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

  (Complete credited 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 Typical Trash Movie of the 50's

In a skiing station in Dakota, a gang of criminals leaded by Alexander "Alex" Ward (Frank Wolff) plans the heist of golden bars from a small bank. While the lover of Alex, Gypsy Boulet (Sheila Carol), goes to an isolated cabin with the ski instructor Gil Jackson (Michael Forest), a time bomb explodes a cave to divert the attention of the locals and the gangsters steal the gold. But the explosion releases a spider-like monster and due to a storm, the group becomes trapped in Gil's cabin and threatened by the creepy beast.

The debut of Monte Hellman as director is a typical trash movie of the 50's. The story is not bad; the low budget effects are very poor and laughable; the heroine is gorgeous; the sudden conclusion gives the sensation that the shooting was interrupted; and the cover of the Brazilian DVD is extremely funny with the following text: "Young girls scared and sucked by a maze of horror and blood of a hunger beast from hell", which is delightfully funny and ridiculous, since the story has nothing to do with it. In spite of these remarks, I like this type of film, which are part of mine childhood, therefore "Beast From Haunted Cave" is a good entertainment at least for me. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "A Besta da Caverna Assombrada" ("The Beast From the Haunted Cave")