
What happened to Elvira on this TV?
The character returned in the 2001 film Elvira's Haunted Hills. The show was revived in 2010 as Elvira's Movie Macabre, in which Elvira hosted public domain films. This revival aired on This TV until 2011. Elvira returned as a horror hostess in 2014 with 13 Nights of Elvira, a 13-episode series produced by Hulu.
Who is Elvira on the bachelorette?
The show features B movies, particularly those in the horror and science fiction genres, and is hosted by Elvira, a character with a black dress and heaven bump hairstyle, played by Cassandra Peterson.
Who is Elvira on'the Vampire Diaries'?
She's a little bit vampire with a whole lot of vamp, and she wears just about the skimpiest (but still tasteful) dresses legally allowed on television. She is, of course, the iconic Elvira. Debuting on a Los Angeles TV horror movie showcase in 1981, Elvira is the creation of her longtime portrayer: comedian/actress/singer/model Cassandra Peterson.
When did Elvira come out in a movie?
The popularity of the show led to a feature film, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, which was released in 1988. The character returned in the 2001 film Elvira's Haunted Hills. The show was revived in 2010 as Elvira's Movie Macabre, in which Elvira hosted public domain films.
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When did Elvira first air on TV?
September 1981The show was called Elvira's Movie Macabre and debuted in September 1981, just days before my 30th birthday.
What movies did Elvira Show?
Elvira: Mistress of the Dark1988Elvira's Haunted Hills2001Elvira/Movies
Is the movie Black Gold based on a true story?
The film was loosely based on the true story of the horse Black Gold, who won the 1924 Kentucky Derby. Karlson later said: "I made such a strong statement that the Indian nations all picked it up. They realized what we were saying in there.
Where can I watch old Elvira episodes?
Currently you are able to watch "Elvira's Movie Macabre" streaming on Peacock for free with ads.
What is the best Elvira movie?
Elvira: Mistress of the Dark1988The Munsters2022Elvira's Haunted Hills2001The Working Girls1974Elvira's Halloween Special1986Pee‑wee's Big Adventure1985Cassandra Peterson/Movies
Why is Elvira famous?
Elvira is known for making a lot of campy jokes, largely innuendos, and making fun of herself and her sexy appearance. She has a sort of bimbo, Valley Girl, personality, and a good amount of sarcasm in her segments. Her look combined with her humor and charm caused her popularity to soar.
Who was Elvira married to?
Mark PiersonCassandra Peterson / Spouse (m. 1981–2003)Personal life. Peterson married musician Mark Pierson in 1981, and he soon became her personal manager. They had one daughter, Sadie Pierson (born October 12, 1994), and were divorced on February 14, 2003. Peterson released her memoir, Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark, on September 21, 2021.
What's that werewolf movie with ETS mom in it?
Plot details and a theatrical release for the first installment of the new THE STRANGERS trilogy.
Who is Elvira on the Tonight Show?
Elvira was a frequent guest on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson and other talk shows. She also produced a long-running series of Halloween-themed television commercials for Coors Light Beer and Mug Root Beer (her trademark cleavage was concealed for the Coors campaign).
What movie was Elvira in?
What followed was Elvira's Movie Macabre, featuring a quick-witted Valley girl-type character named Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, with heavily applied, pancake-horror make-up and a towering black beehive wig to conceal Peterson's flame-red hair.
What does "likeness" mean in the movie Elvira?
The court ruled in favor of Peterson, holding that "'likeness' means actual representation of another person's appearance, and not simply close resemblance.". Peterson claimed that Elvira was nothing like Vampira aside from the basic design of the black dress and black hair.
What grade is Elvira's movie Macabre?
The movies featured on Elvira's Movie Macabre were always B-grade ( or lower ). Elvira reclined on a red Victorian couch, introducing and often interrupting the movie to lampoon the actors, the script, and the editing.
What is Vampira's character based on?
Nurmi claimed that Vampira's image was based on Morticia Addams, a character in Charles Addams 's cartoons that appeared in The New Yorker magazine. The Elvira character rapidly gained notoriety with her tight-fitting, low-cut black gown which showed ample cleavage.
When did Elvira return to Hulu?
This revival aired on This TV until 2011. Elvira returned as a horror hostess in 2014 with 13 Nights of Elvira, a 13-episode series produced by Hulu .
What is Elvira's closing line?
Besides the similarities in the format and costumes, Elvira's closing line for each show, wishing her audience "Unpleasant dreams", was notably similar to Vampira's closer: "Bad dreams, darlings...".
