Vampira

Vampira (Maila Nurmi) and Elvira (Cassandra Petterson) collage

When Vampira Sued Elvira: Inside the Horror Hostess Feud

The original horror hostess had a bone to pick with the Mistress of the Dark.
Martin Landau, Johnny Depp, Ed Wood

The Best of Martin Landau as Bela Lugosi in ‘Ed Wood’

‘Karloff? SIDEKICK?’ We pay tribute to Martin Landau’s Oscar-winning performance.
Promotional portrait of Finnish-born American actress Maila Nurmi (born Maila Syrjaniemi, 1922 - 2008), in character as Vampiria, as she poses with her arms around the skull-topped back of a chair, 1950s. Nurmi developed the Vampira character when she was hired to host television braodcasts of horror movies on the Los Angeles station KABC-TV; she later played the character in the film Ed Wood-directed film, 'Plan Nine from Outer Space.'

Vampira: The Original Horror TV Hostess With the Mostess

Years before Elvira, there was Vampira.