COVER FEATURE
ELVIRA:
The Mistress Of
The Dark Gets Boxed In
by Tom Lounges
ELVIRA…MISTRESS OF THE DARK
has evolved into such a certifiable Halloween pop culture icon over the
years, that it is sometimes hard to remember that behind her ample bosom
and underneath her trademark bouffant hair-do, this campy vamp is really
a midwest-born and mountain-bred gal by the name of
Cassandra Peterson.
Peterson, born amid
the cornfields of rural Kansas and raised in the Rocky Mountains of
Colorado, created the Elvira character in 1981, after getting hired as a
regional horror host for a local Colorado television station.
While she may still
hold the record as having been the youngest professional Vegas show girl
ever, Peterson has a lot more going for her than just her 34-21-34
figure.
Along with being an
accomplished dancer, Peterson is a talented writer, actress and comedian
to boot –– personally overseeing every aspect of Elvira and often
scripting her character’s witty remarks and come hither comments.
Though not sure what
to expect from the experience, I came to learn a good deal about
Peterson after spending the better part of two hours lunching at the
Hyatt Regency on Upper Wacker Drive. For instance, she is a vegetarian
who supports Animal Rights causes and is active in causes for Gay Rights
and raising money for HIV/AIDS research.
Arriving early, I was
soon met by a stunning red head whose knock out figure belies the fact
that just three days earlier, she had turned 55 years old. With her
publicist in tow, this surprisingly down-home horror icon, was in
Chicago on behalf of Time-Life Video to promote her new DVD boxed set,
“Elvira’s Box Of Horror.”
 The collection
consists of three DVDs, each featuring two vintage horror movies.
“Elvira breaks in during the movies and does stuff and makes
commentaries, so its a lot of fun, even though they are old movies that
you probably have seen before a million times,” said Peterson.
“Since they were
written and shot specifically for this DVD set, some of the stuff that
comes out of my mouth is a little racier than what you would usually
hear me say on television,” she laughed.
Some suggestive
soundbites pouring out of the scream queen’s pouty red lips include ––
“they are pounding their
laptops, and some of them even have computers...”;
“ I’m dying to see your organ”;
and “all my major attractions
are under the big top”.
Peterson simply flashes a wicked little grin and avoids confronting her
own libido by passing the buck to her alter ego. “Elvira is always a bit
on the horny side,” she chided.
While on the topic of
blatant suggestiveness, we spoke of the buxom beauty’s last film,
“Elvira’s Haunted Hills,”
released two years ago to theatres and last October on DVD.
“We’re giving it a
heavy push again this Halloween,” she said. “It is a totally
independent film which I financed, wrote, produced and starred in. We
made the picture over in Rumania, in the real Transylvania. It is set in
the 1800s, and is a parody of the all those great old Hammer Studio
films of the late ‘50s and early ‘60s, with Peter Cushing and
Christopher Lee. What ‘Austin
Powers’ did
with the old spy movies, I did with the old horror genre. It’s a spoof
and it’s a lot of fun to watch.”
When
“Elvira’s Haunted Hills”
was first released to theatres, Peterson set up a gala opening night
premier and an after show party in 32 major markets, which she attended
in character as Elvira. The film received tons of free publicity in
each market, because Peterson donated all the proceeds in each city to a
local HIV/AIDS charity organization.
“I got all the
publicity I wanted and was able to help people at the same time,” she
said. “It was a win-win situation for everyone involved.” The film got
good reviews, but due to a tight budget, was shown at a limited amount
of screens, which is why she is pushing hard for the DVD rentals and
sales this season. “I think it’s a great little movie and I want people
to see it,” she said.
Jumping back to the
original topic of her new DVD boxed set for Time-Life, Peterson cites
that she did have “some input” into which campy fright classics made the
final cut.
“Two of my personal
favorites – ‘Night Of The Living
Dead’ and
‘House On Haunted Hill’
– are included in this collection,” she said. “What horror fan doesn’t
love ‘Night Of The Living Dead’?
It’s the zombie movie that started it all, and it still stands up well
against everything that has come after it.
