The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra
TriStar Pictures | Release Date: February 6, 2004 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
45
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
10
Negative:
6
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
San Francisco ChronicleCarla Meyer
Delivers laughs most of the way through. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
Inspired, inventive and funnier than it has a right to be, Larry Blamire's loopy spoof of 1950s bargain-basement sci-fi and horror knock-offs gets it right where so many well-meaning efforts go wrong. Read full review
75
New York PostMegan Lehmann
A cheerfully trashy, dead-on spoof of the B-movie genre, boasts the kind of cheese-tastic effects, overcooked dialogue and rigid performances that would make Ed Wood proud. Read full review
75
PremiereGlenn Kenny
Given that the B-to-Z movies parodied in Cadavra were funny to begin with, it begs the question as to why writer-director-star Larry Blamire and company bothered. I think they’re not so much nostalgic for this type of movie as they are for the kind of laughter it provoked. Read full review
70
VarietyDennis Harvey
Affectionate spoof merits appreciation as a not-so-dumb salute to another era's ultra-dumb genre conventions. Read full review
70
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
A parody of B-movies stupid enough -- and yet with just enough brains -- to appeal to the most discriminating fans of the genre. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
A terrifyingly cheap-looking B-movie comedy mocking terrifyingly cheap-looking science-fiction B-movies. As such things go, this one has its moments. Read full review
60
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
As deliberately silly as the film is, it is very knowing and carefully thought out. Read full review
60
The Hollywood ReporterMichael Rechtshaffen
Writer-director Larry Blamire has clearly done his homework, and his playful cast nails the requisite acting-so-bad-it's-good pitch. Read full review
60
Village VoiceMark Holcomb
Skeleton may be 100 percent cult-in-a-can, but aficionados should feel sated. All others are advised to bring copious amounts of controlled substances. Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
A pitch-perfect parody of poverty row horror/sci-fi pictures of the 1950s, Larry Blamire's meticulous takeoff could easily be taken for the real thing, which is both its genius and its Achilles heel. Read full review
60
Dallas ObserverLuke Y. Thompson
The skeleton's a hoot, and the score, credited to the solo-monikered Valentino, is pitch-perfect. Some judicious editing would make a huge improvement, however, because even at 90 minutes, it feels like Blamire's stretching the joke a bit thin. Read full review
50
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Intended as a parody of B-movie fantasies from the '50s, this satire more directly lampoons kiddie thrillers like "Captain Video," putting it perilously close to the pop-culture trash it aims to mock. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
The Lost Skeleton also reminds you that real filmmaking -- the illusion of one event following another -- is actually a skill. Read full review
40
Film ThreatDon R. Lewis
A spot-on homage/parody of bad 1950's sci-fi movies. Read full review
40
L.A. WeeklyErnest Hardy
It’s amusing, but it also eventually becomes tedious, like a comedy sketch that milks a good joke just a little too long. Read full review
40
SlateDavid Edelstein
One of the deadliest things I've ever sat through and which doesn't display someone's strange mind--only someone's predilection for sniggery camp. Read full review
38
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The photography, the dialogue, the acting, the script, the special effects and especially the props (such as a spaceship that looks like it would get a D in shop class) are all deliberately bad in the way that such films were bad when they were REALLY being made. Read full review
38
Chicago TribuneRobert K. Elder
Like all B-movies (or in this case, pseudo B-movies), "Skeleton" contains sparkling moments of promise and camp performance. Read full review
30
The New York TimesDave Kehr
The question remains: why work so hard to make something deliberately bad, when the world is hardly running a shortage of mediocre movies? Read full review
30
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
Works just fine for the first half hour or so, but quickly devolves into a case of too much affection and not enough affliction. Read full review
30
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
This didn't make me laugh much, but I liked the music, a patchwork of samples culled from the various atomic-monster epics. Read full review
20
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
There's "so bad it's good," but there's also "just plain bad," and Skeleton's pre-processed shittiness spoils the fun. Read full review
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