Dave Kehr of "The New York Times" called it "a gray, unfunny parody of 1950's science fiction films". Roger Ebert gave the film 1-and-a-half out of 4 stars, writing that "'The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra' has been made by people who are trying to be bad, which by definition reveals that they are playing beneath their ability". Keith Phipps of "The A.V. Club" wrote that "Once the initial joke wears off, "Skeleton" is a dull slog that even the miracle process of 'Skeletorama' can't set right".