The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra

Resigned to the dusty shelves of video stores, 1950s B-grade science-fiction films get a nod in this part-parody, part-tribute, all-laughs comedy. Lost aliens, a jailbird mutant, competitive scientists, an errant meteor, and a hibernating power-hungry skeleton are woven together in a silly, ludicrous plot. The film has only one location--a remote mountain area--nailing the 1950s aesthetic of the uninhabited wilderness, and also recognizing the cheap production costs for which these locations were picked. Shot in black-and-white video, the film recalls the look of many early sci-fi pictures, even going so far as to include the errant sunlight and stark shadows during night scenes, an obvious reference to the rudimentary lighting used back then. Campy, humorous dialogue between the characters demonstrates a time when men were scientists--strong, stolid, and logical--while women remained dainty and spent their time in the kitchen. The camera often lingers on the characters, giving them time to overdramatize and really punctuate their ridiculousness. Perhaps the most obvious reference to B-movies is in the costuming. The humans wear typical 1950s garb, the aliens are festooned in garish silver-glitter suits, and the mutant is hilariously fashioned from throw rugs and Halloween detritus. Even the strings which animate the skeleton are on display in this hilarious send-up of an obsolete era of film, the golden age of B-list sci-fi. (Verleiher-Text)