Elvira: Mistress of the Dark appears in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1 on this 4K UHD Disc. Expect a good Dolby Vision transfer given the source.
Sharpness looked largely positive. Occasional instances of softness materialized but the majority of the film offered mostly appealing definition.
I discerned no problems related to jagged edges or moiré effects, and edge haloes created no distractions. Grain leaned heavy but at least I saw no print defects.
Colors tended toward a low-key natural palette without any dominant hues. These lacked much vivacity but they felt appropriately rendered for the most part. HDR didn’t add a ton of pep to the hues, partly because all that grain made it tough for the colors to break through the murk.
Black levels appeared reasonably dark while shadow detail presented acceptable delineation. HDR allowed a bit of punch to whites and contrast. The image remained perfectly watchable, even if it never impressed.
In addition, the DTS-HD MA 2.0 soundtrack of Mistress seemed adequate given its age. The soundfield boasted decent stereo presence for the film’s score and songs, and effects broadened to the sides in a passable manner.
These elements fared best in the handful of action-oriented scenes, as those allowed the material to open up in a moderate way. Though the track occasionally showed some spark, the effects side often tended to feel fairly monaural.
Audio quality showed its age but remained acceptable. Dialogue occasionally sounded a little reedy, but the lines appeard intelligible and reasonably natural. Music showed mediocre range and dimensionality.
Effects seemed similar, though a little distortion popped up at times. Everything about this track seemed dated but decent.
We find three audio commentaries here, the first of which comes from actors/writers Cassandra Peterson and John Paragon anf actor Edie McClurg. All three sit together for a running, screen-specific look at the writing of the screenplay, cast and performances, hair and costumes, sets and locations, and general memories of the shoot.
I went into this track with low expectations, as I feared the participants would just chat amongst themselves and fail to do much to tell us about the flick. Happily, the commentary avoids those pitfalls.
Not that I think we get a great look at the film, as we don’t find a ton of insights. Still, all three create an engaging conversation with enough useful info to merit a listen.
Next comes a chat with director James Signorelli and Fangoria editor Tony Timpone. Both sit together for their running, screen-specific discussion of cast and crew as well as various production domains.
With the director in tow, I expected Signorelli to dominate the track. Instead, Timpone finds himself forced to do most of the heavy lifting, as Signorelli offers little.
I almost felt bad for Timpone, as he tries to get the filmmaker to offer notes. Which he does occasionally but infrequently enough that this becomes a spotty track despite Timpone’s efforts.
Finally, we find a commentary from Elvira website operator Patterson Lundquist. During his running, screen-specific chat, he talks about production topics and movie trivia.
On its own, Lundquist’s commentary seems pretty mediocre. Though we find a fair amount of dead air, we also hear some decent notes.
However, screened after the other two commentaries, Lundquist’s tends to seem redundant, as he repeats a lot of the same material from those discussions. That leaves this as a pretty superfluous track if you check out the prior two as well.
The movie comes with an optional introduction from director James Signorelli. It goes for one minute, nine seconds and just offers multiple flubbed takes of his attempt to welcome us to the disc. Skip it.
Two new video programs arrive, and Too Macabre goes for one hour, 37 minutes, three seconds. It involves Peterson, Paragon, Signorelli, producer Eric Gardner, writer Sam Egan, special makeup artist Steve LaPorte, PR expert Tony Angellotti, puppeteer Mark Bryan Wilson, monster sculptor Yancy Calzada, and actors Kurt Fuller, Ira Heiden, Kris Kamm, Daniel Greene, Susan Kellerman, W. Morgan Sheppard, and Susan McNabb.
“Macabre” looks at the path Elvira took to the movie screen, story/characters and writing the screenplay, cast and performances, aspects of the shoot, various effects, locations and sets, the movie’s release and its legacy.
Inevitably, some material repeats from the commentaries. Nonetheless, “Macabre” becomes the best summary of the bunch, as it offers a tight little overview of the production.
Recipe for Terror spans 22 minutes, 12 seconds. It offers notes from Signorelli, Wilson, Calzada, Sheppard, Peterson, La Porte, Greene, and VFX illustrator Larry Nikolai.
This one brings details on many of the movie's effects, especially in terms of the crock pot monster. It delivers useful info.
In addition to two trailers, we wrap with six Image Galleries. These break into “Production Stills” (88), “Behind the Scenes” (31), “SFX” (67), “Original Storyboards” (25), “New York Premiere” (7) and “Miscellaneous” (9). These conclude the disc on a positive note.
Although I went into Elvira: Mistress of the Dark with low expectations, it still failed to live up to my hopes. Witless and almost entirely devoid of humor, it becomes a chore to watch. The 4K UHD comes with generally good picture, adequate audio and a nice mix of bonus features. Fans should like this release but I find little to enjoy from this dopey flick.
