For decades, Elvira, the Mistress of the Dark, has been the undisputed queen of Halloween. But the 1980s were her heyday. Back then, she hosted horror films, adorned bedroom posters, and starred in her own feature film. But in 1987, as a Coors Light spokesperson, Elvira curated several Halloween songs for a 3-hour stint as an FM radio DJ. It was all prerecorded, of course, and sent to various radio affiliates across the country. It remained lost for years, but YouTuber Groovy Stuff got hold of the LPs used for broadcast, and uploaded them. You can listen to all 3 hours of Elvira’s Halloween Party from 1987 down below:
The most enjoyable part of this, besides hearing Elvira skewer celebrities of the day, is hearing some familiar voices. Cassandra Peterson’s old Groundlings comedy troupe buddy, the late Phil Hartman, shows up, as does his SNL castmate Jon Lovitz. During the broadcast, Elvira plays most of the Halloween hits we expect. So yeah, we’ve got “The Monster Mash,” and Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London.” And, of course, “Science Fiction Double Feature” from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. But Elvira also gets esoteric. She includes songs like Fred Schneider of the B-52s’ “Monster in my Pants,” and Sting’s “Moon Over Bourbon Street,” inspired by Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire. The Mistress of the Dark throws in a few of her own songs too.
These days, Cassandra Peterson, the real woman behind the icon, is retired from donning the black wig and tight black dress of Elvira. But, she still curates Elvira as a brand. There’s no shortage of Elvira merchandise during spooky season. But while she’s not wearing the eyeliner anymore, she still sounds just like she did. Maybe she can resurrect Elvira (voice-over only) for a new radio show? We can think of plenty of spooky hits that have come out in the last 35 years that would make for a great playlist. We’d absolutely tune in for Elvira’s Halloween Party Part II.