Elvira clones seize the Queen Mary

Cassandra Peterson, the little redhead beneath the big black wig and swirling eyeliner, may be 55, but her character — Elvira — will live longer than that if she has any say in it. In an attempt to put herself up there with Santa on the cultural-icon pedestal, Peterson's getting on the reality TV circuit, with The Search for the Next Elvira, in which the Mistress of the Dark seeks out “a surrogate handmaiden with whom to share her personal appearance duties.”

Folks may be under the impression that this is an attempt to bring Elvira's career back from the dead — but that's far from the truth, says Peterson's personal assistant and professional Elvira impersonator Christian Greenia. The woman gets some 500 e-mails from fans around the world every friggin' week, and her calendar's booked throughout the year . . . especially around October.

On Friday, FOX issued an "open-casket" call, and Gothed-out wannabes of both genders boarded the Queen Mary for their chance make fools of themselves on TV.

Cheesy? Campy? Yes, we have photos.