Cassandra Gay Peterson is an American actress best known for her portrayal of the horror hostess character Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. Peterson gained fame on Los Angeles television station KHJ-TV in her stage persona as Elvira, hosting Elvira's Movie Macabre, a weekly B movie presentation. A member of the Los Angeles-based improvisational and sketch comedy troupe The Groundlings, Peterson based her Elvira persona in part on a "Valley girl"-type character she created while a member of the troupe.
Maila Elizabeth Syrjäniemi, known professionally as Maila Nurmi, was an American-Finn actress who created the campy 1950s character Vampira.
The term midnight movie is rooted in the practice that emerged in the 1950s of local television stations around the United States airing low-budget genre films as late-night programming, often with a host delivering ironic asides.
A horror host is a person who acts as the host or presenter of a program where horror films and low-budget B movies are shown on television or the Internet. Usually the host assumes a horror-themed persona, often a campy or humorous one. Generally there are breaks in the film where the host comments on various aspects of the movie. Many horror host shows also include skits involving the hosts themselves, sometimes with a sidekick or other supporting characters.
Elvira's Haunted Hills is a 2001 American comedy horror film directed by Sam Irvin and written by Cassandra Peterson and John Paragon. The second film starring Peterson in the title role, after the 1988 theatrical release Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, it also stars Richard O'Brien, Mary Scheer, and Scott Atkinson.
Elvira: Mistress of the Dark is a 1988 American comedy horror film directed by James Signorelli, starring Cassandra Peterson as eccentric horror host Elvira. The film's screenplay, written by Peterson, John Paragon, and Sam Egan, follows Elvira inheriting a house nestled in the heart of an overtly prudish community.
Truth or Scare is an American television series on the Discovery Kids network. The show aired from October 25, 2001, to January 1, 2003. It was hosted by Michelle Trachtenberg in a style similar to Maila Nurmi as horror host "Vampira" and Cassandra Peterson as horror host "Elvira, Mistress of the Dark." The series first aired on Discovery Kids as a part of the network's Scary Saturday Night Sleepover lineup. After the series ended, reruns of the show aired on The Hub until October 29, 2012.
Fright Night was the name of two science fiction and horror film programs. One ran from 1970 to 1981, and the other ran from 1973 to 1987. Both programs were broadcast by KHJ-TV Los Angeles, and its sister-station WOR-TV New York City.
Doctor Madblood, was a horror host character who appeared in the following television shows:
The Vampira Show was an American television show that broadcast vintage horror films presented by horror host Vampira. The series aired on the Los Angeles ABC television affiliate KABC-TV from April 30, 1954, through April 2, 1955. The weekly series was produced and created by Hunt Stromberg, Jr., and featured the Vampira character created by Maila Nurmi.
Deadly Earnest was a late-night horror host active on Australian television between 1959 and 1978. Originated as a live host of a horror film package for Perth's TVW-7 by 1959, the character was most active between 1966 and 1972 when adopted by the 0-10 Network. Broadcast weekly, Deadly Earnest's Aweful Movies featured mainly B-grade horror movies introduced by local actors with a tongue-in-cheek characterization. The program was renowned for screening low-budget B-grade supernaturally themed cinema, even going so far as to present the Worst Movie of the Year on at least one occasion.
Nightmare Theatre was one of the more prominent late-night horror programs of the 1960s and 1970s. During its fourteen-year run, this show introduced several generations of television viewers to the horror films of yesteryear, across the Pacific Northwest. Produced by Seattle-based KIRO-TV, and utilizing much of the same cast and crew as the similarly popular The J.P. Patches Show, Nightmare Theatre reached an audience that stretched as far north as Alaska, as far east as Idaho, and south into Oregon, as well as Canada. Its residential horror host, The Count, has accrued a cult following over the years, much in the same vein as his make-up laden peers Maila Nurmi ("Vampira"), John Zacherle ("Zacherley"), and Cassandra Peterson ("Elvira").
Kevin Sean Michaels is an American film director, artist, producer and entertainer.
Hunt Stromberg Jr. was a Broadway, radio and television producer best remembered for the discovery and casting of Maila Nurmi as Vampira, and for producing the 1973 film Frankenstein: The True Story.
Chiller Theatre was a Saturday night television series broadcast by Channel 11 WPIX New York that showed classic horror movies.
"October the 31st" is an episode of the American television series The Fall Guy, starring Lee Majors. This episode first appeared on October 31, 1984. The episode features two guest stars: veteran horror movie actor John Carradine and Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. Carradine's sons Keith, Robert, and David Carradine make a cameo appearance in a scene with their father.
Suzanne Waldron, better known by her alias "Tarantula Ghoul", was an American actress, television hostess, and musician. Between 1957 and 1959, she hosted the cult favorite program House of Horror on the Portland-based television station KPTV. With her backing band the Gravediggers, Tarantula Ghoul recorded "King Kong" and "Graveyard Rock", the latter of which became associated and popularized with Halloween-themed music. Following her role as Tarantula Ghoul, Waldron continued to act in the 1960s and 1970s.
Happy Halloween, Scooby-Doo! is a 2020 American direct-to-DVD animated comedy horror film, and the thirty-fourth entry in the direct-to-video series of Scooby-Doo films. It was released on October 6, 2020, by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.
Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark is a 2021 memoir by Cassandra Peterson. For the first time, Peterson opens up about her personal life, her experiences in showbusiness, and the creation of her iconic character Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. The release of the book coincided with the character's 40th anniversary and scored a spot on the New York Times Best Seller list.
Cassandra Peterson is an American actress best known for her portrayal of the horror hostess character Elvira, Mistress of the Dark. Peterson gained fame on Los Angeles television station KHJ-TV in her stage persona as Elvira, hosting Elvira's Movie Macabre, a weekly B movie presentation. Peterson has made Elvira and non-Elvira appearances in a number of films and television programs.