‘House On Haunted Hill’
has Vincent Price, one of my favorite actors of all time and it’s a
great ‘Who done it?’
type of thriller.”
Rounding out
“Elvira’s Box Of Horror” are: the original “Little Shop
Of Horrors”
with a very young Jack Nicholson, “The
Brain That Wouldn’t Die,” “Carnival Of Souls” and “Dementia 13”,
which was the directorial debut by a budding filmmaker named, Francis
Ford Coppola.
“I’m hoping that this
is the first of many collections, because there is talk about doing more
Elvira collections if this one goes over well,” she said while wrestling
with the twist lid of a bottled water. “Jeez, I’m such a wimp,” she
said, finally handing the troublesome H2O over to my assistant Lisa
Sotiros to open. “Thanks darling,” she cooed to Lisa in that famous
Elvira voice.
Everyone is “darling”
to the Mistress of the Dark.
“Hello Darlings!”
is the opening line of every “on screen” greeting given by Elvira, whose
is the picture of ghoulish delight in her long black dress and plunging
neckline, dagger belt buckle, snake-shaped earrings, ruby rings and mile
high black wig.
“It takes about an
hour and a half to get into costume,” explained Peterson, “but no time
at all to get into character. There is a lot of me in Elvira, so she’s
like my dark half. If there were one Elvira trait that I wish I had
more of, it would be Elvira’s confidence.”
Such a statement
sounds odd coming from this business savvy woman seated in front of me.
For the newly divorced Peterson oozes with confidence as she speaks
about her plans to eventually step down from playing Elvira, but not
before attacking a variety of projects which will assure that her
alter-ego survives as a perennial Halloween icon for many generations to
come.
“I want Elvira to be
to Halloween, what Santa Claus is to Christmas, and what the Easter
Bunny is to Easter,” she stated. “I am getting older, but Elvira need
never age. She can be timeless. There is no real Santa Claus, so why
does there need to be a real Elvira?” Peterson then mocks horror, grabs
my hand and coos –– “You did know that there was no real Santa Claus, didn’t you Tom?”
Such witty remarks
and tongue-in-cheek quips pepper any conversation with Peterson, who
honed her sharp chops with the improvisational comedy troupe,
The Groundlings, a satirical Second City-like company which counts among its
famous alumni, Paul Reubens (a/k/a “Pee Wee Herman” ).
Her Groundlings
connection helped land Peterson a role in the major motion picture,
“Pee Wee’s Big Adventure,” one of the many films listed her on her extensive resume.
Other films graced by
her presence have include: “Cheech & Chong’s Next Movie,” “Alan
Quartermain,” “Echo Park,” “Stroker Ace”, “The Sting II”, and of course the now infamous 1973 cult classic,
“Working Girls.”
The latter is a horrible picture that is only famous because a
then-unknown Peterson can reportedly be seen nude on screen in a short
scene.
But that is ancient
history. The future, according to Peterson, will be to supplement the
fact that Elvira has already immortalized with a pinball game, Vegas
slot machines, and that she even has a computer system at the Pentagon
named after her.
“That is kinda
scary,” she said. As she noted that the computer system bearing the
Elvira name handles stealth bombers, she tugged on her shirt, adjusting
her own “bombs.” “I wonder why they named it after me,” she grinned.
Peterson’s humor is
as wry and smile-provoking while she is out of make-up, as it is while
she is in full character.
As our afternoon came
to a close, again Peterson began to lament on how one day in the not too
distant future, she will need to step down from being Mistress of The
Dark.
She speculates on how
Elvira will carry on after she steps down.
“Maybe I’ll do a
reality television show – ‘In Search of the Next Elvira’ – where I will
then crown my successor,” she mused.
Peterson lit up at
my suggestion that her 13-year-old daughter Sadie assume the role.
“That’d be great, but
she’s really not into the whole Elvira thing,” she sighed. “She’s
always like –– ‘Oh mom…!”
“So I’m thinking more
along the lines of making her an animated character, so that Elvira will
always be here for Halloween. Sort of like Batman,” she laughs, “only a
lot sexier!”
For more on Elvira,
log on her personal website at:
www.Elvira.com
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