Who is Elvira's host?
Peterson got the hosting gig, which became Elvira's Movie Macabre. (Her salary: $350 a week.) With her friend, makeup artist Robert Allen Redding, Peterson devised Elvira's signature look — a cross between a scary movie monster (with a Bride of Frankenstein-reminiscent beehive hairdo) and a hyper-sexualized Morticia Addams (her costume showed off a lot of leg and a lot of cleavage). That made for an amusing disconnect between image and voice, which wasn't at all spooky or sensual. Peterson gently made fun of the horror movies she was tasked with hosting in a sunny, "Valley Girl"-esque accent.
Where is Elvira set?
Set in the Carpathian Mountains in 1851, Elvira takes refuge in a spooky castle, which sets up a horror-comedy that pays homage to a lot of old movie tropes and feels like an old Roger Corman or Vincent Price film.
How long has Elvira been on the public radar?
Elvira has been big on the public's radar for nearly 40 years through movies, sitcoms, talk shows, live performances, commercials, and more, but how much do you really know about the fabulous and self-made Cassandra Peterson? Here's a look at the creation, rise, and impact of Elvira and Peterson — including what the latter really looks like without that fright wig.
What did Cassandra Peterson want?
Cassandra Peterson always wanted to be a star, or as she more accurately told the Lenny Letter, she wanted to be "the center of attention." At the age of 3, her parents would put her on tables at eateries and "have me dance and sing 'How Much is That Doggy in the Window,' and people would throw change at me, and I thought, This is an awesome way to earn money. "
When was the second Elvira movie made?
Peterson made a sequel in 2001 called Elvira's Haunted Hills. She and then-husband and manager Mark Pierson came up with most of the $1 million-plus budget by mortgaging their real estate holdings. As with the first Elvira film, Peterson wrote the script with Paragon. Set in the Carpathian Mountains in 1851, Elvira takes refuge in a spooky castle, which sets up a horror-comedy that pays homage to a lot of old movie tropes and feels like an old Roger Corman or Vincent Price film. While Haunted Hills never received wide theatrical release, it's been a popular "midnight movie," similar to The Rocky Horror Picture Show (it even costars that film's creator and Riff Raff portrayer, Richard O'Brien). Peterson and Pierson also screened their creation at fan conventions, benefits for AIDS organizations, and festivals. It even won best feature at the 2002 Provincetown Film Festival.
What bands did Peterson sing with?
While in Italy, Peterson began singing with a couple of local rock bands, the Snails and Latins 80. Peterson paid the bills in the early '70s modeling for second-tier "men's magazines" (nudie mags like Playboy that weren't Playboy) and a famous album cover ... well, maybe.
When did Elvira return to Hulu?
Elvira's Movie Macabre briefly returned to TV in 2010 and to Hulu in 2014 in the form of 13 Nights of Elvira. In 2016, Peterson released a career retrospective coffee table, or rather " coffin table book ," called Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.
What shows did Elvira host?
In 1985, Elvira began hosting a home video series called ThrillerVideo, a division of International Video Entertainment (IVE). Many of these films were hand-selected by Peterson. Choosing to stay away from the more explicit cannibal, slasher and zombie films of the time, these were generally tamer films such as The Monster Club and Dan Curtis television films, as well as many episodes of the Hammer House of Horror television series. Since she had refused to host Make Them Die Slowly, Seven Doors of Death, and Buried Alive, however, the videos were released on the ThrillerVideo label without Elvira's appearance as hostess. After this, several extended episodes of the British namesake series Thriller (i.e. The Devil's Web, A Killer in Every Corner, Murder Motel) were also released without an appearance by Elvira; in some, such as Buried Alive, the cast replaced her.
When was Elvira's show filmed?
In 1993 , she filmed a pilot for CBS called The Elvira Show. An expansion of the 1988 film with a sitcom setting, the premise had Elvira and her family moving into a new neighborhood with her older aunt and dealing with nosy neighbors and uptight conservatives who all want them to move out. It also starred Katherine Helmond, Phoebe Augustine, Cristine Rose, Ted Henning, Lynne Marie Stewart, Claudette Wells, John Paragon, Laurie Faso, and Basil Hoffman. It was cancelled before it aired.
What is Elvira's closing line?
