Horror movie hostess Elvira (Cassandra Peterson) is back with “Elvira's Haunted Hills”. Unfortunately, this sequel is significantly weaker than the original “Elvira: Mistress of the Dark”. Peterson still brings the personality and a lot of the humour is similar but the film lacks energy and the comedic timing feels off.
Elvira and her maid are travelling around Europe in the 19th century when they are invited to stay at a spooky castle. It turns out that Elvira looks just like the dead bride of Lord Vladimere Hellsubus (Richard O’Brien “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”, “Dark City”). Elvira must uncover the mysteries of the castle if she hopes to escape.
Cassandra Peterson is still charming as Elvira and she doesn’t seem to have aged a day since the first film. Elvira is of course known for wearing rather revealing clothing and is not afraid to use her assets for comedic purposes. This time, she just isn’t as amusing to watch. O’Brien is rather forgettable as Lord Hellsubus. We also have a guy doing his best Vincent Price (“House On Haunted Hill”) impression but it’s not very impressive. The movie is actually dedicated to Price as he was a friend of Peterson’s in real-life as many of his films were hosted by her when broadcast on television. The other characters in this movie are pretty bland and unremarkable.
“Elvira’s Haunted Hills” has a set that looks just like one of the “Frankenstein” films and there are traps that reminded me of “The Raven” with Béla Lugosi. There are plenty of gags in this movie but few of them seem to feel natural. The whole movie feels rather forced and it’s a shame because the star is so likeable. If you haven’t seen “Elvira: Mistress of the Dark” then check that out and then probably skip this one.