Elvira, Mistress of the Dark

There's a term in the horror movie community called "gateway horror". It's used for movies that definitely fall into the horror genre, but are presented in such a way that makes the movie more digestible for non-horror fans. Movies like Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, Tremors, or Gremlins, where the scares are there but not so in-your-face, and there's enough comedy involved to keep things from being too intense. These movies are great for younger people or people nervous about horror who want to test the waters without the full-on tension of something like Alien or Halloween. The best way to describe Elvira: Mistress Of The Dark would be a gateway to gateway horror. It is in the neighborhood of horror, it can see horror's house, but horror is still all the way at the other end of the block. That is not an insult, mind you. EMotD is still a lot of fun, way more fun than it has any right to be. EMotD has what some might say is an overstuffed plot; she loses her job hosting a horror movie show, and in order to secure a spot as a Vegas nightclub act, she needs $50,000. She finds out she's going to inherit a house in a small town, but the small town makes the town in Footloose look like Sodom & Gomorrah, and they hate her. And her only other living relative turns out to be an evil wizard hellbent on taking over the world. Let's acknowledge the flaws right off the top: there is a LOT going on in EMotD, and it doesn't always thread the needle of keeping these plots working together. Some of the acting doesn't help proceedings, and few characters are given any real depth or arc outside of ... well, Elvira. The evil sorcerer uncle is an evil sorcerer. The shrill, judgmental town elder (named Chastity Pariah) is shrill and judgmental. There are no themes to explore here, no groundbreaking writing. It's just a simple, barely-90-minute stupid comedy. But here's the thing ... that's all EMotD is trying to be. It is a simple movie by design. It is a silly movie by design. It is campy and ridiculous by design. EMotD is built around the titular (ha!) Elvira and her silly, only slightly ribald sense of humor, and through sheer force of will, drags the movie to being fun. In a less capable performer's hands -- say if Elvira was replaced with another actress doing a generic witch or goth woman character -- this movie would fall apart before the credits rolled. But her charm and style are the beating heart to this movie. She knows when to poke fun at the conventions of stuffy, buttoned-up, conservative types who can't accept that "different" does not equal "bad", she knows when to poke fun at herself, and she knows when to just be absurdist and silly. There's a gag in the opening, after she's gone backstage at her TV show and is changing; she enters the scene in her trademark black, extraordinarily low-cut and wide-open black dress, and as she's talking to her agent, steps behind a changing curtain. She throws article after article of clothing over the top, as if she were changing out of a Bridgerton ballgown, way more than she was actually wearing. And when she resurfaces ... she's wearing the same dress. That doesn't mean it's all Looney Tunes humor. Elvira is know for innuendo that could probably be more accurately described as outuenndo; sex jokes that are so obvious and yet so corny they'd make Fozzie Bear say "WOKKA WOKKA!" afterwards. A perfect example is when something falls on Elvira and someone asks her "how's your head?", and she replies "haven't had any complaints yet". You can almost hear the rimshot. But they're all done in the most family-friendly way, believe it or not. This movie doesn't have a single swear word. The closest it ever gets is "crap". It's on Elvira's strengths and style alone that will determine if you will enjoy this movie. Yes, the one-liners and jokes are so corny, they're honorarily from Nebraska. Yes, the movie is crazier than the bus stop on the last day of school. Yes, there are so many cheap sex jokes, the subtitle should be "That's What She Said". And that's the point of EMotD. There's just enough spooky (not even horror) elements for horror fans to enjoy, and of course, there isn't a horror fan who doesn't love Elvira, but the comedy is just this side of acceptable for families and those with goofy senses of humor. If you don't know from this review alone, you'll know within five minutes whether the movie is for you or not. Nobody would slot this on the tier with comedic masterpieces like Ghostbusters or Animal House, but it doesn't deserve to be forgotten. I remember liking it as a kid, and I hadn't seen it in almost 40 years. I'm glad I revisited it, because I liked it even more now.