Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Non-Fiction Book Review
The woman behind the icon known as Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, the undisputed Queen of Halloween, reveals her full story, filled with intimate bombshells, told by the bombshell herself.
On Good Friday in 1953, at only 18 months old, 25 miles from the nearest hospital in Manhattan, Kansas, Cassandra Peterson reached for a pot on the stove and doused herself in boiling water. Third-degree burns covered 35% of her body, and the prognosis wasn’t good. But she survived. Burned and scarred, the impact stayed with her and became an obstacle she was determined to overcome. Feeling like a misfit led to her love of horror. While her sisters played with Barbie dolls, Cassandra built model kits of Frankenstein and Dracula, and idolized Vincent Price.
Due to a complicated relationship with her mother, Cassandra left home at 14, and by age 17 she was performing at the famed Dunes Hotel in Las Vegas. Run-ins with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Tom Jones helped her grow up fast. Then a chance encounter with her idol Elvis Presley, changed the course of her life forever, and led her to Europe where she worked in film and traveled Italy as lead singer of an Italian pop band. She eventually made her way to Los Angeles, where she joined the famed comedy improv group, The Groundlings, and worked alongside Phil Hartman and Paul “Pee-wee” Reubens, honing her comedic skills.
Nearing age 30, a struggling actress considered past her prime, she auditioned at local LA channel KHJ as hostess for the late night vintage horror movies. Cassandra improvised, made the role her own, and got the job on the spot. Yours Cruelly, Elvira is an unforgettably wild memoir. Cassandra doesn’t shy away from revealing exactly who she is and how she overcame seemingly insurmountable odds. Always original and sometimes outrageous, her story is loaded with twists, travails, revelry, and downright shocking experiences. It is the candid, often funny, and sometimes heart-breaking tale of a Midwest farm girl’s long strange trip to become the world’s sexiest, sassiest Halloween icon.
Non-Fiction Book Review: Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark
Ever since I was a boy (tween), Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, enamored me with (in no particular order) her wit, comedic timing, and, alas, her beauty. Oh, and she was the horror hostess for Movie Macabre. This show featured famous and not-so-famous B-movies similar to the USA Network’s Up All Night show hosted by Gilbert Gottfried, Caroline Schlitt, and Rhonda Shear. I can’t say for certain when I was first introduced to the macabre vixen (it might have been her 1988 feature film, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark) but I can certainly say that she left an impression. So when Cassandra Peterson’s memoir, Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark, was released in 2021, picking it up was a no-brainer.
First, I want to talk about assumptions. Growing up, I was always under the assumption that anyone on television or in the movies lived a life of glamour and glitz. I was young and naïve and grew up in the Upper, Upper part of Manhattan. No, not THE upper West side of Manhattan where Rosemary’s Baby was born and where rent costs an arm, two legs, and maybe your firstborn. I’m talking about Washington Heights where the Bronx (Riverdale) was a stone’s throw away. I wanted to be part of this Hollywood club, not for the fame and money, but because I admired the art of storytelling. It wasn’t until I got a little older and I started reading books from those in the field where the veil was dropped and truths and realities came to the forefront; books such as Bruce Campbell’s If Chins Could Kill where Campbell talks about his struggles as an actor in Hollywood and trying to make a name for himself and the complications of his personal life, Don Coscarelli’s True Indieand his self-funded Phantasm series and its subsequent sequels, Rose McGowan’s Brave and her exposing of the disgraced former Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein and her treatment by some of Hollywood’s elites – a true eye opener. I am fascinated by what happens behind the scenes and a peek behind the curtain. Reading Yours Cruellyshows that Cassandra Peterson is not the exception to the rule.
While one may say that the things and experiences that Peterson was subjected to were of her own volition, I would wholeheartedly disagree because she opened when opportunity knocked. What we, the public, are fed is a mere persona of who Peterson is and not her true self. It took me years to know that Elvira was not her real name. All this to say, that one cannot, and should not, judge a book by its cover.
Peterson grew up in Manhattan. Nope, not THE Manhattan in NYC – this one is in Kansas. As a baby, a boiling pot of water fell on top of Cassandra, severely burning 35% of her body. To say that she came into this world with a bang would be an understatement. Perhaps it was a sneak peek of things to come. Her telling about this event and divulging about her scars was a preview of the vulnerability and openness that Peterson will be with the audience. Other than her role portraying the mistress of the dark, I knew nothing about the woman behind the bangs. From my point of view, she had it all: looks, fame, and “notoriety”. After reading Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark, I realized there is more to this person, and I barely knew Elvira, let alone Casandra Peterson. There are a lot of revelations in Peterson’s book, some funny, some amazing, like meeting Elvis Presley, and other anecdotes that were truly terrifying. Her beauty was both a blessing and a curse to Peterson as she garnered the attention of those in “power”. She is gifted and talented, but many men took advantage of her youth and naivety. One terrifying encounter describes her sexual assault at the hands of a famed NBA player. This was very disheartening and tragic. She also speaks of her encounters with Tom Jones and the legendary Frank Sinatra – none of which were good and made me look at them in a different light.
But Peterson, as I learned, is resilient and persevered against the odds. Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark is the story of the many challenges Peterson encountered in her life starting from birth, to her time as a showgirl in Las Vegas, her time sent with the comedy troupe, The Groundlings (with the late Phil Hartman) and the tribulations she went through making Elvira a “household“ name. It is an encouraging story of courage, change, and hope. Peterson’s showed tenacity to “make it” or, rather, keep pushing through, no matter the obstacles faced. This book is a must-read if you want to know the real Elvira, Cassandra Peterson, and not her gothic persona. Elvira is a fantasy conjured to capture the attention of the male (and female) gaze. Peterson’s story is both triumphant and tragic but, take note, it may be triggering to some.