Vintage poster advertisements for shows of magic and illusions performed at the famous Théatre Robert-Houdin
Saturday, March 14, 2015
Tuesday, March 3, 2015
Elvira's Box of Horror / Elvira's Horror Classics (2004)
ELVIRA'S BOX OF HORROR (a.k.a. Elvira's Horror Classics) (2004)
TIME LIFE Video; Direct Holdings Americas Inc.
Script: Cassandra Peterson, Doug Cox, John Moody, Billy Altman
Cast: Cassandra Peterson (Elvira, Mistress of the Dark)

Now, you may be asking "What about Elvira? Does she DO anything but lay on her couch? Does she PARTICIPATE?" Of course, silly sickies! Elvira introduces the flicks, makes recurring and enlightening comments (like, why are we watching this crap?), goes on dates with characters from the films, and kicks us out of her crypt after she's done. What a woman! Want to know more? The following double-feature guide to the 3 DVDs contained in Elvira's Box of Horror reveals what kind of shenanigans you can expect from the iconic horror movie hostess.



Monday, January 26, 2015
13 Nights of Elvira (2014)
13 NIGHTS OF ELVIRA
Hulu; Brainstorm Media; 2014
Director: Jim Kunz
Script: John Paragon, Ted Biaselli, Cassandra Peterson
Cast: Cassandra Peterson (Elvira, Mistress of the Dark)
Hurrey for Hulu!!!! The online video streaming company managed to snag the Queen of Halloween for their October 2014 Hulluween fright feast... and what a great delight it was to see our favorite horror hostess showcasing a wonderful package of fun and cheesy flicks for our guilty enjoyment.
Mostly chosen from Full Moon Entertainment's feature film archive, 13 Nights of Elvira delivered one horror or sci-fi movie per night. Launching the whole freak festival was the cult-comedy classic Amazon Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death (1989), starring scream queen Adrienne Barbeau (Someone's Watching Me!; Creepshow) and a very young Bill Maher from Politically Incorrect (1993-2002) TV fame.
We're all familiar with Elvira's snickering remarks during her skits, and the traditional gimmick of showing snippets of characters from the film responding back to her, but this time we get so much more from the Mistress of the Dark as she tweets humorous commentary during the movie. Hulu viewers also get to see Elvira appearing in some of the scenes and becoming part of the action on the screen!
According to Cassandra Peterson (who portrays the horror icon), it took a considerable amount of time to acquire the films and the rights to bring us 13 Nights of Elvira. Impressive is the great job that was done, considering the limited time allowed to film Elvira's segments and edit each episode.
On board to help pull it off was scriptwriter and long-time friend, John Paragon (The Pee-wee Herman Show; Elvira's Haunted Hills), who has been teaming up with Peterson since 1981 when he was writing for her first television series Movie Macabre on KHJ-TV and guest starred as her personal obscene phone caller, The Breather.
Additional written material for 13 Nights of Elvira was provided by Peterson, herself, and Ted Biaselli, who served as writer in 2007 for the reality TV program The Search for the Next Elvira and in 2010-2011 for the cable TV show Elvira's Movie Macabre.
After a parade of demonic toys, living heads and mutant fetuses, cannibal women, homicidal puppets, villains and creatures from other worlds, a killer cookie, and a deadly bong, 13 Nights of Elvira wraps up the festivities with flesh-eating zombies from the 1968 George A. Romero classic, Night of the Living Dead!
The following episode guide includes individual synopsis from Hulu's website. Following the asterisk symbol (*) is a brief commentary by Sicko-Psychotic about the episode.
Mostly chosen from Full Moon Entertainment's feature film archive, 13 Nights of Elvira delivered one horror or sci-fi movie per night. Launching the whole freak festival was the cult-comedy classic Amazon Women in the Avocado Jungle of Death (1989), starring scream queen Adrienne Barbeau (Someone's Watching Me!; Creepshow) and a very young Bill Maher from Politically Incorrect (1993-2002) TV fame.

According to Cassandra Peterson (who portrays the horror icon), it took a considerable amount of time to acquire the films and the rights to bring us 13 Nights of Elvira. Impressive is the great job that was done, considering the limited time allowed to film Elvira's segments and edit each episode.
On board to help pull it off was scriptwriter and long-time friend, John Paragon (The Pee-wee Herman Show; Elvira's Haunted Hills), who has been teaming up with Peterson since 1981 when he was writing for her first television series Movie Macabre on KHJ-TV and guest starred as her personal obscene phone caller, The Breather.

After a parade of demonic toys, living heads and mutant fetuses, cannibal women, homicidal puppets, villains and creatures from other worlds, a killer cookie, and a deadly bong, 13 Nights of Elvira wraps up the festivities with flesh-eating zombies from the 1968 George A. Romero classic, Night of the Living Dead!
The following episode guide includes individual synopsis from Hulu's website. Following the asterisk symbol (*) is a brief commentary by Sicko-Psychotic about the episode.













Sunday, January 25, 2015
Midstream (1929)
MIDSTREAM (1929)
Director: James Flood
Script: Fanny Hatton, Frederic Hatton
Cast: Claire Windsor, Ricardo Cortez, Montagu Love,
Larry Kent, Helen Jerome Eddy, Leslie Brigham
James, an aging, but highly respected businessman in Wall Street, takes drastic measures when he falls for a beautiful young woman. After traveling to Berlin and undergoing a secret treatment that would restore his youth and vitality, James fakes his own death, assumes the identity of a fictitious nephew, and returns to claim the woman he is so desperately in love with. When he and his beloved attend a production of Charles Gounod's opera "Faust," James is unnerved by how closely the tale mirrors his own life of deception. James' fiancé witnesses his shocking breakdown and is horrified to learn the truth when he reverts back to an elderly man. It's uncertain whether a complete version of the silent film survives today. Only the sound segment of the opera performance has resurfaced and has been shared with the public.
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