I love when they dig Elvira up for Halloween, you know it's fall when the leaves are falling and Elvira's boobs are heaving. Year after year... after year this goes on, and I have no complaints. So, how has Elvira managed to capture our imaginations for these 80 odd years? Arcane ritual? Deal with the devil? Great makeup and an even better plastic surgeon? Nope. When you break down the historical and psychological precedences, it's easy to see Elvira's lasting appeal.

Succubus

Who can resist the femme fatale? Or a femme fatale from hell? Elvira was heavily based off of Vampira, but she represents more than that. Elvira represents all the female ghouls of the world: the Vampiras, Vampirellas, the Mortiticia Addamses, the Lily Munsters, the Brides of Draculas, the sirens, the succubi. Vampira was so angry at Elvira's popularity that she actually sued Elvira for infringing on her sexy vamp look. However, as you can see, the sexy vamp is as old as time. There's something primeval about the succubus, about the temptress from beyond the grave who will lead man astray.

Funny Girls

Like the vampire and other monsters, Elvira represents another mythical creature: The funny girl. Ladies, of course, I'm only kidding; vampires are real. This is actually why Vampira failed in her lawsuit because while her character was dark but rather wooden, Elvira was dark with personality. Elvira's two main comic weapons, torpedoes if you will, are innuendos and double entendres. Often compared to a “macabre Mae West,” the similarities don't end with just their sense of humors: they both wore wigs... big, round, soft, voluptuous wigs.

So, the appeal of Elvira is basically combining two sexual icons of the mid 20th century (Vampira & Mae West) and two mythical concepts (Succubus & Funny Girls). This is a woman who can be as sinister as anyone and funny as hell.

The chart below further demonstrated Elvira's historical appeal:

Follow up:

But perhaps Mistress of the Dark says it best herself.