams...
Recommended for: Fans of the great Elvira and her humorous persona taken into a story full of sexy witchcraft, clash of values, and following one's dream. And be prepared for plenty of jokes which draw attention to two of Elvira's most infamous assets: her wit and her zeal. Why, what did you think I meant?