Back in 2019, legendary movie hostess Elvira revealed that she had pitched a revival of her show Elvira’s Movie Macabre to both Netflix and Shudder – and that both streaming services had passed on the idea. Now Shudder is making up for sins of the past, as they have announced that they’re teaming with Elvira for a one-night movie marathon event called Elvira’s 40th Anniversary, Very Scary, Very Special Special. Better yet, this event is just ten days away!
The special debuts Saturday, September 25 at 8 pm Eastern in the US and Canada via the Shudder TV feed within the Shudder app and will also be released on demand to all Shudder platforms (US, Canada, UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand) and AMC+ beginning Monday, September 27.
Similar to the cult classic, late-night television series Elvira’s Movie Macabre, which debuted in 1981, Elvira will lend her own blend of witty commentary to a horror movie lineup that includes Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, House on Haunted Hill, The City of the Dead, and Messiah of Evil.
Elvira had this to say about the event:
It’s always tough turning 40, but what better way to mark the occasion than a one-night stand with Shudder, the spookiest of streamers? It’s going to be the ultimate Hallow-anniversa-ween bash, and you don’t want to miss it.”
Shudder’s Craig Engler added,
Elvira is a legend who’s been lighting up our screens and delighting fans for 40 years, and we’re honored to celebrate the ‘Queen of Halloween’s’ fantastic career milestone with her new ‘very special’ special, the perfect treat for Shudder members this Halloween season.”
Here’s some more information on the movies Elvira will be hosting:
Elvira, Mistress Of The Dark (1988): Upon arriving in a small town where she has inherited a rundown mansion, a famous horror hostess battles an evil uncle, and townspeople who want her burned at the stake.
House On Haunted Hill (1959): William Castle’s gimmick-laden horror thriller is a fairground fun house come to life. Vincent Price stars as a suave eccentric millionaire married to a beautiful and greedy gold digger. Together they are hosting a party in a sinister haunted house. Five guests are invited to spend the night and each will get $10,000–but only if they survive until morning. The doors are locked at midnight. Will you make it out alive?
The City Of The Dead (1960): In this atmospheric classic, a professor (horror icon Christopher Lee) sends a student to Whitewood, Massachusetts, the site of 17th century witch burnings. Once there, she learns the satanic secrets that live on.
Messiah Of Evil (1973): A young woman goes searching for her missing artist father. Her journey takes her to a strange Californian seaside town governed by a mysterious undead cult. William Huyck & Gloria Katz’s hypnotic, unsettling independent horror is a must-see gem.
A video promo for Elvira’s 40th Anniversary, Very Scary, Very Special Special can be seen below. I’m hoping this will be the first of several Elvira / Shudder collaborations, along the lines of what the streamer has going with Joe Bob Briggs.