Search - Elvira's Haunted Hills on DVD

Still scaring up laughs.

Patterson Lundquist | Atlanta, GA | 08/26/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After a long (13 years) absence since her first motion picture (1988's Elvira, Mistress of the Dark) the wise cracking horror hostess is back. Now it's the mid 19th Century, the setting Transylvania, the star none other than Elvira. While en route to Paris, to star in "Yes, I Can Can," Elvira and her robust French maid Zou Zou find themselves in creepy mysterious castle Helsebus. A foolish choice to hitch a ride on a stage coach lands them in Weird Central, where the family is cursed, the Master of the House (played by Rocky Horror's Richard O'Brien) is a lunatic, and Elvira apparently bears a striking (like a frying pan across the head) resemblance to the House's late lady, Elura who was said to have committed suicide exactly ten years to the day. However one is lead to believe foul play was involved, that one happens to be Elvira. Can Elvira survive this creepy castle and its inhabitants for two full days and nights? Will she escape and make it to Paris? Or will she suffer the same fate of Elura Helsebus?--- This movie pays fiendishly fun homage to the old Corman/Poe, Vincent Price flicks of the 1950's. Complete with dramatic sets, secret passages, curses, wall entombment and even a pit complete with full swinging (and actually dangerous just ask Elvira) pendulum. While Elvira fans will find this gothic romp a hilarious hay ride, non Elvira fans are sure to find something to enjoy. Besides Elvira's gravity defying pair this movie actually proves to hold up against today's market of CGI laden movies, with Hollywood big names and multi million dollar budgets. All said and done, Elvira's Haunted Hills are definitely worth surveying. Mr. Price would be proud."

Another fun, funny and long overdue Elvira adventure!

Matthew L. Mutchmore | Indianapolis, IN | 10/04/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Finally! After 14 years, Elvira's second feature film debuts. It's quite different from her first, but equally entertaining. Setting out to spoof some of her favorite horror films, Cassandra Peterson and her writing partner John Paragon fuse elements of the classic Roger Corman/Vincent Price/Edgar Allen Poe films The House of Usher, The Pit and the Pendulum and The Tomb of Ligea into a campy farce - perfect fodder for Elvira's unique talents.Elvira recruited Rocky Horror's Richard O'Brien as her co-star, and he gives a great performance as Lord Hellsubus. Rounding out the cast are several members of L.A.'s Groundlings comedy troupe, Mary Scheer and Mary Jo Smith. Heather Hopper is terrific as Hellsubus's doomed sister, and Scott Atkinson does an amazing job as the two faced doctor with both an aristocratic and cockney British accent.The sets are enormous and detailed. The cinematography is virtually flawless, and there are several very well done special effects (and Elvira comments on them in the film...). Of course, Elvira's campy quips and physical humor are the stars of the show. There's also a great running gag with the stableman's bad English dubbing. All in all, this is a long overdue and highly enjoyable adventure. Well worth checking out, especially if you enjoy Elvira's first film, or if you're a fan of the Roger Corman Poe films. You might also want to read the Elvira series of paperbacks(if you can find them...), also written by Cassandra Peterson and John Paragon...Elvira Transylvania 90210, Elvira Camp Vamp, and Elvira The Boy Who Cried Werewolf....they are a lot of fun too."

Taken in context, this is well-done

Venus A. Rachal | California | 01/08/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"When I first rented this over the weekend, I thought it was bad. I expected something more like Elvira's Mistress of the Dark movie, which is fabulous. However, as I started looking at the special features of this film, I realized what the film was trying to accomplish and the budget that they worked with and it was actually a very good film when looked at this way.

Haunted Hills is a parody of old Vincent Price/Roger Corman movies. If you are a fan of old-school horror, this film will make so much more sense for you. Because I had not seen these movies when watching the film I was ready to trash it even though I generally love Elvira!

My only qualm was the scenes with Elvira and the stable-hand, Adrian. They wanted to make a joke about dubbed movies (and coincidentally the actor did not speak a word of English) so he spoke all of his lines in his native Romanian tongue and while it was funny in the first scene they had together, I got frustrated with it by the end of the movie. I kept hoping he would suddenly start speaking in English though I was amused that they kept the bit going through the whole film (then I learned that there was a good reason for it!).

I think part of the difference between this film and the last one is that the first film probably had a higher budget. Some of the actors were working on no budget/low budget as a favor to Cassandra and the director. Having financial support can go a long way into the quality of a film.

That being said, this has got plenty of Elvrira and lots of boob jokes and boob shots. The performance by the actor playing Dr. Bradley Bradley was very good and I also enjoyed the actress playing Lady Hellsebus. I also liked the costumes, though there were different period styles combined together.

So, if you are looking for a very contemporary horror-esque comedy you are not going to get this movie. It's very cliche because it really is trying to be very cliche. Once you understand that, the movie will be so much more enjoyable."

Elvira is BACK!....finally!!!

Byron Kolln | the corner where Broadway meets Hollywood | 11/08/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"ELVIRA'S HAUNTED HILLS is the Mistress of the Dark's long-awaited followup to her beloved first time, 1988's ELVIRA, MISTRESS OF THE DARK. It has been well worth the wait, believe me!In this loving parody of the Hammer and AIP gothic-horror films of the 60's, Elvira plays a busty entertainer circa 1851, who gets caught up in a tangle with the mysterious residents of the Castle Hellsubus. Vladimere Hellsubus (Richard O'Brien - THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW) takes a shying to Elvira when he discovers that she looks exactly like his dead wife Elura, who died under mysterious circumstances.Together with her robust maid ZouZou (Mary Jo Smith), Elvira sets out to escape from Vladimere's evil house and pendulum, with her cunning tricks and her showstopping number "Le Music Hall".Hilarious. Filmed entirely on location in Romania, the production values are lavish and Elvira looks as gorgeous as ever in the long-overdue sequel that will surely be relished by fans.Also starring Scott Atkinson, Mary Scheer and Heather Hopper.The DVD includes making-of featurette, trailer, Richard O'Brien interview and photo gallery. (Single-sided, single-layer disc)."