25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Elvira -Great! DVD quality - poor!, October 26, 2004
This review is from: Elvira's Box of Horrors (DVD)
It is great to see Elvira making appearances on DVD again.
Unfortunatly, the video quality of the DVD's leave something to be desired.
I have a High definition TV and when I played the "House on Haunted Hill" DVD the video quality was terrible!
Nothing like the single "House on Haunted Hill" DVD issued earlier, which is crisp and clear.
The movies in this DVD set seem to be of a poorer quality than their single release DVD counterparts.
If you like to see Elvira, then this set is ok, but if video quality matters to you, I'd suggest that you get the original DVD releases instead.
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31 of 38 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not what I expected, and thats good ,, ish, October 5, 2004
This review is from: Elvira's Box of Horrors (DVD)
For only $30 bucks, I picked this little gem up today and I recomend this for all Elvira Fans.
First, I didn't know it was being released, I just saw it on the new release shelf and thankfully had the money.
I thought these were just DVD copies of Elviras Old Movie Macabe. Where she gave a hilarious opening intro to the film, and an equally funny, ending segment. Elvira's appearance time itself was only about 5 mins per movie, and thats kind of stayed the same, but what I was supprised at was that all the Elvira in this DVD set was newly filmed.
I expected the host segments would be the same ones simply filmed in the 80s from the movie macabe.
nope, Casandra Peterson filmed all new openings and ending segments just for this DVD set. Its obivous because the picture Quality is greatly increased and Elvira makes some cracks about DVDs. So all this is deffinitly new.
Whats more interesting, is that before she would only host the movie before and after, now she appears periodically throughout the film giving snappy one liners. So now you have a reason to watch the films instead of skipping to the end.
I think thought they should have advertised Newly Filmed Segments on it, becuase many others will just think its a rerelease of her old footage.
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the downsides. unfortunettly that there are some.
The segements that intercut with Elvira are inserted into the film digitally, so there is this distracting 1-2 sec delay, like the DVD stops playing. Its a technical thing, but its distracting enough to make you forget what was previously said, and ruins Elvira's jokes by making them fall flat at times.
another downside to the new technolgy is the more powerful camera. Casandra is pushing past 50 right now, and she is working wonders, but having high quality footage really shows off her age. You can tell she uses every make up trick to hide it, but its noticebale, and kind of sad almost. She came off much more convincing ten + years ago. also, her jokes aren't as funny, in Movie Macabe she would do alot of things with props and gimicks like a KFC buket or a telescope, kind of like a plot in itself. thats seemingly missing, and the set piece she uses is very boring. It lacks the atmosphere and details her previous ones had.
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The problems are just minor ones, the set is still hillarious, and well, at 50, we are lucky Cassandra will still do things with Elvira. Heck at this point, anything having to deal with Elvira and the word new is a rare thing. That alone warrants a purchase from Elvira Fans.
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18 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pleasant Nightmares..., January 5, 2005
This review is from: Elvira's Box of Horrors (DVD)
Parody Queen of All Media and Mistress of The Dark, the immutable Elvira returns with this ghoulish offering, presenting such Horror classics as The Little Shop of Horrors, Night of the Living Dead, House on Haunted Hill, The Brain the Wouldn't Die, and Carnival of Souls. These may already be in one's possession, but for those who do not yet own these marvellous bits of sinematgraphic arcana, it is well worth the acquisition.
Unfortunately. Movie Macabre is not yet in circulation, as fantoms have been awaiting this hopefully impending release, filled with her salaciously morbid wit and seductive charm, with that seemingly paradoxical "valley girl" attitude. For a time, there were VHS releases entitled "Thriller Video" featuring the Vampiric Vixen, which has since sunk into obscurity, yet may still be available at certain libraries, where I was fortunate enough to find several of the shows, as well as two original copies from an acquaintance.
Her image and persona has certainly been the inspiration for subsequent dark darlings such as the luscious Ivonna Cadaver who hosts Macabre Theatre with Butch "Eddie Munster" Patrick, quite the Morticia-like looker herself; Morticia, who may have actually inspired Elvira, both of whom were obviously inspired by Vampira {Plan 9 From Outer Space}, the original silver-screen dark lady of the night.
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