Elvira’s Haunted Hills (Collectors Edition) (blu-ray film review).
Contrary to what Elvira says in her introduction, her second film, ‘Elvira’s Haunted Hills,’ wasn’t made a long time ago but in 2001. The setting was much further back. 1851, and in the Carpathia Mountains in Romania, on the way to Paris, Elvira and her put-upon servant Zou Zou (actress Mary Jo Smith) get a lift from Dr. Bradley Bradley (actor Scott Atkinson), where they stop off at one of his patient’s homes, Castle Hellsubus, for the night. He introduces Lady Ema Hellsubus (actress Mary Scheer) and her father, Lord Vladimer Hellsubus (actor Richard O’Brien). There is also Lady Roxana Hellsubus (actress Heather Hooper), who thought Elvira was her late auntie, and the castle is cursed, and she wrangles a lift in the morning to escape.
It should be obvious from entering the castle that this is a homage to the Roger Corman Edgar Allan Poe movies and Vincent Price himself.
Roused from sleep by her servant because of the noise, Elvira goes down to the dungeon to investigate but finds the library instead. She meets Adrian (actor Gabe Andronache), the stableman who speaks out of sync.
In the morning, Elvira, Zou Zou, and Roxana are prepared to depart, but Bradley has already driven the coach to the nearby village, where a plague is raging. When she goes to find him, she discovers a graveyard and meets Lord Vladimer, who explains how his wife, Elura, who bears a passing resemblance to Elvira herself, committed suicide.
Lord Vladimer is convinced his dead wife is alive after seeing her ghost. They dig up her grave, and the coffin is bare, but, alas, Roxana dies, and they don’t waste the coffin as you do. The rest is a spoiler. Don’t take the chop.
The audio commentary is with actresses Cassandra Peterson, Mart Scheer, and Mary Jo Smith; actor Scott Atkinson; and director Sam Irwin. Atkinson reveals the voice he used was based on George Sanders. All the Romanians were stage and film actors. They all enjoyed doing this, especially considering how cold Romania was in the winter.
There are a lot of extras. The first two, ‘Making Of Featurette’ and ‘Transylvania Or Bust,’ differ from each other by 6 minutes, 22 minutes, and 28 minutes, respectively, and feature discussions between the production and cast about the movie. Produced independently, a significant portion was funded by Cassandra Peterson’s million-dollar investment in Romania, where production costs were lower yet yielded favorable outcomes. We filmed one of the opening scenes outside at -12C, and the two actresses’ attire effectively concealed the temperature. Peterson relied on her old improvisational Groundlings for some of the parts, which came in handy when they had to change scenes at short notice. The sets were obviously all practical and, especially with the pendulum dungeon, far exceeded expectations. Don’t forget, the film was based off the Corman film’s look, but seeing these sets being built is quite eye-opening, and I’m surprised more films aren’t made there. Of course, there are the usual challenges such as translation, dietary restrictions, the cold weather, and so on.
“Elvira’s Romania Featurette” stands out at 46 minutes. The film begins with a brief interview in windy Romania, where she remains scantily dressed despite the likely cold conditions. From that point on, the film remains silent, simply capturing footage from our haycart rides and visits to Castle Dracula and a nearby marketplace. You do have to wonder what the tourists made of her back in 2002, although none of them ran screaming. The Romanians have accepted the vampire legend’s tourism more than the dictator who inspired it.
The 6-minute “Interview With Actor Richard O’Brien” focuses on “The Rocky Horror Show” and the various records it has achieved. The ‘Outtakes’ segment, which lasts only 55 seconds, features a limited selection from the ‘Photo Gallery.’
A few years ago, I made a significant effort to obtain a DVD version of this film, and I believed it to be significantly better than the reviews suggested. Seeing it again now, my comments still hold up. Don’t expect it to be comparable to ‘Elvira, Mistress Of The Dark.’ They are distinct entities with limited resources, yet they provide a great deal of enjoyment in their own unique ways.
GF Willmetts
November 2024
(pub: 101 Films, 2024. 90 minute film with extras. Price: £15.00 (UK). ASIN: B07GNV91TD)
cast: Cassandra Peterson, Richard O’Brien, Nacy Scheer, Scott Atkinson, Mary Jo Smith, Heather Hopper and Gabe Andronache
check out website: https://101-films-store.com/products/elviras-haunted-hills-2001-blu-ray
