Every day Robert Saucedo shines a spotlight on a movie either so bad it’s good or just downright terrible. Today: As bad as it wants to be.
A tongue-in-cheek send-up of a 1950s science fiction film, The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra is hilarious in its awfulness.
Seemingly built for late-night movie watching parties among slightly inebriated friends, the movie is laugh-out-loud funny as it celebrates and builds upon the clichés that helped earn legendary director Ed Wood his infamous legacy.
When a deadly serious scientist (played Larry Blamire) and his bubbly wife (Fay Masterson) embark on a trip into the woods, they are on a mission to locate a meteor that contains Atmosphereum, an elusive element that potentially holds the key to mankind’s salvation.
With aliens, mutants and mad scientists on the prowl, though, the two become entangled in a web of mock-horror.
An insane lab jockey with dreams of conquering the world, Dr. Roger Fleming (Brian Howe) is also in search of Atmosphereum. He plans to use the element to resurrect the evil skeleton that resides in the cave of Cadavra.
Also in search of the element are two well meaning, if slightly clueless aliens named Kro-Bar and Lattis (played by Andre Parks and Susan McConnell). The two are an extraterrestrial couple who need the meteor in order to repair their spaceship after it crashed on Earth and, unfortunately, let loose a bloodthirsty mutant upon an unsuspecting town. The mutant, of course, is played by a man in a suit and looks like a cross between Sid and Marty Krofft’s rejection pile and something from Kaiju Big Battel.
Much like the dangerously cheesy movies that it mocks, the film’s plot is just gift wrapping for a greatest hits collection of genre standards. Eclectic happenings find a home in this bizarre movie — with a place for everything from wacky weapons made from household appliances to a mysterious half-animal, half-woman temptress named Animala (Jennifer Blaire). Writer/director/star Blamire cleverly inserts satire among his slapstick humor — helping to sell this retro-comedy. The script cleverly parodies the schlock-tastic dialogue of ‘50s science fiction movies to perfection. As characters spit out groan-worthy dialogue that would make a sane man’s ears bleed, fans of bad movies will stand up in their seats and cheer.
The movie is filmed in black and white and features a standard science-fiction score that helps add to the legitimacy of the proceedings.
Part of the movie’s charm is the way it takes itself completely seriously throughout the 90-minute running time. Unfortunately, like most one-note joke ideas, the movie occasionally contains slow parts that loll in the humor department — but honestly audiences will be too busy resting their smile muscles to care too much. More hilarious jokes are, after all, just around the corner.
The actors are exceptional at their atrocious performances. Never letting in on the joke, the stars all help to carry the sight gags and innate dialogue with flair so believable, one begins to wonder if some of the today’s notoriously bad actors may be faking their lack of talent as well. I’ve always suspected Tara Reid was up to something.
While most modern spoofs seem to find the need to hide behind gross-out humor and sex jokes, The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra has a PG rating and is so cleverly crafted, it never strays from the wide-eyed innocent roots of the genre its spoofs.
The cast and crew responsible for The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra has filmed a sequel entitled The Lost Skeleton Returns Again.
With a limited theatrical debut this spring and home video distribution plans to be announced at Comic-Con, it looks like fans of The Lost Skeleton will have something to celebrate soon.
I, for one, can’t wait.
Here’s a short teaser for the sequel:
Robert Saucedo is a scientist. He doesn’t believe in anything. Follow him on Twitter @robsaucedo2500.
