Movie Macabre
February 22nd, 2011 by John WolfeI’ve had this song’s tune stuck in my head ever since stumbling on the revival of Elvira’s Movie Macabre last October, though I never knew it actually had lyrics until searching around on YT a few days ago. Oh, yeah, by the way, the song’s called, “What Can I Do?” and it’s by The Black Belles.
Source: YT user, ElviraVideos
The original 1980′s Movie Macabre was a must-see for me every Saturday night at midnight. I can still remember my grubby, little eight-year-old paws firing up the 10 inch black and white television in my room. Ever so carefully I’d turn the knob, hoping my parents wouldn’t hear the tell-tale popping sound of the set coming to life.
Then, I’d gently close my bedroom door to prevent the Mistress of the Dark’s ethereal glow from filtering out into the hallway. Ah, the lengths a boy will go to just to watch some schlocky B-grade horror movies (Yeah, sure, that’s the ticket — I was just tuning in to watch the movie, dad. I swear…lol). Sort of reminds me of Ralphie and the leg lamp in “A Christmas Story.” 
As I was digging around Wikipedia and YT for more Movie Macabre flashbacks, I found out Cassandra Peterson (the actress who plays Elvira) has led a pretty interesting life, from partying with Jimmy Hendrix and Elvis, to singing lead vocals in an Italian rock band, to being a showgirl in Vegas. Not to mention, she’s also a big vegetarian, which is aces in my book!
Here’s a cool interview with Cassandra discussing the origins of Elvira:
Source: YT user, TangibleDreamsEnt
If you’re interested in checking out the new Movie Macabre, it can usually be found on the “MY” television network as well as on “THIS” on Saturday nights and early Sunday mornings. And, I’m guessing it’s all over the place on cable and satellite channels.
February 23rd, 2011 at 4:02 pm
Ms. Peterson worked at Knott’s Berry Farm, performing on stage, during their Halloween Haunt when I worked there as a monster and doing props and park decorating. I got to meet and talk with her (and her body double- yes, she has a full time one) on a few occasions and they were both as sweet and funny and down to earth as they could be! It was a treat to see Casandra backstage and chat with her-she’s really a crack up to be around.
February 23rd, 2011 at 9:19 pm
Great post John! I LOVE Elvira and have enjoyed her show for years…until they had that lame show to look for the next Elvira..that’s when i kinda thought she had “jumped the shark”. I’m still a fan, find her very sexy and….well i guess i’ll stop before i drool on my keyboard!
February 24th, 2011 at 9:25 am
Cool! There’s actually a haunted house near my mom’s place that does a year round horror host program. They claim to be “coast to coast” but I’ve never been able to find that show on ANY channel. Thanks for sharing this, though!
February 24th, 2011 at 6:59 pm
Awesome tune and a great little flick you found there. I too remember tuning in the little black and white and watching late night B horror flicks. Those were the days. I remember watching Night Stalker with Kolchak the investigator. That was a great show . Too bad it only lasted one season. Aww the memories. Thanks for sharing this flick and tune with us john.
February 24th, 2011 at 9:08 pm
I’m embarrassed to say this but I never even knew her real name or what she looked like without her make-up. She’s very pretty under all that stuff. I never really got into Elvira in my youth very much. At the time I couldn’t stand how cheesy she was but as an adult I understood the humor she was adding into the show. Plus I think for most young boys/men they really watch her show for “other” reasons. Having lived with those “other” reasons all my life, what she was showing was nothing new for me for I had a pair of my own just like that
Now what I was into on a Saturday night at 11:30 was Tales from the Crypt!!! I could NOT get enough of the crypt keeper, I adored that little thing! Plus it never failed, whenever he would laugh his strange way it ALWAYS made me laugh back! Yeah…I waited up for that show with my yogurt covered peanuts lined up in front of me just so. I would bite off half of one and gently pull away half of piece of just the yogurt and save it in the line again. Once I finished the last peanut, then I slowly enjoyed the creamy sensation of the vanilla yogurt coating my warm tongue and slowly sliding down my throat. Lol, truly it was a divine experience and all through out the dreaded school week I would think of Friday night at 11:30pm. Yet again my dear, fond memories relived for me, many thanks
Nice posting.
Oh, by the way, how I adored your slight tease of your tremendous creative writing abilities of when you were in your room. You set it up so strongly for me that I felt as though I could hear your heart thumping in anticipation of getting caught, I felt the darkness around me, I felt the crackle of the tv screen and so on. I LOVE your writing. I wish you had more time to develop stories, you would be most excellent at it because you already are!
February 25th, 2011 at 6:29 pm
Camile,
What an awesome experience! I bet you had a blast being a part of their Halloween celebration! Is their Halloween celebration when they start calling the park Knott’s Scary Farms? And what a cool thing to have met Cassandra. She sure seems like a very kind person from the interviews I’ve watched.
After seeing how awesome your haunt is, I can totally understand why Knott’s had you doing props and decorating work! Thanks for sharing about your meeting with Elvira.
Fiend4Halloween,
Thanks! I haven’t heard that phrase about jumping the shark in a long time.
I remember back in the very late ’90s or early 2000 time frame when I first came across the Jump The Shark website. I never watched a lot of Happy Days, so it was only by perusing the site that I found out it referred to Fonzie and his water skiing stunt.
Hope you got that drool stopped in time before it puddled on the keyboard.
Damian,
Oh, man, I would love to catch an actual local horror host in action on television. Every place I’ve ever lived has only had the syndicated programs, never some guy or gal who’s doing it for the local folks. We do get some local stuff through public access, but it’s never horror movie-related.
ssflipo13,
Digital TV and HD are all well and good, but ever once in a while I find myself getting nostalgic for that old black and white set. I don’t think I ever saw Night Stalker, but I’ve heard of it. I’ll have to look that one up on YT.
Thanks for watching and commenting. Glad you enjoyed the vids.
Goldie,
I do remember seeing her in the mid ’80s in an interview minus the makeup and wig on some early version of a celebrity tabloid program, but I can’t remember what it was. It may have been Entertainment Tonight or that old show called PM Magazine, at least I think that was what it was called.
You must have a pair of goth-looking eyes then, too, cause I’m pretty sure the only “other” reason most men watched Movie Macabre was because of Elvira’s wicked eyes!
Just as you were sort of a stranger to Movie Macabre, I was a stranger to Tales From The Crypt. I’d catch it once in a while, but I really can’t remember why I never made sure to tune in on a more consistent basis, especially considering I’ve always had a love affair with Halloween and anything spooky. Thanks for sharing your memories of watching, even down to the details on what you ate and how you ate it while the program was on. That’s some great recall. I love it!
Glad you liked the way I described my experience as an eight-year-old. Thanks. Writing things like that comes quite easily for me, cause I was always doing goofy stuff like that as a kid. I was always curious and always trying to find ways to learn about things most other kids didn’t have any interest in, especially stuff grownups wanted to shield me from — guess I was born a thirty-year-old.