''Elvira's Haunted Hills'' is a 2001 American

comedy horror Comedy horror (also called horror comedy) is a literary, television and film genre that combines elements of comedy and horror fiction. Comedy horror has been described as having three types: "black comedy, parody and spoof." Comedy horror can a ...

film directed by

Sam Irvin Sam Irvin (born June 14, 1956) is an American film director, film and television director, producer, screenwriter, actor, author and film teacher. Irvin's directing credits include ''Guilty as Charged (film), Guilty as Charged'', ''Oblivion (19 ...

and written by

Cassandra Peterson Cassandra Gay Peterson (born September 17, 1951) 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 pers ...

and

John Paragon John Dixon Paragon (December 9, 1954 – April 3, 2021) was an American actor, writer and director. He was best known for his work on the television series '' Pee-wee's Playhouse'', where he portrayed Jambi the Genie and voiced Pterri the Ptero ...

. The second film starring Peterson in the title role (credited as Elvira), after the 1988 theatrical release '' Elvira: Mistress of the Dark'', it also stars

Richard O'Brien Richard O'Brien (born Richard Timothy Smith; 25 March 1942) is a British-New Zealand actor, writer, musician, and television presenter. He wrote the musical stage show ''The Rocky Horror Show'' in 1973, which has since remained in continuous p ...

Mary Scheer Mary Scheer (born March 19, 1963) is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter, and producer, best known for her work in television. She had recurring roles as Marissa Benson on the Nickelodeon sitcom ''iCarly'' and as Gladys on the Disney C ...

, and Scott Atkinson. The film opened on the July 5, 2001 weekend at the Laemmle Fairfax Cinemas in Los Angeles after premiering at the International

Rocky Horror Rocky Horror is the title character from ''The Rocky Horror Show''. It may also refer to * The Rocky Horror Show (franchise) * '' The Rocky Horror Show'', a stage musical from 1973 * '' The Rocky Horror Picture Show'', 1975 film adaptation of the ...

Fan Convention on 23 June 2001. It was released

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, television series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strat ...

on 31 October 2002.

Plot

In 1851 in the

Carpathian Mountains The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe and Southeast Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Ural Mountains, Urals at and the Scandinav ...

of Romania, Elvira and her maidservant Zou Zou (Mary Jo Smith), on their way to a

can-can The can-can (also spelled cancan as in the original French /kɑ̃kɑ̃/) is a high-energy, physically demanding dance that became a popular music-hall dance in the 1840s, continuing in popularity in French cabaret to this day. Originally dance ...

revue in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, get kicked out of an inn for a slight monetary discrepancy. After making their way out of the village, they are rescued by Dr. Bradley Bradley ( Scott Atkinson), who takes them to stay at Castle Hellsubus, in the hills high above the village. While there, Elvira meets the residents—and discovers that she happens to resemble the deceased former wife of his Lordship, the Count Vladimere Hellsubus.

Cast

as Elvira / Lady Elura Hellsubus *

as Lord Vladimere Hellsubus *

as Lady Ema Hellsubus * Scott Atkinson as Dr. Bradley Bradley * Gabriel Andronache as Adrian **

Rob Paulsen Robert Frederick Paulsen III (born March 11, 1956) is an American voice actor and voice director, known for his roles in numerous animated television series and films. He received a Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in an Animated Pro ...

(''uncredited'') as Adrian's voice * Mary Jo Smith as Zou Zou * Heather Hopper as Lady Roxanna Hellsubus * Remus Cernat as Nicholai Hellsubus * Lucia Maier as the maid * Jerry Jackson as the English gentleman * Theodor Danetti as the innkeeper

Production

''Elvira's Haunted Hills'' was independently made and privately funded; Peterson and then-husband Mark Pierson mortgaged their house and the apartment building they co-owned to raise $1 million, with donations from relatives providing the remaining $500,000. Filming took place in

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

, Romania, and promoted at film festivals and horror/sci-fi conventions. The film parodies the

Roger Corman Roger William Corman (April 5, 1926 – May 9, 2024) was an American film director, producer, and actor. Known under various monikers such as "The Pope of Pop Cinema", "The Spiritual Godfather of the New Hollywood", and "The King of Cult", he w ...

-directed

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...

films of the early 1960s – dedicated to the memory of the then-recently deceased

Vincent Price Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993) was an American actor. He was known for his work in the horror film genre, mostly portraying villains. He appeared on stage, television, and radio, and in more than 100 films. Price ...

– as well as the British horror films from Hammer Studios. Atkinson's character is clearly evocative of Price, who starred in many of the Poe films.

Reception

''Elvira's Haunted Hills'' holds a 71% approval rating on

review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...

website ''

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

'', based on 14 reviews. In an unfavorable review, Ty Burr in the ''

Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'' rated it as "A sloppy slapstick throwback to long gone bottom-of-the-bill fare like '' The Ghost and Mr. Chicken''." In his review for ''

The New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost. ...

'', Lou Lumenick said it is "more entertaining than much of the big-studio schlock out there."

Awards

* 2002

Provincetown International Film Festival The Provincetown International Film Festival (PIFF) is an annual film festival founded in 1999 and held on Cape Cod in Provincetown, Massachusetts. The festival presents American and international narrative features, documentaries and short film ...

: Best Feature – Audience AwardIMDb 2002 Provincetown International Film Festival
/ref>

References

External links

* {{Elvira 2001 films 2001 comedy horror films 2001 independent films 2000s American films 2000s English-language films 2000s ghost films 2000s parody films American comedy horror films American haunted house films American independent films American parody films American sequel films Elvira, Mistress of the Dark Films about witchcraft Films based on television series Films directed by Sam Irvin Films set in 1851 Films set in castles Films set in Romania Films shot in Bucharest MediaPro Pictures films Parodies of horror English-language comedy horror films English-language independent films