Beast from Haunted Cave ** (1959, Michael Forest, Sheila Noonan, Frank Wolff) – Classic Movie Review 3919

Monte Hellman made his film directorial debut with Beast from Haunted Cave (1959). It is shot in Deadwood, South Dakota, and Lead, South Dakota, for its mine scenes after the local Chamber of Commerce offered financial incentives to producers Roger Corman and Gene Corman. It is rather hopefully advertised as ‘Horror Beyond Words!’, a nice get-out for the screenwriter should he be lost for words.

When gold robbers hide in a South Dakota haunted cave, they soon find out that they are sharing it with a monster-spider beast, in cult director Monte Hellman’s okay 1960 low-budget horror quickie. Unfortunately for the robbers, the cave is a labyrinth of horror, with a blood-starved ghoul.

Tolerable acting by Michael Forest, Sheila Noonan [Carrol], Frank Wolff, Richard Sinatra and Wally Campo helps to keep it watchable. Chris Robinson is the actor who plays the monster, much of which he created himself.

Wolff plays gangster Alexander Ward, Noonan is his girl friend Gypsy Boulet. The duo come with two henchmen to Deadwood, South Dakota, to steal gold bars and enlist the help of ski instructor Gil Jackson (Forest).

Beast from Haunted Cave is directed by Monte Hellman, runs 66 minutes (theatrical), 71 minutes (DVD), or 72 minutes (TV), is made by Gene Corman Productions [Northern Pictures)], is distributed by The Filmgroup (US) and Grand National Pictures (UK), is written by Charles B Griffith (original story and screenplay), is photographed by Andrew M Costikyan, is produced by Roger Corman (executive producer) Gene Corman (producer), and is scored by Alexander Laszlo.

This film debuted as a double feature with The Wasp Woman (1959).

The Cormans then shot Ski Troop Attack (1960) on the same location in the South Dakota Black Hills with a similar cast and crew.

Griffith’s script was adapted from his Naked Paradise (1957) and reworked in his Creature from the Haunted Sea (1961).

Hellman recalls he had no official contract with Roger Corman: ‘We didn’t have a contract or anything. Just a handshake. And Roger’s handshake was better than most people’s contracts.’ On the minus side, Hellman’s pay was only $1,000.

Hellman later directed portions of Roger Corman’s The Terror (1963).

© Derek Winnert 2016 Classic Movie Review 3919

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