The Beast of Hollow Mountain (1956)

User Rating:

4.8/10   

Directors:

Edward Nassour
Ismael Rodríguez

Writers:

Willis H. O'Brien (story)
Robert Hill (writer)

Release Date:

August 1956 (USA)

Genre:

Western | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

One Day After A Million Years It Came Out Of Hiding To... Kill! Kill! Kill!

Plot:

An American cowboy living in Mexico discovers his cattle is being eaten by a giant prehistoric dinosaur. |

Plot Keywords:

Cattle | Young Boy | Loss Of Father | Hat | Quicksand

Cast

Guy Madison	...	Jimmy Ryan
Patricia Medina	...	Sarita
Carlos Rivas	...	Felipe Sanchez
Mario Navarro	...	Panchito
Pascual García Peña	...	Pancho
Eduardo Noriega	...	Enrique Rios
Julio Villarreal	...	Don Pedro
Lupe Carriles	...	Margarita
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Manuel Arvide	...	Martínez
José Chávez	...	Manuel
Roberto Contreras	...	Carlos
Armando Gutiérrez	...	Employee
Margarito Luna	...	Jose
Jorge Treviño	...	Shopkeeper

Also Known As:

El monstruo de la Montaña Hueca
La bestia de la montaña (Mexico)
Valley of the Mists (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

81 min

Country:

USA | Mexico

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:12 (nf) | Finland:K-16 | UK:U

Filming Locations:

Churubusco Studios, Mexico City, México D.F., Mexico

Company:

Nassour Brothers-Peliculas Rodriguez Productions

Trivia:

The beast was animated using two separate stop-motion animation methods. A two foot-high armatured, rubber covered model was moved, exposing a frame at a time. Also utilized was replacement animation", a technique involving several different models of the same character made of plaster, each slightly different to represent a particular action. When filmed in sequence for a few frames per second, the illusion of motion is achieved. The breathing effect of the creature was accomplished by pumping air in small increments into a cavity of the throat of the two foot-high model and then releasing it in the same manner. When seen on the screen the throat rises and falls creating the breathing effect. Two large rubber feet were filmed for the shots of the monster walking. These 'feet' were worn as shoes by a technician.

Quotes:

Jimmy Ryan: Start thinking with your head instead of your gun.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Svengoolie: The Beast of Hollow Mountain (#1.4)" (1995)

Not as good as Gwangi, but still enjoyable.

The first dinosaur/cowboy movie is not as good as The Valley of Gwangi but it is still a treat.

The worse part about this movie is that the dinosaur doesn't appear until the last half-hour. It is worth the wait though. When it does appear, we get to see a pretty impressive stop-motion Allosaurus.

Although Willis O'Brien wrote the story, it would have been better if he did the stop-motion. I read somewhere where he was to have done this, but didn't due to the low budget.

The cast includes Guy Madison and Particia Madina.

This movie is worth checking out. Excellent.

Rating: 3 and a half stars out of 5.