Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, is a TV host, horror movie buff, and Halloween icon who is played by actress Cassandra Peterson. Peterson created Elvira in 1981 when she was cast as the host of a Los Angeles weekend horror show. On Elvira's Movie Macabre, she gained popularity as a campy, sexy, funny "Valley Girl" who...More
Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, is a TV host, horror movie buff, and Halloween icon who is played by actress Cassandra Peterson. Peterson created Elvira in 1981 when she was cast as the host of a Los Angeles weekend horror show. On Elvira's Movie Macabre, she gained popularity as a campy, sexy, funny "Valley Girl" who uses a lot of innuendo and double entendre to introduce B-movie horror flicks. Elvira's Movie Macabre was so successful that she became the first nationally syndicated horror show host and, ultimately, has become a brand and image tightly associated with Halloween.
In addition to her own show, Elvira has appeared in numerous other television shows, commercials, and movies. In 1988, Peterson co-wrote and starred in Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, Elvira's first feature film. She has published four books and released six albums of Halloween music, including a 2010 digital release, Elvira's Gravest Hits (Shout Factory). She has also licensed her image to items ranging from comic books to pinball machines to her own brand of beer and the Elvira Halloween costume is the best selling female costume of all time.
In September 2010, Elvira's Movie Macabre returned to television syndication.
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