How "Elvira, Mistress of the Dark" Was Filmed: 20 Interesting Facts About the Movie (15 photos)

"Elvira, Mistress of the Dark" is an American comedy about a vamp who comes to a small town to learn about the will of her wealthy aunt Morgana. The film became a huge hit with audiences, and the character of Elvira has long been remembered by audiences worldwide.





Today I'd like to tell you about the filming of "Elvira, Mistress of the Dark" and show you some interesting behind-the-scenes footage.

1. The film about Elvira was original, but the idea for a similar film wasn't entirely new. Back in the 1950s, Maila Nurmi had been running an otherworldly show on American television under the pseudonym "Vampira."



In the 1980s, television producers decided to revive the Vampira show. The only problem was that actress Maila Nurmi was already over 60 years old, so filming her in this role wouldn't have been ideal. However, she was offered a fee for the use of her image and name.

Initially, Maila even agreed to these terms, but then she left the project after the television crew refused to hire actress Lola Falana for the role of Vampira.

2. The comedian Cassandra Peterson was ultimately cast in the lead role. This greatly outraged Maila Nurmi, leading her to even sue Cassandra. After a lengthy legal battle, the judge ruled that the characters had nothing in common except the color black and their first name, and that it was ridiculous to sue someone simply because they wore a black dress.

The producers realized Maila wouldn't let this go, so they decided to change the character's name. That's how Elvira was born. The name was chosen in an interesting way. Each member of the film crew wrote their name on a piece of paper, then threw their pieces of paper into a container. Cassandra pulled out one of the pieces of paper with "Elvira" written on it.

Cassandra herself said she didn't like the name Elvira, but she was nonetheless glad that her character would now have a proper name.

3. In 1981, television crews launched the show "Kinomrak with Elvira," which ran for five years. It was a collection of short horror films with sketches and commentary from the main character.





4. Elvira's look was created by Cassandra's close friend, makeup artist Robert Redding, who was inspired by looks from makeup books, and her voluminous hairstyle was inspired by the hairstyles of popular girl groups of the 1950s.



Unfortunately, Bob Redding died shortly before filming began, which was a huge loss for Cassandra. So she decided that the character in the film would be named Bob Redding. The role went to actor Daniel Greene.

Later, Cassandra rejected every hairstyle suggested by other stylists. She loved her friend so much.

5. Despite the low-budget nature of the show "Kinomrak with Elvira," it was noticed. Cassandra began receiving invitations to various high-profile events, and this image quickly gained popularity. Over time, merchandise (dolls, perfume, clothing, calendars, etc.) began appearing, making Elvira even more popular.



6. The producers decided to make a separate sitcom about Elvira, but Cassandra herself was against it. More precisely, she really liked the idea, but she wanted a full-length film about Elvira to be made first.



NBC Studio President Brandon Tartikoff found the idea intriguing and agreed to make a standalone film about Elvira. He especially liked Cassandra's portrayal of a biker chick in the 1985 film "Pee-wee's Big Adventure" by up-and-coming director Tim Burton.

7. Cassandra wanted to hire Tim Burton, with whom she had already worked, as director, but he was already busy filming "Beetlejuice." Tartikoff then decided to hire James Signorelli, who had previously mostly directed skits for "Saturday Night Live."



8. Cassandra also wanted actor Paul Reubens, who played Pee-wee in the aforementioned film "Pee-wee's Big Adventure," to appear in the film. But he was also busy filming the Pee-wee sequel.

However, Paul Reubens could be seen in "Elvira: Mistress of the Dark," although he was only a puppet in Elvira's dressing room.

However, Cassandra still managed to get several of her friends into the film, including Eddie McClurg (the gossipy Chastity Paray), Lyn Marystuart (the barmaid), and John Paragon (the gas station attendant).



9. The screenplay for the film was co-written by Cassandra Peterson herself, along with John Paragon (her frequent collaborator, who played the gas station attendant) and Sam Egan.

10. The director was staunchly against screenwriters interfering with the creative process. As a result, he wrote a significant portion of the jokes himself. Moreover, he insisted that the screenwriters be absent from the set (except when they were filming).



11. Initially, there weren't supposed to be any teenagers in the film. But ultimately, it was decided to include young people in the film to attract a teenage audience. However, this meant cutting some other scenes. And Tartikoff believes that this actually lost them some of the target audience.



12. The young and unknown actor Brad Pitt auditioned for the role of one of the teenagers, but Cassandra Peterson herself ultimately rejected him.

It's not that she didn't like him. Quite the opposite. She thought he was too sweet and handsome. And she believed that her character simply couldn't have been interested in Daniel if Brad Pitt had been on the horizon.

It's noteworthy that a few years later (when Pitt became famous), the actor bought a mansion from Cassandra.

13. Elvira's hairstyle has its own hidden meaning. It was specifically designed to conceal the burns on the actress's neck and shoulders, which she received as a child.



14. The town where the film takes place was entirely rebuilt on the Warner Bros. studio lot. However, the façade of the building where the will was read was real. It was the historic Hirsch House in Los Angeles.

15. Remember the portrait of Elvira's great-aunt? It actually depicts Cassandra Peterson herself, but without her gothic makeup.



This portrait was painted by her friend Robert Redding, so its appearance in the film was another tribute to the makeup artist, who passed away before filming began.

16. One of the biggest challenges during filming was working with the poodle. According to crew members, it was the most unruly and capricious dog. It constantly bit and disrupted the shoot.



As a result, some scenes had to be filmed either with a puppet or using trick photography, as the dog couldn't obey even the simplest commands. And once, he bit an assistant director so hard that he was left with a scar.

17. The car Elvira drives is a converted 1958 T-Bird. Remarkably, the car itself was purchased for $2,500, while its conversion cost $7,000.



18. The film was supposed to be distributed by New World Pictures, but the company went bankrupt shortly before its release. The filmmakers barely managed to get the film into a couple hundred theaters, although the original plan was to screen it in over 1,000.



19. With a budget of $7.5 million, the film grossed only $5.5 million. It was a clear failure. Nevertheless, he managed to recoup all his costs and even make a profit. Moreover, the film became a real hit, thanks to video sales. Yes, there was a time when video sales could make up for poor theatrical box office receipts.

20. A sequel was released in 2001, but it was such a failure that it flopped completely at the box office, and few people even know about it.