Elvira: 'Burns Made Me What I Am Today'

Horror icon [Cassandra Peterson](https://contactmusic.6lgx.com/cassandra-peterson) owes her interest in everything spooky to a horrific childhood burning accident - because it made her feel like a monster.

The actress, also known as ELVIRA, MISTRESS OF THE DARK, was hooked on horror films as a child because she found them strangely comforting.

She says, "I was severely burned, and I felt a little like a monster myself.

"I think I related to people like [Frankenstein](https://contactmusic.6lgx.com/frankenstein) and [The Mummy](https://contactmusic.6lgx.com/the-mummy). The burns made me feel like an outcast and a loner. I certainly was not popular. I was a major geek.

"Thirty five per cent of my body was skin-grafted, and I spent three months in the hospital."