Carnosaur Movie Review

Straight from the Corman film factory, this exploitative quickie about dinosaurs harkens back to ‘50s-style monster epics. The title sequence – some really disgusting stuff apparently filmed in a real chicken processing plant – sets the tone for your basic mad-scientist plot with several environmental twists. Dr. Jane Tiptree (Diane Ladd), the mad scientist in question, has been up to nefarious doings out in the Nevada desert, something involving nasty but unseen critters who attack chickens. The film has a wicked sense of humor that gets consistently stronger and more crazed as it goes along. Toward the end, it becomes downright Strangelovian. Followed by a sequel. In true slap-dash Corman style, Carnosaur beat Spielberg's Jurassic Park to the theatres; while Carnosaur was not a box-office rival, it certainly was formidable competition in the video-rental market. And in related casting, Corman used the mother of Spielberg's female lead (Laura Dern).

1993 (R) 82m/C Diane Ladd, Raphael Sbarge, Jennifer Runyon, Harrison Page, Clint Howard, Ned Bellamy; D: Adam Simon; W: Adam Simon; M: Nigel Holton. VHS NHO