When her great aunt dies unexpectedly Elvira (real name Cassandra Peterson), recently fired from her job as Horror Hostess of Elvira's Movie Macabre, travels to the small puritanical town of Falwell in order to receive her inheritance so she can pursue her dream of being a Vegas showgirl and forever leave behind the B-movie reviewing existence to which she finds herself. In order for her to do that she needs fifty-thousand dollars (something her game show imagination guarantees she'll receive). Upon arriving at Falwell she is met with odd looks, derision and hatred for her sultry appearance and her feisty personality. Not everyone hates her though. The town's young people find themselves enamored with her as much as the movie theater owner name of Bob Redding (Daniel Redding). The people who do however hate her make up the town's Morality Council including our villain and Elvira's great uncle, Vincent Talbot (W. Morgan Sheppard). Elvira is stunned to learn at the reading of the will that she does not receive fifty-thousand, five-thousand or even five dollars. Instead she gets a haunted house, a cookbook and a (soon to be) punk rock poodle. Elvira soon learns of her heritage and just why Vincent Talbot (an amalgamation of the names of horror icons Vincent Price and Lyle Talbot) wants the book so badly. I won't divulge the details as they are complete and total spoilers and I have not called spoiler alert.
Okay, I am completely aware of the fact that this film may fall more under the genre of comedy rather than the genre of horror. However due to the fact that, much like An American Werewolf in London, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein and Tremors, there are horror elements mixed in well with humor elements. Besides that, OctHorrorFest is my baby and so I make up the qualifiers. Now.
This film is a wonderful celebration of any and all B-movies by the likes of Roger Corman (mentioned by name) and Ed Wood. Those films are "awesomely bad" and so was this. Guilty pleasures and Saturday afternoon entertainment. Camp-ridden is what they are meant to be and they succeed in their first and foremost purpose. To entertain. The work in this film shows that the filmmakers were in a charming, playful mood with their tongues firmly planted in their cheeks. It pokes fun at the films it shows love of while becoming its own example. Nearly every character is increasingly entertaining, particularly both Chastity Pariah (Edie McClurg) and Uncle Vinnie Talbot who exudes a refined malice like Vincent Price, Boris Karloff, Basil Rathbone and Bela Lugosi. From a physical perspective, Elvira, with that showgirl figure and that over-the-top tight-fitting low-cut black costume, just grabs your attention from the get go. But there's much more to enjoy than just her physical appearance. Her ditzy charm and irreverent off color sense of humor made me just love her and oddly root for her. There's no shortage of double entendre jokes which unlike most make one pause for a moment as you realize the implications and overtones.
Now, is it scary? At times. Is it funny? Yes. Is it perfect? No but then it was never really meant to be anything but pure cornball and I love it for that. I always know I can sit down, put this film in and forget any and all problems for 96 minutes and after all isn't that what movies are supposed to be all about?
★★★1/2
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