It’s back to the drawing board for the Mistress of the Dark, as Cassandra Peterson says Netflix has passed on her proposed Elvira revival series. Previously, Peterson had revealed she was in the process of bringing the classic horror host back to the small screen with an all-new TV series. Although talks had begun with Netflix about possibly bringing the series to the streaming service, it’s now clear that this avenue led to a dead end. “So Netflix is a no go, we tried,” Peterson says in a message posted to her official Twitter account, along with an image of Elvira spoofing the company by holding a “Death Flix” mail-in DVD. Another tweet shows a picture of Elvira looking defeated, with Peterson adding the caption, “Now what?”
This is certainly a bit of a blow for fans of ’80s horror television. Given the popularity of ’80s nostalgia, you wouldn’t think Elvira would have such a hard time finding a home. Following her tweets about Netflix, many fans of Peterson were quick to point out Shudder as a great possibility for an Elvira series. This makes perfect sense, especially when looking at the success of Joe Bob Briggs’ return on the horror network. Still, for unknown reasons, Shudder turned down the Elvira series too, according to Peterson herself. “They said no too!” the horror host bluntly says in response to the Shudder suggestions on Twitter.
Of course, there are certainly othrer directions for Peterson to take from here. Hulu and HBO Max seem like they would benefit from such a series, and the same can also be said for a variety of television networks. I don’t see why Elvira couldn’t find viewership on channels like Syfy or Starz. Even the Travel Channel sees the value in classic horror stars by bringing in Bruce Campbell and Robert Englund to host TV shows. However, considering Peterson’s comments about Shudder also saying no to the series, it’s hard to say how many companies have already turned down the pitch. Hopefully, despite the actress’ clear frustration with the project stalling at this time, someone will end up biting on the Elvira revival ASAP.
Related: EXCLUSIVE: Cassandra Peterson Talks Elvira’s Movie Macabre
In addition to relaunching a TV series, Peterson has also said she’s open to doing a Elvira: Mistress of the Dark sequel as well. Released in 1988, the original movie from director James Signorelli is considered a cult classic, but is one of those rare beloved 80s horror movies to never get a sequel. Still, just earlier this year, Peterson gave fans hope for a sequel when asked about doing a follow-up. “I’m giving this some serious thought. A LOT of people ask this question, so I’m thinking one more,” Peterson said about doing a potential sequel. Of course, it appears getting a new movie greenlit could be just as difficult as finding a home for the new TV series.
With Peterson clearly on board for another run as Elvira and with so much excitement from horror fans surrounding the idea, it’s baffling to see the revival making no progress. We can only hope we’ll get some better news from Peterson soon about the Mistress of the Dark’s return. News of Netflix turning down the Elvira revival series comes to us from Elvira on Twitter.
So @netflix is a no go 😞 we tried. pic.twitter.com/h0KWx5JDNE
— Elvira (@TheRealElvira) August 27, 2019
They said no too!
— Elvira (@TheRealElvira) August 27, 2019
So now what? pic.twitter.com/YWr1KfOpZ6
— Elvira (@TheRealElvira) August 27, 2019
