Elvira, Mistress of the Dark

This was a comedy, like everything Elvira did. She was funny, very down to earth and easy-going for the “star” of the movie. I got to work with Ira Heiden from “A Nightmare On Elm Street 3, Dream Warriors” again!

Ironically, I got hurt more on this movie than any other!

In the jail sequence, the kids are trying to spring Elvira from the city jail by cutting a hole in the roof. They end up cutting the hole AROUND themselves and falling into the cell next to her.

The stunt coordinator had the set builders make a fake floor and used styrofoam cups underneath that would collapse under our weight and cushion the fall. Which would have worked…IF I had weighed enough to crush them. Instead, I land very hard and my nose smashes into my knees! If you watch the sequence below you can see it!

The other stunt was climbing up to Elvira’s 2nd floor window. We end up being frightened by Elvira and I fall, but am caught by one of the guys…except that now I was too heavy, wet, and slippery to catch the first two times. Instead I fell and caught the window sill below in my ribs. Not once, but TWICE!

Mercifully, they just rigged me into a wire so that even if I fell again, I couldn’t fall very far and it look like he caught me. You can see how they sped up the video to make it look more natural.

Unfortunately, the solution to dropping me came a bit late for my floating rib on my right side, which has always floated a lot more since that night…