The statement, "A film doesn't just stop, it ends," indicates the need for closure, for a resolution, for a thematic conclusion, rather than simply for the plot of the film to come to an end and for the film to be over. Whether a film has ended or not is dependent entirely on the degree to which the ending relates to what has gone before, for it is in the unfolding of the film from the beginning that the seeds of the ending are planted. Issues are raised in the course of every film which need to be addressed and not left hanging. A film might leave its plot hanging by omitting important details or plot resolutions--we see this too often with mystery or suspense films that do not answer the questions they raise. Other films may not be quite so overt in what a resolution would be, but they leave the viewer dissatisfied because there is no resolution just the same. The comedy Elvira, Mistress of the Dark is a minor film by any measure, amusing but not particularly strong as comedy or as an example of filmmaking. The film does have a resolution of its plot and its thematic content, however, though it arrives at this point through some questionable means.
The ending of the film finds Elvira fulfilling the dream she expressed at the beginning of the film--she is playing Las Vegas. This is a simple act, and yet it resolves the stated theme directly by including a song which also speaks to the viewer and says that your dreams can come true. That statement is not a great philosophical concept, but it is sufficient to carry this film and to make sense of much of its plot. The film as a whole suffers from an excess of what might charitably be called serendipity and at worst constitutes arbitrariness. That is, the character are not in control of their destiny to any real extent, and the resolution of the action is more artificial than organic to the material.
From the beginning of the film, Elvira has a goal--she wants to play La...