ELVIRA!
When Horror or Halloween are mentioned Elvira is the first person I think of. I grew up watching her and many other spooky movies with my mother, whom you can blame for my fasination with the genre. (Love and miss you Momma).
Cassandra Peterson (born September 17, 1951) is an American actress best known for her on-screen horror hostess character Elvira.
Elvira started out as a hostess on a local Hollywood horror movie show called Movie Macabre. Elvira's character rapidly gained popularity with her tight-fitting, low-cut black gown which showed more cleavage than had ever appeared on local Los Angeles television before. The movies featured on Elvira's Movie Macabre were always B grade (or lower). Elvira would appear reclined on a red victorian couch, acting like a a spastic teenage girl with a valley- girl accent, where she would introduce and often interrupt the movie with her campy humor she would mock the actors, the script, and the bad editing. All without ever being mean-spirited, as well as making frequent jokes about her eye-popping display of cleavage.
Cassandra Peterson (born September 17, 1951) is an American actress best known for her on-screen horror hostess character Elvira.
Elvira started out as a hostess on a local Hollywood horror movie show called Movie Macabre. Elvira's character rapidly gained popularity with her tight-fitting, low-cut black gown which showed more cleavage than had ever appeared on local Los Angeles television before. The movies featured on Elvira's Movie Macabre were always B grade (or lower). Elvira would appear reclined on a red victorian couch, acting like a a spastic teenage girl with a valley- girl accent, where she would introduce and often interrupt the movie with her campy humor she would mock the actors, the script, and the bad editing. All without ever being mean-spirited, as well as making frequent jokes about her eye-popping display of cleavage.
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Cassandra Peterson
Elvira's demand increased throughout the 1980s, and was a frequent guest on many talk shows, including The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. She also had a long-running series of Halloween-themed TV ads for Coors Light Beer and Mug Root Beer. She had several guest roles on television dramas such as CHiPs, The Fall Guy, and Fantasy Island, and appeared on numerous awards shows as a presenter. With the surprising success of Movie Macabre, Knott's Theme Parks hired Elvira in 1982 as the host of its annual Halloween Haunt during the month of October. Elvira would appear nightly at the park, live on stage with a Halloween-themed musical comedy revue. Elvira rapidly became a cult superstar. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Elvira spawned a numerous amount of products including Halloween costumes, comic books, action figures, trading cards, Halloween decor, model kits, calendars, perfume, and dolls.
In 1992, CBS filmed the pilot episode for Elvira, a proposed sitcom with Cassandra Peterson and Katherine Helmond as witches living in a small town. Network executives balked at the ribald humor and decided the series was too risqué for television. The series was shelved and the pilot was never aired, which I think was a very sad mistake.
In 1992, CBS filmed the pilot episode for Elvira, a proposed sitcom with Cassandra Peterson and Katherine Helmond as witches living in a small town. Network executives balked at the ribald humor and decided the series was too risqué for television. The series was shelved and the pilot was never aired, which I think was a very sad mistake.
Elvira began hosting a home video series for ThrillerVideo in 1985. These were films hand-selected by Elvira herself. Choosing to stay away from the more explicit zombie, cannibal, and slasher films of the time, these were generally tamer films such as The Monster Club and Dan Curtis TV films.
With the success of the ThrillerVideo series a second video set was released, Elvira's Midnight Madness through Rhino Home Video. Elvira revisited this concept in 2004 with a similar horror film collection on DVD, titled "Elvira's Box of Horrors."
Elvira released a very successful calendar in the 1990's, featuring Elvira in various locations (on a studio set) and in poses. One of the months can be seen in the video game Blood, hanging on various walls.
Elvira appeared throughout the nation in 2001 screening her second full length feature film "Elvira's Haunted Hills". Some locations included Los Angeles, New York, Key West, Chicago, and Atlanta.
Elvira's reign as 'Queen of Halloween' has now spanned twenty-eight years, and I do not believe that will end anytime soon.
Elvira, Thank you and we Love you!
With the success of the ThrillerVideo series a second video set was released, Elvira's Midnight Madness through Rhino Home Video. Elvira revisited this concept in 2004 with a similar horror film collection on DVD, titled "Elvira's Box of Horrors."
Elvira released a very successful calendar in the 1990's, featuring Elvira in various locations (on a studio set) and in poses. One of the months can be seen in the video game Blood, hanging on various walls.
Elvira appeared throughout the nation in 2001 screening her second full length feature film "Elvira's Haunted Hills". Some locations included Los Angeles, New York, Key West, Chicago, and Atlanta.
Elvira's reign as 'Queen of Halloween' has now spanned twenty-eight years, and I do not believe that will end anytime soon.
Elvira, Thank you and we Love you!
