Spooky season may only last a short time technically, but for Cassandra Peterson, the woman behind Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, it never truly ends. She’s rolling into November with a new project that has been in the works for a while. Dynamite Entertainment and Queen “B” Productions have announced the first-ever official Elvira, Mistress of the Dark Tarot Deck. This complete 78-card deck was designed by artist and legendary horror illustrator Gris Grimly, with Peterson’s input. We got the chance to chat with Cassandra Peterson about her love of tarot, her attention to detail on her new deck, and preparing for next Halloween already.
Nerdist: An Elvira Tarot deck feels like something that should have happened a long time ago. It’s such a no-brainer. Was this something you’d wanted for a long time, or did artist Gris Grimsly approach you first?
Cassandra Peterson: We came up with the idea. Renée Watt, my partner in making this, is the Tarot reader. So we thought, “Oh my god, Elvira and Tarot, I mean, come on.”
I noticed the Empress card has your punk rock poodle Gonk in it. Were there specific Elvira-isms you wanted to be sure were represented in this deck? Might we see the Macabre Mobile in there perhaps?
Peterson: Yeah, there were little Elvira icons we tried to work in, while still keeping the purity of the Tarot. So, not taking it so far that the cards lose their meaning to anyone who really knows what the cards mean. So yeah, it was really important to keep the Elvira element in, and obviously also to keep the many symbols that go in each card. Just so the people who really know what they’re doing with the Tarot are able to use them in the right way.
I could tell that the art in this deck is very faithful to the classic Rider-Waite deck, but also the art of Edward Gorey, and other things. Did you want it to appear more classic and less post-modern, or did you give them a free pass to create what they wanted?
Peterson: It’s very important to so many people to keep it true to what Tarot Cards are. This project has been in the works for almost four years. Oh my God, it’s really the never-ending project. Then I would go over the cards, then [Gris Grimsly] would look them over, then I would look over things again, and then we would go back to the drawing table and do it again. Really, this is a passion project for all of us. It’s not just to have another piece of merchandise. It’s not like it’s an Elvira car air freshener or something.
Do you read Tarot yourself, or do you prefer to have someone read your cards for you?
Peterson: I much prefer when others do it for me. When I was younger, I used to try to read them. Back when I was a teenager. Probably about 14, maybe. I thought, “Oh, this is so cool.” And I think I read them for my friends for about five minutes. Then I would pull up the Death card and always tell them they were going to die (laughs). Yeah, that is not the correct way to read that card. I was just telling everybody, “Oh, I shouldn’t tell you when you die. Not literally.” So yes, it has a very different connotation. But I finally learned. Took me about 50 years. But I get it now!
Of the entire 78-card deck, do you have a favorite card?
Peterson: The Devil! I mean, I’m Elvira! (laughs) Actually, I just really like the art on it. I like the feel of it, and I like the interpretation.
I watched your interview with Trixie Mattel on The Bald and the Beautiful podcast the other day, and it made me realize that after all these years, maybe no one has taken notes on your career better than Trixie. Even if she’s blonde and wears hot pink. She learned all the Elvira lessons on how to brand the right way. Do you see yourself in Trixie at all?
She’s really good at all that. And you’re right, she’s so great. She is very smart, very savvy. She gave me her makeup kit. And it’s so good. She makes sure not to just put her name on mediocre products. So yeah, I’ll take a little credit for her career, thank you very much (laughs).
So it’s been a few weeks since Halloween now. Are you like the Mayor of Halloweentown in The Nightmare Before Christmas? Do you start immediately planning ahead for next year on November 1?
I take a tiny break, and then I just start working on next Halloween. We already have full plans of projects coming up next year already lined up. And we are starting to go forward on those. It takes time to design, to manufacture everything right. If you want a good product, you can’t just do it overnight. So. Yep, I’m just like the Mayor, I’m afraid. I must say that.
You can head on over to the Elvira Tarot Card set official Kickstarter page now to make your pledge. The set is expected to ship in June 2026.
The post Cassandra Peterson on Her Deliciously Dark Elvira Tarot Cards appeared first on Nerdist.
Source: Kiat Media
0 Comments