Elvira, Mistress of the Dark (1988)
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A horror hostess inherits a mansion in a prudish town, only to discover her new home is filled with magical secrets and a warlock's schemes.
The story
After being sexually harassed by her station's new owner, Los Angeles TV horror hostess Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, quits her job. Seeking to fund a new act in Las Vegas, she learns she is the beneficiary of her deceased great-aunt Morgana Talbot. Elvira travels to the conservative town of Fallwell, Massachusetts, to claim her inheritance: a mansion, a recipe book, and a pet poodle. However, she quickly finds herself at odds with the town's conservative council. While trying to sell the house to fund her dreams, Elvira remains unaware that her uncle is a warlock seeking the magical secrets hidden within her new possessions.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, leaves her job in Los Angeles after harassment and travels to Fallwell, Massachusetts, to claim her great-aunt Morgana's estate. The inheritance includes a mansion, a poodle named Gonk, and a recipe book that is actually a spellbook. Elvira faces hostility from the conservative town council but befriends a theater operator named Bob Redding. Meanwhile, her uncle Vincent Talbot, a warlock, attempts to steal the spellbook to conquer the world. Elvira accidentally summons a creature using the book and later discovers her own magical lineage and a protective ring. After a series of mishaps—including an aphrodisiac effect on the townspeople and a fistfight with a local woman—Vincent leads the town to arrest Elvira for witchcraft. They plan to burn her at the stake. During the execution, Elvira uses her ring to summon a rainstorm, quenching the flames and allowing her to escape with Bob. She then engages in a magical battle with Vincent at the mansion, banishing him to the underworld and destroying the magical artifacts. The next day, the townspeople apologize, and Elvira leaves for Las Vegas to perform a musical number, funded by her inheritance of Vincent's estate.
- First release year
- 1988
- Runtime (minutes)
- 96
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- James Signorelli
- Writers
- Sam Egan · writer; John Paragon · writer; Cassandra Peterson · writer
- Cast and characters
- Cassandra Peterson · Elvira; W. Morgan Sheppard · Vincent Talbot; Daniel Greene · Bob Redding; Jeff Conaway · Randy; Susan Kellermann · Patty; Edie McClurg · Chastity Pariah
- Genres
- comedy; horror
- Themes
- Inheritance; Witchcraft; Tradition vs. Modernity
- Premise and plot tags
- Inheritance; Witchcraft; Comedy Horror; Supernatural
- Source material / true-story basis
- Elvira's Movie Macabre (1981-1986)
- Franchise connections
- Elvira
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews and was a box office failure, but it has since attained a cult following.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 43 · scale: 100 · review count: 5
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Raspberry Award · Worst Actress · 1989 · Nomination
- Production trivia
- The name of the fictional town of Fallwell, Massachusetts, has been noted for its resemblance to the surname of Jerry Fallwell.; 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.; The dog, Binnie, was a temperamental poodle that bit Kurt Fuller's ankle too hard, leaving permanent scars on the actor.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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