15TH ANNUAL SCARE-A-THON – PART 4 – THE LOST SKELETON RETURNS AGAIN (2009)

15TH ANNUAL SCARE-A-THON – PART 4 – THE LOST SKELETON RETURNS AGAIN (2009)

The fourth and final film of the Scare-a-thon was another film directed by Larry Blamire and a sequel to the previous film in our Scare-a-thon, The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra. The Lost Skeleton Returns Again brings back many of the characters from the Lost Skeleton of Cadavra, but instead of a parody of the 50’s b&w sci-fi cheapies, it is more of a satire of the low-budget jungle serials of the 30’s and 40’s.

The Army has sent Reet Pappin (Dietz) to Betty Armstrong (Masterson) to help them find Professor Paul Armstrong (Blamire) who has been lost in the Amazon for two years searching for Jerranium 90, a ” little rock that made all the papers”. Meanwhile, the Lost Skeleton of Cadavra’s skull has awakened to command Peter Fleming, the “good twin” brother of Dr. Roger Fleming. The skull forces Peter to the Amazon’s “Valley of The Monsters” to retrieve the Delph of Anicram that can restore his skeleton. The Armstrongs, Pappin and Fleming, who disguises the skull as an umbrella holder, join together. A crooked importer Handscomb Draile, slimy Gondreau Slykes, cheap crook Carl Traeger and evil scientist Dr. Ellamy Royne also search the Amazom for the rock and are joined by the aliens from Manerva, Lattis (McConnell) and Kro-Bar (Parks), who have returned to Earth in an attempt to help their friends Paul and Betty from the dangers they will soon find themselves in. The divergent parties soon converge in the dreaded Valley of the Monsters, and meet the ancient race known as the Cantaloupe People, who are led by their haughty queen, Chinfa (Matin). Will the Armstongs be able to defeat the monstrous Magraclop that guards the Delph of Anicram and find the hidden Jerranium 90 before evil Dr. Royne? And how the heck does Anmailia (Blaire) find herself in the Amazon and in the middle of these meddlesome people? You’ll have to watch The Lost Skeleton Returns to find those answers out for yourself!

Larry Blamire’s budget was evidently larger on this project than its predecessor, because he fills this sequel with even more bizarre and wonderful characters than the first film. Just like some of the films of the late 30’s, The Lost Skeleton Returns Again begins in black and white, but when everyone arrives in the Valley of the Monsters, the film is in full “SuperSkeletoRama” color. Like many film sequels, this one doesn’t have some of the innocent magic of the original. However, it does make up for it with even more cheesy dialogue, stiff acting, cheap effects and goofy monsters. The Lost Skeleton Returns Again is a fun way to spend 90 minutes on a Saturday afternoon and I highly recommend it.

15TH ANNUAL SCARE-A-THON – PART 3 – THE LOST SKELETON OF CADAVRA (2001)

15TH ANNUAL SCARE-A-THON – PART 3 – THE LOST SKELETON OF CADAVRA (2001)

Our next movie was The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra, which was Larry Blamire’s directorial debut. I had watched this film way back in 2004 when it was first released on DVD, but I hadn’t seen it since then, so I was hoping it would be as funny as the first time I had watched it. I needn’t have worried as this spot on satire of the sci-fi horror films of the 1950’s was just as clever and subtly humorous as I’d remembered. The story of The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra involves a scientist, Dr. Paul Armstrong - played by Larry Blamire himself – searching for and then finding a fallen meteor in the middle of a mountainous forest that “could mean actual advances in the field of science”. He is aided by his wife Betty – played by the lovely Fay Masterson - who is loyal, but not so keen on "this science stuff." They encounter an alien couple from the planet Marva, Kro-Bar and Lattis – played to a straight-faced tee by Andrew Parks and Susan McConnell – who disguise themselves as ordinary humans and attempt to obtain the meteor, from Dr. Armstrong. The meteor contains the rare ore Atmosphereum, which powers the Marvaian spaceship. Meanwhile, the evil scientist Dr. Roger Fleming (Brian Howe) is wandering the same forest, looking for the Lost Skeleton of Cadavra that will enable him to “conquer the world”. He finds the skeleton, but the immobile remains informs Fleming that he must obtain the rare ore in the fallen meteor to effect his full recovery! Fleming uses a discarded alien devise to create a female companion from various forest animals, so that he can steal the meteor from Armstrong without drawing suspicion. Animalia (played seductively by Jennifer Blamire), as he dubs her, is less than convincing, as she insists on eating with her mouth and walking on all fours. Fleming steals the meteor, reviving the skeleton, and it is up to the Armstrongs and the aliens to join forces to stop the mad plans of The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra!

Anyone who has watched any of the many low budget sci fi films of the 1950s, will appreciate the care with witch Larry Blamire has recreated the look and sound of these awful, yet entertaining films. The silly silver spacesuits of the aliens, the ray gun made from a caulk gun, the rocket ship model made from a silver spray-painted toilet paper roll, the giant “mutant” that looks like a Sid and Marty Krofft reject, the skeleton that “walks” and climbs on very visible wires… are all calculated details that make The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra look like its preposterous predecessors. Larry Blamire’s script is wickedly funny in its use of stilted dialogue, that would make Ed Wood, Jr. proud. This exchange between Dr. Armstrong and his wife Betty early in the film sets the tone for the entire film.

Dr. Paul Armstrong: Looks like a perfect day for hunting space rocks, wouldn't you say Betty?


Betty Armstrong: Oh Paul, I'm frightened.


Dr. Paul Armstrong: Wh-what is it darling? What's the matter? Tell me?


