Elvira is the most popular horror movie host in TV history. With her black beehive wig, tight-fitting Gothic clothes, unavoidable cleavage, and wicked sense of humor, actress Cassandra Peterson crafted her creation with care and became a comedic horror icon.
Beginning as a local horror host for L.A.'s KHJ-TV, she hosted Elvira's Movie Macabre, which showed classic (and not-so-classic) B-horror films. Her intros and wacky comedic bits were sometimes better than the films, but she did show certain horror gems. Here are the 5 best and 5 worst films curated by everybody's favorite horror hostess.
Worst: Village Of The Giants (1965)
Directed by Bert I. Gordon, 1965's Village of the Giants was based on an H.G. Wells story about a group of teenage delinquents who take a potion and become 30-foot tall giants.
The film received negative reviews and little box-office thanks to its bad screenplay and cheesy FX and direction. It is mostly remembered for its cast, which included a young Beau Bridges, Ron Howard, and singer/choreographer Toni Basil. It also saw a small resurgence after Quentin Tarantino used its Jack Nitzsche theme song for his film, Death Proof, which was one half of the "Double-Feature" film epic, Grindhouse.
Best: Let's Scare Jessica To Death (1971)
In 1971, director John Hancock gave horror cinema a unique and well-crafted tale known as Let's Scare Jessica To Death. The film concerns a woman who spent time in an institution and comes to a farm that is said to be haunted, as she begins to lose her mind.
Hancock gives the film a creepy atmosphere and allows for some effectively shocking moments. Not a big money-maker at the time of its release, this unique horror film has gone on to have a deserved cult following.
Worst: New Year's Evil (1980)
A slasher film from the heyday of that particular genre, New Year's Evil makes the grave mistake of making the killer dull and the horror and suspense non-existent.
The killer calls an L.A. Disc Jockey (Roz Kelly) and informs her he will kill a person for every time zone when the year changes and will come for her last. Most critics agreed it was a somewhat interesting idea, but the execution was beyond lackluster and the film quickly faded from memory, save for the clever title.
Best: Dracula (1974)
Horror filmmaker Dan Curtis filmed Richard Matheson's script for this 1974 television film version of Dracula. Jack Palance starred as the famous vampire and received very good notices from critics. His portrayal was more internally menacing and Palance's unique voice added a sinister quality to his incarnation.
A well-written teleplay and fine production values and direction made this film popular in its day and it is considered one of Curtis' best, as well as one of the finest in all of television horror.
Worst: The Incredible Melting Man (1977)
"Z" grade director William Sachs wrote and directed this widely panned horror film from the mid-70s. An astronaut catches a virus in space and begins to slowly melt away once he returns to Earth.
The producers tried to cash in on the film's "made-for-the-drive-in" title but audiences stayed away and critics hammered it out of cinemas. Today, the film is only remembered for its gruesome makeup FX from icon Rick Baker and for its appearance in season 7 of Mystery Science Theater 3000.
Best: The House Of Usher (1960)
Written by Richard Matheson and based on Edgar Allen Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher, Roger Corman's handsome production has gone down as one of the finest adaptations of Poe's works.
Vincent Price is a man who is trying to save his bride-to-be from a deadly family curse. Shot in Cinemascope for only $350,000, Corman's film was praised for its set design and striking visual tone, while Price's performance is said to be one of his best.
Worst: Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes (1978)
In the history of bad ideas, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes is certainly in the top five. Tomatoes mutate into giant killer tomatoes and try to destroy the Earth. Of course, this is played as a satire, but critics and audiences weren't having it.
With lower than low production value and bad writing, directing, and acting, the film quickly faded away, remembered only for its title and an ill-advised sequel from the 80s that featured George Clooney.
Best: Village Of The Damned (1960)
Long considered a sci-fi/horror classic, Wolf Rilla's Village of the Damned told the story of a small English village overrun by glowing-eyed, blonde, children with otherworldly powers who try to control the adult population.
An adaptation of John Wyndham's novel, The Midwich Cuckoos, this film was praised by critics for being intelligent and technically audacious. Elvira struck gold when she showed this pure classic of genre cinema.
Worst: Manos: The Hands Of Fate (1966)
Rightfully considered to be one of the all-time worst films, Manos: The Hands of Fate was panned by every person who had the misfortune to see it.
A strange and completely inept piece of so-called moviemaking, its inclusion as one of the films riffed on Mystery Science Theater 3000 gave it a small following and made this particular episode one of the show's most popular.
Best: Witchfinder General (1968)
Vincent Price gave a vicious and deliciously evil performance (which many consider his best) in Michael Reeves' 1968 horror film, Witchfinder General. Price plays a violent witch hunter who tears through the English countryside while a young soldier tries to stop him and his minions from murdering the innocent in the name of God.
Released in America as The Conquerer Worm, the film did well on the U.S. drive-in circuit and received mostly positive reviews from critics. 52 years later, it is considered a pure classic by horror fans around the world.