With Elvira, Cassandra Peterson created a cult figure in horror cinema, which she has been playing again and again for decades. The two feature films about the mistress of darkness in particular are a must for every genre fan. At least now.
Already in the early 80s, Cassandra Peterson made a name for herself with her alter ego Elvira – and was regularly portrayed in public as Mistress of DarknessAfter several TV appearances in cult series such as “The Fall Guy” and “CHiPs”, the time finally came in 1988: she got her first own movie – and finally became a pop culture phenomenon.
„Elvira – Mistress of Darkness“ has always enjoyed cult status, as has its leading actresswho has since slipped into her cult role for various guest appearances. The biggest highlight, which is particularly popular alongside her first screen appearance, is her second film “Elvira’s Haunted Hills”, which has been released for home cinema several times in this country, but which still leaves fans with a difficult choice: should they either buy an outdated edition or a strictly limited and accordingly expensive edition? Now there is finally an attractive alternative:
“Elvira 1 & 2:” DVD & Blu-ray bei Amazon*
This week, the two “Elvira” films are finally available in a double pack for little money. The set contains both horror comedies, of course, completely uncut, and can already be pre-ordered on DVD and Blu-ray for under 20 euros.
“Elvira”: Cheeky, frivolous & legendary
For those who don’t know the Mistress of Darkness, she is the stage persona of Cassandra Peterson, who presented B-movies as the television host of “Elvira’s Movie Macabre” in the 80s. The character became particularly famous in North America.
Petersen became a horror icon who was omnipresent in the 80s and 90s in particular – and is still celebrated by many, many fans today: Her TV show was revived in 2010, in 2014 she also hosted “13 Nights Of Elvira” and a few years ago she produced a big special with the streaming service Shudder to mark the 40th anniversary. She also appeared as a guest judge on “RuPaul’s Drag Race”.
Do you have a soft spot for quirky, idiosyncratic characters, black humor and horror with a high fun factor? Then the trailer above should make you want more. If you want to watch it straight away, you don’t necessarily have to wait for the upcoming home cinema double, but you can watch the two films already available as VOD at Amazon Prime Video* streaming.
These are the “Elvira” films
Equipped with her Ford Thunderbird decorated with skulls and plenty of garlic, and with breasts that are barely covered by her far too tight clothes, Elvira in “Mistress of the Dark” comes into a surprising inheritance: a magnificent villa! When she arrives at the object of her desire, however, she is quickly disappointed:
On the one hand, the shrill presenter is causing quite a stir in the ultra-conservative town where the supposed showpiece is located. On the other hand, the property is actually a ruin! And as if that wasn’t enough, there’s also a neurotic poodle and a strange cookbook on top of that, which will get her into plenty of trouble…
In “Haunted Hills,” Elvira finds herself in the 19th century. After a carriage breakdown, she finds shelter with Count Vladimir (Richard O’Brien) – a supposed blessing in disguise, but one that soon turns out to be more of a curse than a blessing. Elvira looks exactly like the count’s deceased wife, right down to her cleavage, so much so that he doesn’t want to let her go!
Do you have a soft spot for horror gems that perhaps not everyone knows about – and with which you can give even genre experts an insider tip? Then you should also take a look at the film that we present to you in the following article:
New in home cinema: This horror insider tip is a bloody, nasty trip to hell!
*The link to the Amazon offer is a so-called affiliate link. If you make a purchase via this link, we receive a commission. This article is based on an article that has already appeared on FILMSTARTS.
