Beast from Haunted Cave (1959)
“From the depths of the earth... a monster of unspeakable horror!”
Streamed free from the Internet Archive · no signup, no cost — this film is in the public domain.
Synopsis
A ruthless crew robs a Deadwood, South Dakota bank vault, using a mine explosion as a diversion, then treks toward a remote cabin to be flown to Canada. Their plans unravel when a hulking, spider-like beast that survives on human blood begins stalking them. As a snowstorm traps the gang, greed and paranoia turn them against each other while the creature closes in. Monte Hellman's debut grafts a monster onto a tense film-noir heist, owing as much to "Key Largo" as to 1950s creature features.
Cast
About the Director
Monte Hellman — Beast from Haunted Cave was the directing debut of Monte Hellman, later an acclaimed maker of existential road and Western films ("Two-Lane Blacktop," "The Shooting"). Hired on a handshake by Gene Corman for $1,000, Hellman shot it in 13 brutal days in sub-zero South Dakota weather. He later said it "wasn't fun to make at all," with frozen equipment and a cave ceiling that shed rock when guns were fired.
Why It’s Free: The Public-Domain Story
Released in 1959 through Roger Corman's own Filmgroup, the film's copyright was never renewed and it passed into the US public domain in the late 1980s. Unlike Corman's American International titles (which Lorimar renewed in the 1980s), his Filmgroup pictures were largely left unrenewed; it appears in the not-renewed PD listings and carries an Internet Archive Public Domain Mark.
Behind the Scenes
Producer Gene Corman, brother of Roger, shot the film back-to-back with "Ski Troop Attack" on the same South Dakota locations using the same cast and writer to amortize costs. Screenwriter Charles B. Griffith was told to remake the Corman film "Naked Paradise" with "a gold mine instead of a pineapple plantation… and add a monster." It premiered June 10, 1959 on a double bill with "The Wasp Woman."
Did You Know?
- The monster was built and played by actor Chris Robinson — later a "General Hospital" star — who worked for free in exchange for a special-effects screen credit and even paid for materials himself.
- Robinson based the wingless creature design on a hangingfly, using chicken wire, muslin, angel hair, and Christmas-tree tinsel.
- Effects legend Paul Blaisdell turned the job down because the budget wouldn't even cover his materials.
- This copy is the original 65-minute 1959 theatrical cut; Hellman later added about 7 minutes for a 72-minute TV version.
Reception & Legacy
Critics have generally judged it a cut above the typical Z-grade monster film thanks to its noir-flavored heist structure and Hellman's atmosphere, even while the cobwebby creature itself draws ridicule. It is now valued mainly as the modest first step of a significant cult director.
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