Panzram
06-26-2004, 12:38 PM
THE LOST SKELETON OF CADAVRA
Opening today at the Elgin Sky-Vue Drive-In is one of those new breed of Space Age thrillers that have been pulling in audiences across the nation. To be honest, your roving reporter can’t claim to be a convert – it all seems like something out of one of those science fiction funny books to me. Some may like their movies out of this world, but after watching a preview of THE LOST SKELETON OF CADAVRA, this is one roving reporter who’s glad to be standing on solid earth once more!
The film’s leads are Dr. Paul Armstrong (played by writer and director Larry Blamire), a meteor scientist, and his pretty wife Betty (Fay Masterson), a scientist’s wife. They’ve come to a mountain cabin to investigate a meteorite that evidence suggests may be composed of the rare atomic element atmospherium. Unbeknownst to our young lovers, in the nearby Cave of Cadavra, scientist Dr. Roger Fleming (Brian Howe) has found the title Lost Skeleton, and forms an evil partnership with this supernatural curio of a bygone age. In order to restore the sinister Skeleton to full life, Fleming is sent searching for atmospherium, a rare atomic element he finds nearby in the person of Dr. Armstrong, who has just discovered the meteor composed of atmospherium. But before Fleming can act, Paul and Betty escape his clutches by going inside the cabin.
Meanwhile, other forces are at work in the locality. A spaceship has crashed nearby, disgorging a married couple from the planet Marva. It is a strange visitor to our world named Kro-Bar (Andrew Parks) and his wife Lattis (Susan McConnell). They’ve become stranded on Earth because their ship has run out of atmospherium, and to make matters worse, their captive mutant has escaped and is responsible for a series of horrible mutilations, including that of a farmer and a forest ranger. Disguising themselves as normal Earth people, the spacemen gain entrance to the cabin and join the Armstrongs for cocktails. In order to appear less conspicuous, Fleming uses the alien transformation device to change a forest animal into a human date, an animal woman he calls Animala (Jennifer Blaire, who wears a tight-fitting leotard too shocking and revealing for mixed company, not to mention children).
Soon after gaining an invitation to dinner, the two pairs of villains form an alliance. At this point in the narrative, the breakneck action slows to a standstill while the antagonists discuss their plan to unite forces almost to the point of redundancy. It is the first flaw in what so far has been a top notch piece of entertainment. If only it were the last.
Soon after, Paul is hypnotized by the sensuous dance of Animala, and lured to the spaceship, where he and the aliens are captured by the Skeleton’s power. While CADAVRA features the spectacle of a rocket from outer space, it’s not all made up of scenic wonders. There’s gruesome horrors on display, not the least of which is the Skeleton itself, which is promptly re-animated by the meteor (with a little help from movie magic). With the evil Skeleton planning to force Lattis to become its bride, Earth’s only hope lies in Betty’s ability to lure the hideous mutant with a sensuous dance of her own.
While this is not one of those super color space-epics like MGM’s FORBIDDEN PLANET, Paramount’s WAR OF THE WORLDS, or Howco’s BRAIN FROM PLANET AROUS, LOST SKELETON contributes fine widescreen black and white photography to your evening’s thrills and chills. Blamire proves he has more than just matinee idol good looks going for him, providing a script for the movie as both director and writer. And that’s saying something in this age of unions and specialization.
At first, it may be that my special glasses weren’t adjusted properly, as I had difficulty experiencing the new film process advertised as "Skeletorama". But after an intermission featuring a most appropriate old cartoon called "Skeleton Frolic", your intrepid reporter began to catch on. Somehow, this process allows one to view the film again while hearing the voices of the filmmakers and cast making comment on the action, much like a narrator. This can be disconcerting, but once one gets used to the effect it can be quite pleasant, especially with a guide as interesting as the rugged Larry Blamire (though more sensitive viewers may experience headaches). The process also allows you to see scenes that were cut out of the picture, including some doozy mistakes, a short documentary about the making of the film, and some sort of press conference.
All this is fascinating, but I’m sure glad that more movies aren’t made in Skeletorama. After all, even roving reporters need their beauty sleep, and it’s hard enough with visions of space mutants dancing through my nightmares!
