Beast from Haunted Cave (1959)

Director:

Monte Hellman

Writers:

Charles B. Griffith (story)
Charles B. Griffith (screenplay)

Release Date:

October 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Horror | Romance

Tagline:

Horror Beyond Words!

Plot:

Gangster Alexander Ward, his girl friend, Gypsy Boulet, and two henchmen come to Deadwood, South Dakota with the idea of stealing a few gold bars...

Plot Keywords:

Cabin | Explosion | Cave | Ski Instructor | Heist

Cast

Michael Forest	...	Gil Jackson
Sheila Noonan	...	Gypsy Boulet (as Sheila Carol)
Frank Wolff	...	Alexander Ward
Richard Sinatra	...	Marty Jones
Wally Campo	...	Byron Smith
Linné Ahlstrand	...	Natalie, the bar-girl
Chris Robinson	...	The Beast / A Bartender (as Christopher Robinson)
Kay Jennings	...	Jill Jackson (Gil's sister)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jaclyn Hellman	...	Jill Jackson (scene added later for television showings)

Also Known As:

Creature from the Cave (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

75 min | Spain:71 min (DVD edition)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Unrated (video release) | USA:Approved (original rating) (certificate number not listed) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Spain:13

Filming Locations:

Deadwood, South Dakota, USA

Company:

Gene Corman Productions

Trivia:

This Roger Corman-produced "quickie" was the first directing job for Monte Hellman.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Fantastic Fantasy Fright-o-Rama Show Vol. 1 (1996) (V)

A pleasant surprise

In the great scheme of all things cinematic this is certainly not a great movie, but it is in many ways an intriguing one. Made in 1959, it is billed as and pretends to be another example of the '50s creature-features, but it largely eschews the standard formatting of those films for a deeper, character-driven narrative, more in common with subsequent films of the sixties and beyond. In that sense, it is slightly ahead of its time.

In fact, the horror elements take a back seat for much of the film, which plays more as a drama of tensions between a band of criminals and the skiing guide they have hired as part of their cover story. From this point of view, the film's real strengths come to light. The characters are written as though they could be actual people and not just devices to move the plot along, as some earlier films of the genre tended to portray their casts. The photography is very good, and there is a superb performance by Sheila Noonan as a troubled moll, one that virtually carries the movie and makes it much more interesting whenever she is on screen.

While the characterization is good for a B-movie, the writing is somewhat uneven. There are some quite deep philosophical insights offered up by the characters, such as the benefits of city life versus country living. If the writer wanted to take these musings in a more serious direction, perhaps this could have been Beast From Plato's Cave. But we can't read too much into a film where the guide's sister - Kay Jennings in a neat little performance - tries to sweet-talk a handsome stranger with the line "Did I tell you I knitted this sweater?" to which he replies "Is knitting your scene?" Some find the ending quite disturbing and scary for a film of its time. Others may find it somewhat flimsy and rushed. Either way, this film still has enough going for it to rate as a must-see for the serious fans of the genre.