Betty Armstrong: I don't know. Nothing I can put my finger on. Not something I can see or touch or feel. But something I can't quite see or touch or feel or put my finger on.


Dr. Paul Armstrong: Oh well. Shall we find that meteor?

This is satire at its best! If you “get” The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra’s brand of humor, then you will be rewarded with many laughs throughout its entirety.

The final film in the Scare-a-thon was another Larry Blamire film and a sequel to The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra: The Lost Skeleton Returns Again, which I'll be reviewing in my post on the 15th Annual Scare-a-thon - Part 4!

15TH ANNUAL SCARE-A-THON – PART 2 - DARK AND STORMY NIGHT – 2009

15TH ANNUAL SCARE-A-THON – PART 2

DARK AND STORMY NIGHT – 2009

Keeping with the theme of funny and scary films, our next feature segued neatly from the horror happenings of The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters. Dark and Stormy Night is a modern movie (made in 2009, but just released on DVD this year) that looks like a film made in the 1940’s. The man behind this tribute and subtle satire of the classic B-movies of the 40’s is Larry Blamire. I first became aware of Larry’s films at a local science fiction convention, where Larry and many of his cast and crew, had a panel to talk about his then new film The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra. As soon as the film was released to DVD I bought it and have been a fan of Larry Blamire’s films ever since!

Dark And Stormy Night begins just after the death of the wealthy Sinas Cavinder. Coming in out of a torrential storm, family members, friends, reporters, and even a cabbie arrive at the Cavinder estate to hear the reading of Sinas' last will and testament. At the conclusion of the reading of the will, Cavinder's attorney reveals an additional sealed envelope, containing a provisional to the will. Sudddenly the lights go out and on top of the envelope going missing, the attorney is found dead with a knife sticking out of his back. Naturally, because of the storm, the phones are out and the only bridge leading to the mansion is washed out, so it is up to the guests to figure out who is responsible for the murder.

Every hoary gag and character stereotype is satirized to great effect in this film. There is the mysterious hooded figure lurking in the shadows, the deadpan butler, the wisecracking reporters and even a man-in-ape-suit. If you are a fan of old fashioned murder mysteries and scary old house movies, this is the perfect film for you. Even if you are not familiar with the tropes that Blamire so faithfully mimicks in this film, you’ll still enjoy the fast paced and cleverly written banter of the many divergent characters in Dark and Stormy Night.

The next film in the Scare-a-thon was also a Larry Blamire film: The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra, which I'll be reviewing in my post on the 15th Annual Scare-a-thon - Part 3!

15TH ANNUAL SCARE-A-THON! PART 1 - THE BOWERY BOYS MEET THE MONSTERS - 1954

15TH ANNUAL SCARE-A-THON! PART 1 -

THE BOWERY BOYS MEET THE MONSTERS - 1954

Every Halloween, my friends and I get together for a wicked scary horror movie marathon! I started this at my lab back in 1996, dubbing it the Scare-a-thon and we just had our fifteenth consecutive monster movie mash this year! I try to create a theme to each Scare-a-thon and this year’s was Old Skool Scares. I found a bunch of films on Netflix, and some on cable, that were satires or homages of my favorite horror films from the 40’s and 50’s.

The exception to this was the first feature of the day: The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters. This short feature starring the Bowery Boys was released in 1954 and was one of several films that put the boys in scary situations. The Bowery Boys have a long film history, which I won’t bore you with here. At this time, the gang consisted of Leo “Slip” Gorcey, Huntz “Sach” Hall, David “Chuck” Condon and Bennie “Butch” Bartlett. If you’ve seen one of these slapstick-filled classic style comedies, you’ve seen them all. Much like the Three Stooges, your enjoyment of these old gags is dependent on your like or dislike of the performers. The two stars of the Bowery Boys are Slip Mahoney and Sach Jones. Slip is the tough leader of the boys and his main characteristic is to use complex words incorrectly. Sach is the gentle idiot, who is the focus of most of the trouble that the “boys” get into.

In The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters, the story begins in Louie's Sweet Shop. After numerous baseballs smash Louie’s storefront windows, the Bowery Boys decide that a nearby vacant lot would be a better location for the kids to play ball, because it would be out of range of Louie’s Shop. Slip and Sach visit the owners of the lot at their home, hoping to convince them to allow the kids to use it. Unfortunately, the Gravesons are completely insane. Of course, the boys arrive in a torrential rain storm and Dereck and Anton Graveson invite them to stay the night. Both brothers are mad scientist:. Dereck wants Slip’s brain for his gorilla and Anton wants Sach’s brain for his robot. Their sister Amelia wants to feed one of them to her carnivorous tree and their niece Francine, who looks like an elderly Vampira, wants to drink their blood. When the boys don’t return from the Graveson’s home, Louie, Butch, and Chuck go there to search for Slip and Sach. However, it's not too long before they too get involved in the Graveson’s nefarious plans.

Even at sixty-five minutes, The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters is a little long. My favorite gag is one that the Three Stooges used in several of their comedy shorts. Slip and Sach are locked in a closet, while the mad scientist brothers make preparations for Slip’s operation to transplant his brain into a gorilla. Looking to escape, Sach uses some tools he conveniently finds in the closet to chisel a hole in the wall. Of course, the wall is the back of the gorilla’s cage and mayhem ensues. If you are looking for a few gentle laughs, and have tired of watching Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein, you could do worse than The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters.

I couldn't find a trailer for The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters, but here is a trailer from one of their earlier scary comedies: 1946's Spook Busters.

That was just the beginning of our film fun. Watch out of for the 15th Annual Scare-A-Thon! Part 2 for my review of our second fright flick: Dark and Stormy Night.