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Elvira, Mistress of the Dark

Play trailer 1:00 Poster for Elvira, Mistress of the Dark PG-13 1988 1h 36m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
58% Tomatometer 26 Reviews 66% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
The cult-movie TV hostess (Phil Rubenstein) inherits an old New England house, a poodle and a black-magic cookbook.

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Elvira, Mistress of the Dark

Elvira, Mistress of the Dark

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Critics Consensus

A gothic, campy, raunchy comedy elevated by Cassandra Peterson's iconic persona yet driven off course by one-note jokes, this isn't the best — or worst — introduction to Elvira, Mistress of the Dark.

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Critics Reviews

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Anton Bitel Little White Lies 12/11/2018
Elvira is all sarky, smutty sex positivity, making a prominent display of her two best assets: her verbal wit, and her ability to laugh at everything and everyone including, first and foremost, herself. Go to Full Review
Time Out 01/26/2006
A predictable plot and cheapskate effects deaden Elvira's occasional witty lines, while references to the horror genre make the film busy without going anywhere. Go to Full Review
Caryn James New York Times 05/20/2003
2/5
There are only a couple of fresh and funny moments. Go to Full Review
Kat Halstead Common Sense Media 11/13/2024
It may fall into the "so bad it's good" category—it even won a Razzie—but this cult horror comedy is smarter than it first appears. Go to Full Review
Trace Thurman Horror Queers Podcast 11/03/2022
4/5
Utterly delightful, with a very committed Cassandra Peterson delivering an all-time-great goofball performance. Go to Full Review
Joe Lipsett Horror Queers Podcast 11/02/2022
4/5
A hilarious and witty send-up of small town puritanical values with stand-out performances by Peterson and MVP McClurg. Elvira is a sex-positive feminist icon and this film deserves way more credit in horror comedy circles. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Hudson W. @RT96702654 4h THIS IS MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITE MOVIE OF ALL TIME. A true 80s gem. See more Andrew A @rt_andrew 4d I wish it had more laughs See more Tom F @RT55173143 Mar 20 Cassandra Petterson’s act has some appeal, but works best in small doses. There is some fun to be had, and an interesting reflection of the ‘80s, but one could do better. See more John C @JayDizzle209 Mar 8 It doesn't surprise me that the old, criticize everything, no sense of humor critics hated this film. In fact I knew they were going to rip it to shreds. However, this is one of those films where the audience opinions matter more and has instantly become a cult classic for generations to come. If you watch it with an open heart and open mind, you'll get a kick out of it and Peterson as well. Her trashy sense of humor and vivacious personality is so over the top hilarious, it's no wonder she actually performed LIVE shows in Vegas. (well, that and her 2 famously well knows physical assets helped also) She's always just been the sexy Halloween scream queen hostess and it's about time she got a motion picture of her own. Believe me, if you're not a cynical old fogie, you'll love it. See more Ian N @RT80350583 Aug 22 Such a classic, loved watching it again. I was into it when I was younger, but now with a bit more maturity it hits even better. Super funny and a blast to watch. Honestly, it kind of shaped my personality. See more Nick O @Nicki1985 05/26/2025 Feels like Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, except darker, sexier and with way more monsters! Elvira is still to this day the reining goddess of late night movie hosts and this flick just cements that into horror history. See more Read all reviews
Elvira, Mistress of the Dark

My Rating

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Movie Info

Synopsis The cult-movie TV hostess (Phil Rubenstein) inherits an old New England house, a poodle and a black-magic cookbook.
Director
James Signorelli
Producer
Eric Gardner, Marc Pierson
Screenwriter
Sam Egan, John Paragon, Cassandra Peterson
Production Co
Queen B Productions, New World Pictures, Panacea Entertainment, NBC Productions
Rating
PG-13
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 20, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA)
$4.1M
Runtime
1h 36m
Sound Mix
Surround