Skeleton Cop

 



Director - Chad Knauer (Murder Clown 1985)
Starring - Richard Bauthier (Harvest of Blood, Beer Run), Chad Knauer, and Ronald Grimwood (Black Box, Rotten Harvest)
Release Date - 2019
Genre - Horror/Action/Crime
Tagline - "He's got a bone to pick...with crime!"
Format - Streaming (online screener)

Rating (out of 5):

      Everyone knows me for my love of horror.  At work and around town people often refer to me as the horror guy and I'm absolutely okay with that.  My movie collection is roughly 95% horror and about 99% of my reviews are horror but my original intent for my reviews was to review old exploitation flicks from the 70s and 80s.  That took the backseat when indie directors started requesting I review their films before Horror Society brought me on.  I love exploitation cinema and Blaxploitation flicks are where my true love lies.  A week or so ago I saw a post from director Chad Knauer in a horror group asking for reviewers.  I was curious and got in contact with him where he sent over info on his new short Skeleton Cop.  This short looked like it was everything I didn't know I was looking for and I couldn't wait to check it out.  Thank you Knauer for allowing Horror Society and myself the opportunity to see your new short.

     The film follows a rogue cop who happens to be a skeleton who is partnered with by the book detective.  The two must work to overcome their differences before their city falls under the control of an evil ninja gang. 

     I'll be honest here.  I went into this one with high hopes.  When Chad sent over the film's artwork I immediately fell in love with it and I needed this film to be just as awesome as the poster.  Lucky for me the short was amazing and provided me with everything that I love about independent cinema.  The acting in this one is campy but on purpose.  At least the cast makes it feel like they are overacting to make it feel campy and fun.  I absolutely love the characters and the amount of fun they had on screen.  The story for this one is every cult cinema fan's dream.  We have ninjas, a skeleton cop, more ninjas, and an octo-squirrel.  The short packs a lot of action and fun story into short a running time.  In fact, the film is just too damn short.  I would have loved to see how insane a feature length film would be.  Finally, if you want a gory flick you may want to go somewhere else.  The film is bloody and we have a great stop motion/visual effects scene near the end but that's about the end of it there.  I did enjoy how they did the skeleton scenes which not only looks great but it does add a little sense of humor to an already absurd film.  Overall, Skeleton Cop is a necessary watch for any grindhouse movie fan.  Fans of classic martial arts, crime, and any other late 70s exploitation will love what Knauer has brought to the screen.  Check it out.