简介：TheLostSkeletonofCadavrawonoverB-moviefanswithitsspot-onparodyof’50screaturefeatures. Nowthe2001indiecomedyhasspawnedasequel,TheLostSkeletonReturnsAgain,thatonceagainturnsanaffectionateeyeonearlysci-fiandhorrorflicks,thoselow-budgetgemsthatcontinuetocharmaudiencesthathaveatastefortheiruniquemixofnostalgiaandbizarrehumor. TheLostSkeletonReturnsAgain,whichscreensforthefirsttimeNov.9inLosAngeles,wasshotin12dayswithabiggercastthanCadavra’sandmorethan10timestheoriginal’smeager$40,000budget. Cadavrawriter,directorandstarLarryBlamirereprisesthosedutiesforthemovie’smore-ambitioussequel,onceagainplayingdisillusioned,skeleton-battlingscientistDr.PaulArmstrong. Thestorypicksuptwoyearsafterwhereitspredecessorleftoff,"asoldfriendsandnewenemiesschlepintothedreadedValleyoftheMonstersinsearchofyetanotherrareelement,"accordingtothemovie’spressmaterials. BostonnativeBlamiresaidtheoriginalLostSkeletonemergedoutofasimplequestion:Couldyoumakeamoviefor$40,000? "Mywife(JenniferBlaire,AnimalafromLostSkeleton,photobelow)andImovedtoLosAngelestoworkforaninternetcompany,"BlamiretoldWired.com."Butwearrivedjustintimefortheinternetbubbletoburst.So,we’relivinginL.A.andwonderingwhattodonext.Whatdowedo?Wehadnosafetynet." Blamirewasdiscoveringdigitalvideoandwonderingifhecouldmakeamovieonthecheap.Scrapingtogether$40,000frominternetworkandturningtoacollectionoffriendshe’dmadeinLosAngeles,hesettledintowrite,directandeditTheLostSkeletonofCadavra. Theendresultwasabargain-basementcultclassic.Atatimewhen"independentfilm"isoftencodeforarty,modest-budget,studiomovies,Cadavrawasgenuinelyindependent—madeonanextremelylowbudgetandshoppedatfilmfestivalsuntilitlandedawell-earneddistributiondeal.Afterthemovie’ssurprisesuccess,BlamireandhiscrewputinplaceasystemthatmimicstheoneemployedbymakersoftheearlyDisneymovies,pouringmoneymadefromoneproductionintothenextuntilthere’saflowingpipelineofflicks. TheirstartermoviewassomethingofanunlikelyfoundationuponwhichtobuildaHollywoodempire.InCadavra,acompletesetof’50scinematicclichescollide—withcheapeffectstomatch. "Weusedamedschoolskeletonduringtheproduction,anditslowlydeterioratedoverthecourseoftheshoot,"Blamiresaid."WewererunningaroundBronsonCave[betterknownasthe1960sBatCaveentrance]onthesly,carryingbonesandtryingtoreassemblethebody." Cadavratellsthestoryofascientist,Armstrong,whoheadsouttothewoodswithhiswife,Betty,to"doscience"withtherarestofallelements,Atmospherium.Thepileofbonesreferencedinthetitleneedsthesamemineraltoreturntolife,andtwoaliensfromtheplanetMarva(yes,they’recalled"Marvins")alsoneedAtmospherium,tofueltheirspaceship. AccordingtogenrefilmdevoteeDanMadigan,Blamire’sinspirationsharkbacktothefilmsofSamArkoff,JimNicholsonandSamKatzman. "Tocallsomeofthoseperiodfilmsshamefullyneglectedmaybestretchingitabit,"Madigansaid. HerattlesoffdirectorslikeEdwardL.Cahn(InvisibleInvaders,CreatureWiththeAtomBrain),RichardE.Cunha(Frankenstein’sDaughter,SheDemons),GeneFowlerJr.(IMarriedaMonsterFromOuterSpace,IWasaTeenageWerewolf)andHerbertL.Strock(HowtoMakeaMonster,Donovan’sBrain)ascreatorsofsimilarlyinfluentialflicks. Theseearlysci-fiandhorrormoviemakers"fascinatedandfrightenedteenagersmoresothanthethreatoftheColdWar,"saidMadigan,acontributortoTheBookofLists:HorrorandauthorofSeeNoEvilandMondoLuchaaGo-Go. "Blamire’slovefortheseandotherfilmmakersofthatperiodisevidentinalmosteveryframeshotandeverylineuttered,notsomuchasaparodybutoutofdeferencetowhentimeswerethoughttobesimpler,"MadigansaidofCadavra."Justwatch1957’sTheAstoundingShe-MonstertoseewhatinspiredBlamire’ssexy,black-tights-wearingvixenAnimala—thestuffthatfueledmanypre-adolescentboys’hormones." OnesecrettoCadavra’ssuccess,accordingtoBlamire,wasthechoiceofagenrethatnaturallylookedcheap—andthedecisiontoplaytothatcheapness.Ithelpedthathesharedhisloveoflow-budgetsci-fi/horrorflicksofthe’50sand’60swithacircleoffriends,asocialnetworkthatbroughttalentlikeFayMasterson(TheQuickandtheDead,EyesWideShut)andBrianHowe(EvanAlmighty,DejaVu,photoright)toCadavraandBlamire’ssubsequentfilms. Cadavra’spinpointgagsandgood-heartedre-creationof’50sadventuresearneditrecognitionasoneofthetopindiefilmsof2004bytheIndependentFeaturesProject,andBlamireandhiscompanyrodethatsuccessintotheirnextmovie,TheTrailoftheScreamingForehead.Thefull-colorproductionfeaturedstop-motionanimationendorsedbythelegendaryRayHarryhausen. LostSkeletonfanshavepesteredBlamireaboutthefateofForehead,whichhasappearedatfilmfestivalsbutfailedtolandadistributiondeal.Withoutgoingintogreatdetail,BlamirepromisedaDVDreleasein2009. FollowingForehead’sfailure,Blamireandhiscorpsofactorssetuptheirowncompany,BantamStreet,andsettoworkonLostSkeletonReturnsandDarkandStormyNight,amore-ambitious,’30s-esquemurdermysteryspoofinvolvingelaboratesoundstagesetsandeffectsbyChiodoBrothersProductions(TeamAmerica,Elf). Next,Blamireislookingforwardtoshootingthesci-fiadventureVoyagetothePlanetofSpacewithyetabiggerbudget. "And,atsomepoint,we’dliketotakeonaseriousproject—adramaticstory,"hesaid.…