The 10 Best Appearances By Elvira, Mistress Of The Dark

For almost 40 years, Elvira has been a mainstay of pop culture, especially around Halloween. With her face on everything from pinball machines to purses, her cat eyes and signature black beehive hairdo have been incorporated into not only the spookiest season of the year but every brand you can imagine. Her likeness has become an indelible part of the best things we associate with horror, comedy, and late-night movie bingeing.

The character of Elvira, Mistress of the Dark was created by actress Cassandra Peterson for KHJ radio station in Los Angeles back in the early 80s, and further developed when she was made the host of the late-night horror show Fright Night. With her revealing black dress, black hair, and gothic beauty she became a siren of the silver screen like Morticia Addams and Vampira. Like the horror films she provided commentary on, she became a bonafide horror icon in her own right. Here are the 10 best appearances by the Hostess with the Mostest.

10 ELVIRA: MISTRESS OF THE DARK

By the time that her premier film debuted in 1988, Elvira had already been trotting the character out in guest-star spots on 80s television. Much like Jim Varney’s Ernest, Cassandra Peterson created a character that could be contextually unrelated to whatever it was featured in but carry instant brand recognition.

Elvira: Mistress of the Dark follows Elvira, tired of performing in a Vegas review, who moves to a small, conservative town when she inherits an estate after a wealthy relative’s passing. Despite the dislike of the townsfolk, she fixes up her new home as she fixes their problems. While the supernatural storyline has the usual Elvira thrills and chills, it also has a strong message that encourages self-expression and eccentricity in the face of small-mindedness.

9 THE ELVIRA SHOW

After the success of Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, actress Cassandra Peterson wanted to create a television series based on her famous character, like Bewitched or I Dream of Jeannie. In 1993, The Elvira Show debuted. It chronicled Elvira’s move to Manhattan Kansas with her Aunt Minerva (Who’s The Boss?’s Katherine Helmund), where she worked as a fortune-teller out of their Victorian home.

She developed the hots for a hunky undercover cop, intent on busting her for the side-effects of the potions she gives her customers. An estranged niece would also show up on her doorstep, and she’d have a talking cat. If this all sounds very much like Sabrina the Teenage Witch, that’s no coincidence. After Elvira’s series was cancelled, that series came out just a few years later.

8 SCOOBY-DOO: RETURN TO ZOMBIE ISLAND

Many Scooby-Doo movies follow the predictable formula created for the animated series, and Scooby-Doo: Return to Zombie Island is no different – there are supernatural creatures, there are Scooby Snacks, and there are unmasked villains. The notable exception is that this one features Elvira, Mistress of the Dark!

Following the original Scooby-Doo: Zombie Island, one of the most popular of the animated films featuring the Scooby Gang, it features them coming out of retirement to once again investigate a mystery on an island they know to be infested with zombies.

7 CALL OF DUTY: INFINITE WARFARE

The Call of Duty franchise and Elvira aren’t exactly brands you would think belong together, but the Mistress of the Dark is incorporated into the game in a unique way. She appears in the Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Zombies map Attack of the Radioactive Thing.

Like other known celebrity personalities in the series, she’s an unlockable character you can play. In the game, she was offered a part in Willard Wyler’s films, Attack of the Radioactive Thing. Unbeknownst to her, starring in it would mean she was stuck in the “film” for the rest of her life, serving as its hostess.

6 LAST MAN STANDING

Last Man Standing, Tim Allen’s sit-com about a conservative middle-aged man dealing with the rise of female empowerment in his household, is a perfect setting for Elvira’s unique take on feminism. Though she may dress provocatively, Cassandra Peterson contends it’s because she likes to, not because society or men say she should.

In “Last Halloween Standing,” when Mike (Tim Allen) is upset none of his teenage daughters are interested in celebrating Halloween with trick or treating, he takes his grandson out against his wife’s wishes. They show up at Ed’s house and who should open the door but his lady friend, as portrayed by Elvira.

5 ELVIRA’S MOVIE MACABRE

As a way to rekindle the public’s love with America’s favorite horror host, Cassandra Peterson elected to return to her roots in 2010 and star as the hostess of Elvira’s Movie Macabre. Once again sporting her low-cut black dress, dagger belt, and signature hairdo, she draped herself on a red velvet couch and introduced a series of B-rated horror films.

Peterson was adamant that the series only appear after midnight and be distributed on local television channels so that viewers would get the same experience they did back in the 80s when she hosted Movie Macabre with similar titles. With each film, she offered her particular brand of sassy remarks and criticisms.

4 THE SEARCH FOR THE NEXT ELVIRA

Contestants arrived at a spooky castle with suitcases full of their most macabre outfits, worthy of becoming the next horror hostess. Elvira herself was on the judging panel, where she personally critiqued everything from their aesthetic, to their “horror scream”, and their stage presence. The winner would be crowned the next Elvira for one year’s time.

3 ELVIRA’S HAUNTED HILLS

In 2001, thirteen years after the original Elvira: Mistress of the Dark film premiered in 1988, Elvira’s Haunted Hills was released. Many of the creative decisions came down to Cassandra Peterson, who wanted to create a farcical comedy set in the 18th century that also incorporated some genuine scares.

Nevermind asking yourself how Elvira got a hold of the ability to time-travel, it’s a fun madcap story of murder, hidden identities, ghosts, and a long-lost family secret. Elvira incorporates homages to the Hammer Studio horror films of the 60s and 70s, as well as famous horror icons like Edgar Allen Poe.

2 SPACE GHOST COAST TO COAST

In the ’90s, Space Ghost Coast to Coast explored what vocations were open to a retired superhero who was over 40 and feeling over the hill? Space Ghost became the host of a popular television talk show, where interviewed various celebrities.

The special aspect of Elvira appearing on the show was that like Space Ghost, she has an alter-ego as well (actress Cassandra Peterson). During her interview, Space Ghost’s twin brother (distinguishable by his black beard) appeared to hijack the interview, until Space Ghost got word and returned from a secret mission to put a stop to him.

1 CHiPS

Prior to her late-night horror series getting picked up for distribution on national television, Elvira made some of her first appearances in well-known ’80s television series. Whether it was a cop procedural or a sit-com, many of them had Halloween specials, which was a perfect excuse to feature the Hostess with the Mostest.

Elvira appeared two separate times on CHiPs, in 1982 in the episode “Rock Devil Rock”, when Ponch and Hot Dog are hired to protect a Goth rock star, and in 1983 in “Things That Go Creep In The Night”, where she tangoed with a Dracula-dress Ponch as he investigated spooky happenings surrounding an eccentric comic book artist.

About The Author

Kayleena Pierce-Bohen
(1344 Articles Published)

Kayleena has been raised on Star Wars and Indiana Jones from the crib. A film buff, she has a Western collection of 250+ titles and counting that she’s particularly proud of. When she isn’t writing for ScreenRant, CBR, or The Gamer, she’s working on her fiction novel, lifting weights, going to synthwave concerts, or cosplaying. With degrees in anthropology and archaeology, she plans to continue pretending to be Lara Croft as long as she can.

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