Rating: **
Review Date: 2/25/24
Director: Larry Blamire
Cast: Larry Blamire, Fay Masterson, Andrew Parks, Susan McConnell,
Brian Howe, Jennifer Blaire
"I'm a scientist. I don't believe in anything."
Scientist Paul Armstrong (Larry Blamire) and his wife Betty (Fay Masterson) rent a cabin in the woods while searching for a meteor that landed nearby. Meanwhile, another scientist named Roger Fleming (Brian Howe) is searching for the legendary Skeleton of Cadavra, which conveniently happens to be in the same place. On top of that, an alien spaceship crashes in the vicinity and a dangerous mutant escapes. The aliens need a rare radioactive element called atmosphereum to refuel their craft, Dr. Fleming needs atmosphereum to bring the sinister Skeleton of Cadavra back to life, and Dr. Armstrong needs atmosphereum to further his research and make the world a better place.
The film is intended to be a parody of cheap 50's sci-fi horror films, but it lacks subtlety and pushes the joke too far. Some of the writing is genuinely clever and funny, but most of it seems to only exist to pad the film's running time. However, the actors do an excellent job of delivering the awkward dialog with equally awkward and wooden performances. Fay Masterson is extremely charming as Betty, and Jennifer Blaire is a hoot as a slinky creature that was created by combining several forest animals. The visual effects are appropriately tacky, and the fantastic music score is the best and most authentic part of the film. Unfortunately, the film fails to capture the look of vintage 50's cinematography. The lighting is flat and the lack of contrast and deep shadows makes for a drab-looking picture. It also lacks the sharpness of film, and looks like it was simply shot on video and desaturated in post.
Overall, the film thinks it's more clever than it actually is, and I didn't enjoy it as much as I was hoping to. Perhaps if it were trimmed down to about an hour I would have found it more entertaining.