Elvira's Haunted Hills (2001)
A feature film so terrifying, you will die...laughing.
I promised some comedy, so I picked the comedy that would be the most terror-filled for a modern time - innuendo-laden inappropriate humor! A castle filled with so many spooks it’s positively trying to bust out. A ghoul with a pretty massive name. A flick so thrilling you’ll go stiff - with fear! This and other boob-themed jokes, tonight at nine with your hostess with the mostess as she takes us on an adventure to Elvira’s Haunted Hills.
Look, maybe I’m trying to slightly oversell the horror elements, but can you blame me? At it’s core, it’s a bit like Elvira takes on Edgar Allen Poe with all the stuff that would entail, and to some that could mean there is a frightening undergarment all dressed up in the comedic styling of your favorite ghoul from when people were more about stuff like shock-jocks and the monster matinees. Elvira and her helper are on their way to a show in Paris when they make a sidestep at a guy’s castle. It’s not just any castle or guy though, it’s a cursed castle with a cursed guy! Thrills and chills and so many innuendos await as we uncover the root of hauntings and deaths and curses, all while being hypnotized and intrigued by a cast of right characters.
The actors seem to be having a ball here. It is admittedly one of those movies where it’s hard to call - with plenty of cheese, camp, and crude jokes it’s really hard for it to feel like it’s necessarily got some super-class acting in it. On the flips side of that though, everyone is doing a great job of being exactly what it feels like was intended on screen, be it over acted, acted goofy, or whimsically serious. At times it’s a bit like some goof walked into the middle of a stage play, and other times it’s like a more campy three stooges with more boob touching gags. If you’ve seen Elvira before, you already probably have a great idea of what to expect from the acting and the movies - very similar to the other two I’ve watched, although at least here it might be a bit more played up movie-wide for the actors as it doesn’t feel like it trifles too long with any super-serious shall I say “realistic” elements as far as being a live action cartoon.
The characters would be something you would expect to have no level of depth to them at all. Funnily enough however, it actually does put it in there. Remember that comparison I said earlier about Edgar Allen Poe? Yeah, you get some lines that feel right up home in that material, and in turn the characters feel like it to. It’s not just a wacky cursed guy, it’s a wacky cursed guy who has this problem or that problem, or love triangles or some such thing. Most characters end the movie being something other than what they started at - even if it’s not necessarily a big build to it. For as much depth as it might seem, I admit that it can fall rather flat at times with how it actually feels that depth is - like it’s just the illusion of depth. Sure, it gives characters something progression-like, but it also didn’t really earn it enough that you feel like this is a person whose changed because of their experiences. Of course, Elvira starts and ends as Elvira as well, so although characters certianly exist, I wouldn’t necessarily think of it as though they were something truly elaborate as much as enough there to keeping things fun or entertaining.
Just a couple of girls in the country-side.
When it comes to the comedy content, the old adage of mileage will vary still applies. If it fits your kind of humor - the kind of humor that involves bust oriented jokes, slapstick, or hijinks - then you’ll probably have a good or great time. If the idea of accidental boob touching sends you into an uncontrollable rage or makes you feel like some “filthy peasant stooping to the bottom rungs of comedy” then it' probably isn’t for you. For me, it had some fun moments. There’s puns in there, and finding what new way someone found to work Elvira’s boobs into a joke is always entertaining. It’s a modern PG-13, so you know nothing is going to get to explicit - but it’s not like it tries to hide what it’s joking about either. The “polishing the gun” joke is a great example there - if you didn’t realize it was a masturbation joke there’s a possibility that the jokes are a little too low-class, or that you just don’t quite have as dirty a mind as the movie expects you to have. Of course, there are still plenty of gags like people getting hit by rakes or scaring each other to go with all the more naughty jokes - and if that kind of stuff just isn’t your type of thing even if it is in a good-humored movie, then just realize going in that perhaps the comedy really isn’t going to land for you.
When it comes to the setting and props, things are pretty good. Sure, the inside of the castle certainly looks and feels like a set, but it’s not like that’ s a bad thing. In fact, it really wouldn’t be too surprising to figure out that this is intentional, as plenty of these horror-host type films and folks know dang well what they are doing in regards to that. It ends up being more homage then feeling cheap like there just wasn’t a budget (which some would argue is some of the problem when modern movies opt to go very heavy green-screen work for their settings). Some of the effects work can be a bit budget, like bodies or body parts coming off usually looking impressively like a mannequin, or some of the stuff looking like the equivilant to a modern day person learning about After Effects. The movie really isn’t trying to feel super expensive though, so it might be surprising to find that it never really takes you out of the movie. If anything, it just feels like a good spot for you and your buddies to get an extra laugh about. Still, some of the stuff still looks pretty good - like any “ghost” see-through stuff or the multiple times something is getting smokey. It might not be an effects masterclass - but it all works with the movie and it’s jokes regardless, so that’s the most important part.
Sound is good. Honestly, sounds it the part that worked best for me, as tonight the video side of things as I was trying to stream it from Amazon keep hitching up and freezing before catching up, almost like everything but the audio was buffering. I’m chalking it up to the lovely folks at Spectrum still not knowing how to not rob people of money for a subpar service when they live in the middle of the county (like, farm country). Line deliveries where on point, and there’s a few times I wonder just how many takes had to be done because someone would start laughing when they shouldn’t be. It’s not to say that it’s a comedy master-class or something that would blow expectations out of proportion, but I had plenty of chuckles, snorts, and a few laughs out of it. Thing was probably one fart joke shy of being my exact humor level, so it has that going for it. As far as the thougtful stuff goes…I don’t know. Usually when I say I don’t know it’s just because I really don’t want to think and get into stuff, but in this case I just don’t really feel like I have a finger on the pulse of if anything I can come up with is overthinking it or intentional. For example, the way Elvira (the character) approaches things about sexuality and the likes is very forward thinking - very “who cares, sleep with who you want as long as everyone is down with it” kind of forward thinking. She’s not out there shaming people for stuff, you know? She’ll use her assets if it benefits her (and heaven knows movie-wise for a joke), but if she want’s nothing to do with it you best leave her be or get a swift gothic kick to the creaky chandelier bits. She might be the damsel in distress at the end of the movie, but if the stud muffin isn’t working on her schedule she’ll just save her own dang self. That’s the kind of stuff that I mean - I feel like there’s a lot of folks who would beat each other up over if Elvira counts as a strong female lead character - some from a literary point, others from a “wholesome” point I’m sure. It’s also funny then that the movie also has a lot of themes about evil adulterating contained within it as well. Again, perhaps all that is overthinking it - maybe it’s just there because that’s the character and that’s the jokes, but maybe it’s not you know?
A movie busting with jokes.
Elvira’s hills might not be for everyone regardless of if they are haunted or not, but I had a good time with the movie. It’s the kind of flick that reminds you that sometimes you can just kick back and watch something for some stupid laughs that can be raunchy without being overly graphic about it. That super low V cut of that Morticia Adams style dress and stylish cleavage of Elvira has always been a part of the character as far as I know, and that vampire-witch allure that comes with it has probably captivated tons of folks since she first threw on the character back in the 80s. It’s good-natured fun and really plays into it’s strengths- although I suppose that statement might feel different on where your beliefs let things like being overly sexual or free stand. I think most of us would be happy enough watching the movie - but hey, comedy is a doozy really, you either like it or you don’t you know?