Besides the similarities in the format and costumes, Elvira's closing line for each show, wishing her audience "Unpleasant dreams", was notably similar to Vampira's closer: "Bad dreams, darlings..." uttered as she walked off down a misty corridor. The court ruled in favor of Peterson, holding that "'likeness' means actual representation of another person's appearance, and not simply close resemblance." Peterson claimed that Elvira was nothing like Vampira aside from the basic design of the black dress and black hair. Nurmi claimed that Vampira's image was based on Morticia Addams, a character in Charles Addams 's cartoons that appeared in The New Yorker magazine.
How many episodes of Elvira are there on Hulu?
In October 2014, it was revealed that a new series of thirteen episodes had been produced, 13 Nights of Elvira for Hulu. The show began on October 19, 2014, running through to Halloween. Peterson is currently working on the direct sequel to 1988's Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, as well as an animated Elvira project.
What comics did Elvira appear in?
Elvira appeared in comic books from DC Comics, Eclipse Comics and Claypool Comics. DC published a short-lived series in the mid '80s titled Elvira's House of Mystery. Claypool took over the series and in the 1990s distributed a new series, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, co-branded with and distributed by Eclipse.
When did Peterson start Elvira calendars?
In the early 1990s , Peterson began a series of Elvira calendars featuring characteristically provocative and campy poses in macabre settings. One calendar photo is seen throughout the video game Blood.
How many times has Elvira been on the cover of Femme Fatales?
She has appeared on the cover of Femme Fatales magazine five times. Her popularity reached its zenith with the release of the 1988 feature film Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, on whose script, written directly for the screen, Peterson collaborated with John Paragon and Sam Egan.
Who was the guy that hosted the Big Show?
Out of all the horror hosts who thrived in the ‘60s and ‘70s, no one had as great a name as Sir Graves Ghastly -- the guy was knight, after all. While hosting Sir Graves' Big Show, Ghastly presented black and white horror movies with his cohorts Baruba, The Glob, and the gravedigger Reel McCoy, who started each episode by digging up reels from a cemetery.
Who hosted the horror show Creature Features?
Not every horror host wore a pound of pancake makeup and a cape. KTVU’s Creature Features was hosted by the dry and nerdy Bob Wilkins. From 1971 to 1984, Wilkins regaled the San Francisco area with jokes about the science fiction and horror films that aired on the channel. While many regional horror shows aired cheapo horror movies, Creature Features showed genuinely good flicks.
Why was the Vampira Show created?
Like many of the copycats that followed, The Vampira Show was created as a way to show inexpensive - and in some cases free - horror movies that needed a hook beyond their mere existence. And even if the movies were bad, at least Vampira was fun to watch.
Is Gorgon a good host?
The stars at night are big and bright, deep in the horror of Texas? While he sounds more like a bad B-movie monster than horror host, Gorgon was actually a fairly well-respected television presenter in his day. Appearing on Saturday nights on KFJZ in Dallas/Fort Worth Gorgon hosted Nightmare, a fairly straight forward horror show that eschewed jokes and gags and went heavy on atmosphere.
Who was the host of Svengoolie?
The character first appeared on Chicago’s Channel 32 Screaming Yellow Theater until it was canceled in 1973, but that wouldn’t be the end of Svengoolie. In 1979 the character was brought back by Richard Koz.
Who was the first horror host to use his surroundings?
Ghoulardi’s show made prominent use of people around the station. Weatherman Bob Wells and even Tim Conway (yes, that Tim Conway) played bit parts on Cleveland’s Shock Theater. Aside from being one of the first horror hosts to make use of his surroundings, he was the first horror host to really antagonize the films.
Is Madblood still performing?
Madblood is still performing in different reunions, and thanks to PBS his most recent performances are online. So if you want to relive the feeling of watching b-horror in Virginia check it out.
When did Elvira's movie Macabre premiere?
When Elvira’s Movie Macabre premiered in ’81, Nurmi delivered a cease and desist to the station before slapping them with a $10 million lawsuit for using her likeness. At the time Nurmi told the press:
Who is Nurmi suing in Elvira?
Nurmi would end up suing Peterson for stealing her act, without success.
What was Nurmi doing at the same time?
At the same time, she was modeling for modern photographers like Man Ray and doing odd jobs around town. After a brief period of performing in a horror-themed burlesque troupe as a proto-Vampira, Nurmi returned to Hollywood to once again try her hand at show business.
What was Nurmi's role in Plan 9?
