Beast from Haunted Cave

Lore & Background

The film was conceived when Roger Corman, motivated by the success of Naked Paradise, told screenwriter Charles B. Griffith: 'I want NAKED PARADISE using a gold mine instead of a pineapple plantation. Put it in South Dakota and add a monster.' Griffith added the monster by having it wrapped in a cocoon in a cave. Monte Hellman noted that the film was essentially another version of Key Largo, with a monster added. Both Cormans wanted to film outside of Bronson Canyon and the Los Angeles Arboretum, choosing South Dakota's Black Hills after consulting the Chamber of Commerce. They ultimately filmed in a disused mine in Deadwood.

Reader's Guide

Beast from Haunted Cave is significant as Monte Hellman's directorial debut and the start of a fifteen-year collaboration with Roger Corman. The film was shot in 13 days under extreme conditions—temperatures of 10 degrees below zero—with frozen equipment and stale air in the mine. The monster was designed and portrayed by actor Chris Robinson, who built it from aluminum stripping, chicken wire, muslin, vinyl paint, and Christmas tree tinsel, spending about two dollars at the dime store. The film was released as a double feature with The Wasp Woman. A sequel was planned but canceled, leaving an open ending. The production also allowed Corman to amortize costs by shooting Ski Troop Attack simultaneously with the same cast and crew.

Did You Know?

• The monster was played by stuntman/actor Bob Herron.
• The film was shot in 13 days in an abandoned mine in Deadwood, South Dakota.
• A sequel was planned but canceled, resulting in the film's open ending.
• The monster was nicknamed 'Humphrey' by the crew and was based on a spider-like creature.