The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra (Special Edition)

Corny, pretentious dialogue. Hokey special effects. Stereotypical characters. Inept pseudo-science. A lame plot full of holes.

So why even bother watching "Lost Skeleton of Cadavra"? Well, to start with, there's the fact that it's not a hokey sci-fi movie, but a clever, hilarious spoof of those old cheap movies made in the 1950s. It's gloriously pompous and idiotic, with some of the best/worst dialogue outside a Christopher Guest mockumentary. ("Why shake when we can touch other things... like lips.")

Scientist Paul Armstrong (Larry Blamire) and "scientist's wife" Betty (Fay Masterson) arrive at a rural area, looking for an asteroid made out of (I am NOT making this up) "atmosphereum." Little do they realize that evil Roger Fleming (Brian Howe) has found the Lost Skeleton of Cadavra, which needs atmosphereum to move, and subsequently conquer the world, yada yada.

To make matters worse, a pair of aliens have landed. Not only do they ALSO need atmosphereum, but they have let a lethal Mutant loose on the countryside. Both the aliens and Roger manage to infiltrate the Armstrong cabin to find atmosphereum. Now Betty and Paul must befriend the aliens, and stop the evil Skeleton and the killer Mutant.

The entire movie is mockingly affectionate of those old sci-fi movies -- it's even filmed in the same location as most of them. The costumes are cheap, the aliens are cheesy, and very few of the events make any logical sense. When the Armstrongs and aliens sit in a spaceship and drink "cranberroid" juice from decorative candleholders, the goofiness is officially complete.

Admittedly, the plot does slow down to a crawl in the middle, and seems to temporarily lose its way. But fortunately it's peppered with high-school special effects (check out the skeleton climbing down the rocks), ridiculous props (spot the caulk gun), and the giant fish-faced Mutant, who falls for the Earth girl. It's practically a checklist for old cliches.

And then there's the horrible dialogue. One clunky gem: "It is different, this 'Earth' as it is called. But then are we of the planet Marva -- as we call our planet -- not also strange and different to think planet and its people also?" The best plot twist would have to be the "Bride of the Lost Skeleton" scenes, which would have made a great title for the movie.

Director/writer/actor Larry Blamire is wonderfully emotionless as Paul, saying lines like "Betty, you know what this meteor could mean to science. It could mean actual advances in the field of science!" with a straight face. I certainly couldn't. He's solidly backed up by a cooing Fay Masterson, intentionally wooden Andrew Parks, and a goofily seductive Jennifer Blaire.

Made on a shoestring budget, with terrible effects and costumes and a clunky script, "Lost Skeleton of Cadavra" is a delicious little spoof. Now to wait for the sequel, "Trail of the Screaming Forehead"!

I watched this film last night and cried with laughter numerous times!

This is such a great tribute to those sci-fi films of the 1950s. I love bad movies and this was a true B movie. It was both humourous and educational (with lots of science).

Watch for the not-so-special effects, cheesy dialogue, horrible costumes, and all that science! A great re-creation / tribute to the genre.

It could easily become a party movie like the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Or not. Either way, it was awesome!

"Lost Skeleton" is a brilliant parody/loving homage to those wonderful old B-movies (and Z-movies!) of the 50s and early 60s. The whole thing is played straight; no "Airplane"-style sight gags or knowing winks to the audience. The dialouge is clunky and cumbersome, the camera work is flat and unimaginative,the props are made from common household items, and the even the setting is a cliche (it was filmed in Bronson Canyon, made famous in countless bad horror films). To say much about the plot would spoil the fun, but you can expect a stalwart scientist (played by writer/director Larry Blamire) and his wife, two "aliens... from outer space" and thier pet mutant (with prerequisite bad costume), an evil scientist (with a great evil laugh!) and his beautiful assistant created from forrest animals, and the evil Skeleton. If you get the jokes, you will probably be doubled up from laughter within five minutes. If not, you'll most likely be bored though the entire film. The one major criticism of the film I had was that the joke wore thin in the middle of the film making it seem too long for what it was. Things pick up again for the finale, however. The extras on the DVD are almost as funny as the film itself (especially the perfectly toned trailer), and the whole thing makes a great party film for fans of the genre. And I just have to add on last thing about Jennifer Blaire as Animala in that skin-tight catsuit...ROWR!
Enjoy!