Opening today at the Elgin Sky-Vue Drive-In is one of those new breed of Space Age thrillers that have been pulling in audiences across the nation. To be honest, your roving reporter can’t claim to be a convert – it all seems like something out of one of those science fiction funny books to me. Some may like their movies out of this world, but after watching a preview of THE LOST SKELETON OF CADAVRA, this is one roving reporter who’s glad to be standing on solid earth once more!
The film’s leads are Dr. Paul Armstrong (played by writer and director Larry Blamire), a meteor scientist, and his pretty wife Betty (Fay Masterson), a scientist’s wife. They’ve come to a mountain cabin to investigate a meteorite that evidence suggests may be composed of the rare atomic element atmospherium. Unbeknownst to our young lovers, in the nearby Cave of Cadavra, scientist Dr. Roger Fleming (Brian Howe) has found the title Lost Skeleton, and forms an evil partnership with this supernatural curio of a bygone age. In order to restore the sinister Skeleton to full life, Fleming is sent searching for atmospherium, a rare atomic element he finds nearby in the person of Dr. Armstrong, who has just discovered the meteor composed of atmospherium. But before Fleming can act, Paul and Betty escape his clutches by going inside the cabin.
Meanwhile, other forces are at work in the locality. A spaceship has crashed nearby, disgorging a married couple from the planet Marva. It is a strange visitor to our world named Kro-Bar (Andrew Parks) and his wife Lattis (Susan McConnell). They’ve become stranded on Earth because their ship has run out of atmospherium, and to make matters worse, their captive mutant has escaped and is responsible for a series of horrible mutilations, including that of a farmer and a forest ranger. Disguising themselves as normal Earth people, the spacemen gain entrance to the cabin and join the Armstrongs for cocktails. In order to appear less conspicuous, Fleming uses the alien transformation device to change a forest animal into a human date, an animal woman he calls Animala (Jennifer Blaire, who wears a tight-fitting leotard too shocking and revealing for mixed company, not to mention children).
Soon after gaining an invitation to dinner, the two pairs of villains form an alliance. At this point in the narrative, the breakneck action slows to a standstill while the antagonists discuss their plan to unite forces almost to the point of redundancy. It is the first flaw in what so far has been a top notch piece of entertainment. If only it were the last.
Soon after, Paul is hypnotized by the sensuous dance of Animala, and lured to the spaceship, where he and the aliens are captured by the Skeleton’s power. While CADAVRA features the spectacle of a rocket from outer space, it’s not all made up of scenic wonders. There’s gruesome horrors on display, not the least of which is the Skeleton itself, which is promptly re-animated by the meteor (with a little help from movie magic). With the evil Skeleton planning to force Lattis to become its bride, Earth’s only hope lies in Betty’s ability to lure the hideous mutant with a sensuous dance of her own.
While this is not one of those super color space-epics like MGM’s FORBIDDEN PLANET, Paramount’s WAR OF THE WORLDS, or Howco’s BRAIN FROM PLANET AROUS, LOST SKELETON contributes fine widescreen black and white photography to your evening’s thrills and chills. Blamire proves he has more than just matinee idol good looks going for him, providing a script for the movie as both director and writer. And that’s saying something in this age of unions and specialization.
At first, it may be that my special glasses weren’t adjusted properly, as I had difficulty experiencing the new film process advertised as "Skeletorama". But after an intermission featuring a most appropriate old cartoon called "Skeleton Frolic", your intrepid reporter began to catch on. Somehow, this process allows one to view the film again while hearing the voices of the filmmakers and cast making comment on the action, much like a narrator. This can be disconcerting, but once one gets used to the effect it can be quite pleasant, especially with a guide as interesting as the rugged Larry Blamire (though more sensitive viewers may experience headaches). The process also allows you to see scenes that were cut out of the picture, including some doozy mistakes, a short documentary about the making of the film, and some sort of press conference.
All this is fascinating, but I’m sure glad that more movies aren’t made in Skeletorama. After all, even roving reporters need their beauty sleep, and it’s hard enough with visions of space mutants dancing through my nightmares!