Dr. Grant Walker (Mike Capes) is a paleontologist who discovered the fossilized anus of a raptor, the kind of artifact that should have made him a legend but instead was stolen by the Tyler Corporation — not run by Steven Tyler — and the depression that came with this loss cost him his girlfriend Amber (Caitlin McHugh) and now finds him working in a dinosaur theme park, attempting to teach kids about science but instead doing dances with security guard and dinosaur suit wearer Denny (David Shackelford).

Yet life is looking up. It turns out that Amber is back in town, even if she has a young daughter with a name that no one can remember. There’s also a mystery, as a child and the guard dog for the park are both missing and gigantic piles of excrement are left in their place. Dr. Grant is sure its a raptor, but then he learns that his fossil created an invisible raptor which was to be used as a weapon for the government but has escape its captivity.

The journey to find the raptor will bring Dr. Grant and Amber back together, perhaps make Dr. Grant and Denny pals for life and definitely have them digging through a pile of raptor road apples in a child’s bedroom and finding a retainer, which is a definite sign that the raptor has a sweet tooth for little kids, even if they don’t want to tell the child’s grieving, drunk and attractive mother that news. The trail leads them to a chicken farm, run by Henrietta McCluckskey (Sandy Martin), where the raptor keeps assaulting the chicken mascot statue.

How did they make this monster? The answer is simple. “‘Did you see Jurassic Park? We did that.” Yet what this hilarious movie from director Mike Hermosa and co-writers Mike Capes (yes, the same person playing the lead) and Johnny Wickham does is audacious. It’s not just a loving homage to the biggest dinosaur movie ever, it’s also the second invisible dinosaur movie after Sound of Horror.

This is set in Spielburgh County and the jokes come fast and ZAZ-style furious, even having a moment that echoes Gary Busey’s weapon-filled vehicle in Predator 2 and so many nods to Amblin productions.  Yet even in this film that laughs at nearly ever demise and is filled with copious gore, it has a heart, an appearance by Richard Riehle as the town’s sheriff and several redemption stories. And oh yeah, a Sean Astin cameo and Vanessa Chester, Ian Malcolm’s daughter Kelly in Jurassic Park: The Lost World, shows up as a DJ.

I loved it, but then again, I’m a sucker for movies that reference movies and are filled with poop jokes and gore. You can even get an action figure of the Invisible Raptor here!

I watched The Invisible Raptor at Pigeon Share FrightFest. It’s the UK’s best, brightest, and largest independent international thriller, fantasy, and horror film festival and has three major events each year in London and Glasgow. Learn more at the official site.