Review
LOST SKELETON OF CADAVRA
Starring Larry Blamire, Fay Masterson and Jennifer Blaire
Written and Directed by Larry Blamire
Opens Friday, April 23
Uptown Screen
"Aliens? Us? Is this one of your Earth jokes?"
I’ve been obsessed with that line ever since I heard it in the trailer for Lost Skeleton of Cadavra. The trailer itself is a letter-perfect recreation of those wildly melodramatic previews of yore, where phrases like "Shocking!" "Incredible!" and "He Was A Man… Of Science!" scroll across the screen in lurid print. Here was a movie that promised to be just as delightfully cheesy as the old black-and-white sci-fi thrillers that so obviously inspired it – Mesa of Lost Women, Plan 9 From Outer Space, Robot Monster and the like. I couldn’t wait. (See the trailer yourself at www.lostskeleton.com.)
So, is the movie as good as the trailer? Oh my, yes.
The discovery of a meteorite made from ultra-rare "atmosphereum" kicks things off. Our hero, Dr. Paul Armstrong (played by writer-director Larry Blamire) collects the glowing chunk of radioactive rock, unaware of the sinister forces the isotope will soon attract. Meanwhile, a pair of befuddled space aliens, Kro-bar (Andrew Parks) and Lattis (Susan McConnell), find themselves marooned on Earth and in serious need of some fresh atmosphereum to repair their spacecraft. The two mild mannered extraterrestrials are also concerned that their pet mutant has escaped from his cage and might be ravaging the local wildlife. Using their "Transmutatron," the aliens disguise themselves as a seemingly normal married couple and pay a visit to Dr. Armstrong and his wife Betty (Fay Masterson). (The alien disguises are simple. Kro-bar dislikes his uncomfortable and functionless necktie, but Lattis seems quite taken with her new "inverted cloth funnel" or dress.)
None of these characters realize that an evil scientist bent on world domination has awakened the Lost Skeleton of Cadavra from its centuries-old slumber. To further his twisted aims, the mad Dr. Fleming (Brian Howe) steals the Transmutatron, and uses it to turn an assortment of forest animals into a humanoid ally named "Animala," an alluring, cat-suited quasi-human with hypnotic dance powers. Rowrr! Meanwhile, the unattended mutant is on a rampage…
The script, the acting, the locations, the special effects – every single detail of this film is a lovingly crafted homage to the cheesiest B movies to come out of the mid-20th century. My cinematic tastes might not exactly be what you’d call normal, but I had an absolute ball watching this movie. Miss it, and the Earth joke is on you. |
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