In 1959, she finally accepted a role in Ed Wood’s Plan 9 From Outer Space. In the film, she plays a zombified corpse who walks towards her victims with stiff arms outstretched, as if rigor mortis had set in while she was putting the laundry out to dry. She appeared in a few more films in subsequent years, but by 1962 she was out of the entertainment industry. Nurmi hung up her corset and put the pancake makeup in the trash.
Where did Nurmi meet Dean?
The two often met at midnight at Googies where they would trade stories, or cruise dive bars together. Towards the end of her life, Nurmi spoke about her relationship with Dean, and she said the first time they met she thought he was a “little boy.”. She told Please Kill Me :
Where did Malia Nurmi move to?
Malia Nurmi Moved To Los Angeles Right After High School. Not much is known about Nurmi’s early life aside from the fact that she was born in 1922. She claims to have been born in Finland, although her biographer notes that she was likely born in Gloucester, Massachusetts.
What was Nurmi's return to Hollywood?
Nurmi’s return to Hollywood came with all the trappings of someone on the verge of success. She had a hit TV show, people recognized her on the street, and she became a part of “ the night watch ,” a group of aspiring actors and directors who hung out at Googie’s restaurant with a young man named James Dean.
Why was Elvira's movie Macabre made?
Elvira's Movie Macabre came about because of the death of Larry Vincent, the host of the Los Angeles based horror show Fright Night , which left a vacancy for a new horror host and a new image for the weekend highlight.
When was Elvira's Macabre movie released?
Elvira's Movie Macabre was a hit from 1981 until 1993, with Elvira introducing all manner of cheesy old horror and sci-fi films and peppering their running time with her caustic remarks.
How long did it take Cassandra Peterson to become the Mistress of the Dark?
Transforming Cassandra Peterson into the Mistress of the Dark took nearly two hours in the makeup chair. Her natural flame-red hair needed to be hidden, her dark makeup applied, and her ample bosom carefully placed into a corset designed specifically for her dress.
Was Elvira successful?
The series was wildly successful and thrust Elvira into the national limelight, where she acquired fans who were won over by her coquettish personality, hilarious puns, and seductive insinuations. Peterson was able to later parlay her fame into building a merchandise empire throughout the '80s and '90s, with Elvira's likeness gracing the front of mugs, comic books, and pinball machines thanks to the series that started it all. Here are 10 things fans never knew about Elvira's Movie Macabre.
Who is Cassandra Peterson?
When Cassandra Peterson was originally developing the Elvira character, she'd come from a slew of other gigs that didn't exactly scream a background in horror. Her other gigs included a stint as a Vegas showgirl to being a member of The Groundlings improv comedy group.
Did Nurmi leave Fright Night?
The court ruled in Peterson's favor, deciding that while there was a resemblance, it wasn't close enough to warrant legal action. It should be noted that Nurmi actually worked with producers on the Fright Night reboot when it was initially a Vampira revival, but she left when the studio refused to cast Lola Falana in the lead role. Nurmi's exit led to a casting call, which Peterson auditioned for and won.

Overview
Elvira's Movie Macabre (titled on-screen as Movie Macabre with Elvira, Mistress of the Dark in its original run), or simply Movie Macabre, is an American hosted horror movie television program that originally aired locally from 1981 to 1986. The show features B movies, particularly those in the horror and science fiction genres, and is hosted by Elvira, a character with a black dress and heaven bum…
Early life
Career
Personal life
Discography
Bibliography
Cassandra Gay Peterson (born September 17, 1951) is an American actress, writer, and singer. She is best known for her portrayal of the horror hostess character Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. Peterson gained fame on Los Angeles television station KHJ-TV in her stage persona as Elvira, hosting Elvira's Movie Macabre, a weekly B movie presentation. A member of the Los Angeles-based i…
Awards and nominations
Peterson was born in Manhattan, Kansas. When she was a toddler, she was scalded by boiling water, which required skin grafts to cover over 35% of her body to heal, resulting in her having to spend three months in the hospital. However, in her interview on the podcast Inside of You hosted by actor Michael Rosenbaum, Peterson stated that her scars were the result of a fire.
In a 2011 interview, Peterson stated that as a child, she was more fascinated by horror-themed t…
See also
Inspired by Ann-Margret in the film Viva Las Vegas, while on a trip to Las Vegas, Nevada, during high school, she convinced her parents to let her see a live show where she was noticed by the production staff; despite being only 17 years old, she convinced her parents to let her sign a contract. Immediately after graduating high school, she drove back to Las Vegas, where she became a sho…