The One Thing Fans Tell Elvira That Always Shocks Her

In the ’80s, Cassandra Peterson portrayed the character “Elvira, Mistress of the Dark” and became as big of a pop culture icon that decade as Pee-Wee Herman or Mr. T. In the decades since, Elvira has solidified herself as one of the most recognizable personas in the world of horror, giving characters like Freddy Krueger and Jason Voorhees a run for their money.

Elvira debuted on TV as the host of a weekly series, Elvira’s Movie Macabre, in which she would introduce a schlocky horror or sci-fi B-movie that she would lovingly poke fun at. The character grew so popular, in fact, that Peterson eventually starred in a movie based on the character, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark.

Despite the original weekly series having debuted over 35 years ago, Peterson is still shocked by how many fans tell her that watching the show each week was a bonding experience for families.

“One of the things I come across every single time I talk to fans in, like I’m at a Comic-Con or convention or horror convention,” Peterson shared with PopCulture.com, “Is that fans come up and I am always struck by the fact that so many people say to me, ‘I used to watch your show every night with my mom and dad. I used to watch it with my grandma and grandpa. I used to watch it ever night with my sisters and my brothers,’ or, ‘With my dad.’”

“The horror hosting aspect with the comedy interjected took the edge off…”

Elvira took her appearance inspiration from classic horror host Vampira, but updated the look with a plunging neckline to mirror the busty bombshells of the time. Additionally, Peterson threw in a “Valley Girl” attitude to make the character much sillier, while never being cynical.

“It’s strange that it’s like, horror movies and you’re watching, but the horror hosting aspect with the comedy interjected took the edge off of the horror film, and it also brought new life to old horror films that people have seen, seen and seen and wouldn’t normally watch again,” Peterson explained. “But now they’re gonna watch them because I’m making jokes about them, I’m pointing out things that happened in the movie that you wouldn’t normally notice and, you have the horror movie and the scary aspect but then you have the part that takes the edge off of it and really does make it kind of family friendly.”

While there are a variety of different programs currently available that brutally mock poor quality films, the Elvira persona did so lovingly, giving audiences a new appreciation for films that were otherwise forgotten.

“It gave a chance for people all to be in one room together…”

Given the abundance of streaming services and availability of digital downloads, the act of watching TV shows and movies has become far less communal, seeing as anyone can do it on their own time and all alone.

“It gave a chance for people all to be in one room together watching something and doing something together,” Peterson noted. “It seems like an odd choice for that, but the times that I had people say that to me it’s like, ‘Every time I see your show I think of my mom cause we always watched it together.’ Or, ‘My dad passed away, but this was the one thing that he and I both loved to do together.’ I imagine for different reasons.”

The unique blend of entertainment provided by Elvira’s Movie Macabre had something for everyone, even if audiences were tuning in for reasons they might not have wanted to admit to their kids.

“The dad was staring at the cleavage…”

The horror and comedy elements of Elvira were a strong draw for many viewers, but the performer herself ended up becoming the object of admiration, helping redefine the meaning of “boob tube.”

“The dad was staring at the cleavage and the kids were like, ‘Ah, the jokes are hilarious,’” Peterson joked about why families watched the show.

Families today might prefer to watch a show like Big Bang Theory or Modern Family, but in the ’80s, the various appealing qualities of Elvira’s Movie Macabre made it the one show all family members could agree to watch.

“In a really weird way it was a very kind of wholesome family kind of show. Strangely,” Peterson confessed.

To find out the latest on Peterson’s various projects, you can head to Elvira.com.