Beast From Haunted Cave/Ski Troop Attack (Blu-Ray)
**This piece was written during the 2023 SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the actors currently on strike, the movies being covered here wouldn’t exist.
**The Blu-Ray/DVD from Film Masters of “Beast From Haunted Cave” will be available on October 24, 2023. This is a review of not just the feature, but the Blu-Ray edition. The grade for this will be for the main movie itself; the set grades will be featured in the body.
“Beast From Haunted Cave” (1959)
It’s fascinating to consider Roger Corman being one of the most influential filmmakers of all-time- which he is, having helped launch careers like Scorsese’s, Joe Dante’s, James Cameron’s and Ron Howard’s- while also reconciling that he’s produced an awful lot of ridiculous B-movies over his decades as a producer. But both things can be true, and honestly, it makes sense that it is the truth of Corman’s career; movies like “Beast From Haunted Cave” have been the foundation of genre filmmaking since the advent of cinema, and they have an absolutely important part to play in the history of cinema. That isn’t to say this early Corman production is good, but you can definitely see the legacy of Corman being built- high concept has always been his game, even if it’s absurd to watch.
Monte Hellman’s film starts on the ski slopes, as Alexander Ward (Frank Wolff) and his secretary, Gypsy Boulet (Sheila Noonan), are practicing with an instructor, Gil Jackson (Michael Forest). Meanwhile, two of Alexander’s partners are scoping out the landscape, and in particular, a mine in the mountain. It’s not long into this 65-minute movie that we find out there’s more than expected in the mine, when a waitress from the resort they are staying at goes missing. Alexander is planning a heist, but to survive, he and his crew will have to contend with a spider-like monster from the cave.
I will say this about “Beast From Haunted Cave”- there is no fat whatsoever on this film. Every moment plays into something important to the narrative, and the movie doesn’t waste time to really give us much in terms of personal motivations; the characters just are who they are. I enjoyed the goofy silliness of the monster, the flirty allure of Gypsy, and the way this film just moves from moment to moment. This isn’t to say the movie is good in terms of quality, but it’s a worthwhile watch for Corman fans, and B-movie appreciators alike.
Blu-Ray Presentation
Was “Beast From Haunted Cave” the original “Snyder Cut?” I think that’s a stretch, but Film Masters’s terrific disc has not just the 65-minute theatrical cut, but also a 72-minute version that aired only on TV. The changes are nominal- they basically just give Gil a sister, in an early scene- but it’s wild to see a film this old with multiple versions that exist for reasons beyond just unearthed lost footage or restoring changes after the studio meddled with it. Both versions are given terrific restorations, which make the film feel brand new in both picture and sound. As for the extras, we get a commentary on the theatrical version from author and historian Tom Weaver and filmmaker Larry Blamire; the original restored theatrical trailer, as well as a re-cut trailer from this year; a stills gallery, as well as an essay by Weaver, Bantering With a Beast in a full color booklet. That seems like for Film Masters, but the commentary and TV cut of the film really make up for it.
P.S. There’s a little Easter Egg on the disc if you click on the beast itself on the right of the menu screen.
Film Grade: B-
Audio & Video: A
Bonus Features: A-
“Ski Troop Patrol” (1960)
While he had the cast and crew in South Dakota filming “Beast From Haunted Cave,” Corman decided to direct another type of low-budget thriller. “Ski Troop Patrol” is a WWII film that focuses on an American patrol going behind enemy lines to blow up a bridge. It’s a mission film, and it’s fascinating to see how Corman builds it out of next to nothing. Sadly, nothing is basically all you’ll get out of the film from a thematic standpoint, but seeing the director flex his low-budget muscles is still interesting.
You’ll recognize many of the cast members here from “Haunted Cave,” some as the American soldiers, others as Germans. Because of the miniscule budget, Corman relies on stock footage to make the film bigger than it is, and that is part of why it just doesn’t have the weight of even “Haunted Cave,” as goofy as that movie is. The patrol gets into some moral questions when it comes to fighting and following orders, but it barely registers- this film just seems like it wants to be an adventure version of war without much to say about war in general. That being said, you can tell Corman is a natural storyteller, and even if “Ski Troop Patrol” is not a very good film, it’s interesting to see how Corman could work with what limited resources he had, and tell a coherent narrative, even if it’s not a particularly gripping one.
Blu-Ray Presentation
As with “Haunted Cave,” “Ski Troop Attack” is well served in terms of how it’s presented. We only get it in 4:3 TV format, but it looks and sounds very good for a movie as economical as this one- great picture and sound continues to be the order of the day with Film Masters. Extras are the usual for these releases, with a commentary by author C. Courtney Joyner and filmmaker Howard S. Berger; a mini documentary about the start of Corman’s career called “Hollywood Intruders: The Filmgroup Story: Part One”; a newly re-cut trailer for the film; as well as the essay, Corman Goes to War, by Joyner.
Film Grade: C+
Audio & Video: A
Bonus Features: A-
This feels like a very different series we’re getting from Film Masters, even though their approach is similar to what Film Detective delivered. The B-movie nature of their offerings have been fun to dig into, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.
