Cassandra Peterson, aka Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, has made a lucrative career for herself starring as the horror hostess. Since Elvira debuted in 1981, the queen of campy movies has evolved into a cultural icon. Her flirty performance and constant double entendres titillate viewers as much as her low-cut dresses do. Ever since Peterson created the character, there has never been a shortage of Elvira content and merchandise. Her image has graced Halloween costumes, comic books, dolls, even pinball machines. Among her fans are many other horror legends, like the late Vincent Price and the king of horror, aka Stephen King.
Now, 40 years since her debut, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark can claim a net worth of at least $3 million. Let’s take a look at Elvira’s story, and see how a showgirl from Las Vegas became a million-dollar horror icon.
10 She Started Acting In 1971
While still working as a dancer she landed a brief appearance in the James Bond film Diamonds are Forever. Her next on-screen role would come thanks to a chance meeting with legendary director Fredrico Fellini, who immediately cast her in his movie Roma.
9 She Became Elvira In 1981
After a handful of modeling jobs and other small television and film roles, Peterson auditioned for the part of a B-movie horror hostess. KHJ-TV announced they wanted to revive The Vampira Show but had a falling out with their original host, Maila Nurmi. She auditioned, workshopped her character and the famous buxom dress, and thus Cassandra Peterson became Elvira. Elvira’s Movie Macabre premiered on September 26, 1981.
8 She Was One Of The First To Market Video Box Sets
Peterson cashed in on the then new and growing VHS market of the 1980s at the height of Elvira’s popularity. Along with her show, Peterson began a straight-to-video series called ThrillerVideo, where Elvira would introduce viewers to b-movies not shown on her network program. Peterson would later release more straight-to-video sets and would branch into DVDs in the early 2000s. Two of her best sellers have been Elvira’s Midnight Madness, and Elvira’s Box of Horrors.
7 She Made Two Elvira Movies
In 1988 Peterson was finally the star of her own film, Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, which she also co-wrote. The film only grossed $5.5 million domestically but now it enjoys a cult following and Peterson continues to collect residuals. Her second Elvira film, Elvira’s Haunted Hills (which was NOT a sequel to the first Elvira movie) was shot in Romania in 2000 and premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2003.
6 She Doesn’t Only Play Elvira
Peterson has been acting since 1971, both as Elvira and as characters not related to her horror persona. One of her most famous appearances was as the Biker Mama in Pee-Wees Big Adventure. She also works as a voice actress and has appeared in series like Scooby-Doo and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
5 She Successfully Merchandised The Elvira Brand
Along with the impressive list of content, Elvira has also graced us in three computer games, three different pinball machines, and can be found in the 2017 release of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. Five Elvira albums have been recorded and released since the 1980s and Peterson is the sole proprietor of the official Elvira merchandise store.
4 She's Landed Multiple Book Deals
In the 1980s DC Comics published a short-lived series titled Elvira’s House of Mystery. In 1996 Peterson wrote three Elvira novels published by Beverly Books, Transylvania 90210, Camp Vamp, and The Boy Who Cried Werewolf. They went out of print during the early 2000s but were re-released as Ebooks 2018. Her memoir, Yours Cruelly Elvira, was released this year.
3 She Returned To Television In 2010
Elvira’s Movie Macabre officially went off the air in 1986 but the Elvira brand was still going strong. The success of DVD rereleases of her show by Shout Factory and her box sets launched the revival of her original show, Elvira’s Movie Macabre in 2010. The show aired on ThisTV until 2011. She reintroduced a new generation to Elvira with 13 Nights of Elvira, a 13 episode series released on Hulu in 2014 that is still being syndicated on streaming services like Amazon Prime.
2 She Became A Gay Icon
Elvira has always had a strong following in the LGBTQA community. Peterson regularly uses merchandise proceeds to donate to Pride and other LGBT causes. She has been a Pride parade honoree multiple times. In her new memoir, Peterson came out as bisexual.
1 Elvira Is Now Worth $3 Million
Since returning to horror hosting in 2004, Elvira has kept the dress on while appearing at countless comic book and horror conventions. Peterson claims that she is currently working on a sequel to Elvira’s 1988 film. Her latest contribution to her fans is her memoir, which has gone viral over the news of Peterson coming out, laying down the foundation for it to become a bestseller. With the residuals from multiple acting jobs, clever merchandising, a dedicated fanbase, and always growing popularity, it should be no shock to anyone that Elvira is such a success.
