Beast From Haunted Cave

1948. BEAST FROM HAUNTED CAVE (1960-usa). WITH Michael Forest, Sheila CAROL, FRANK WOLFF. Directed by MONTE HELLMAN. This spooky chiller features clever speÂcial effects and some genuine scares. It’s the debut film of noted cult director Monte Hellman. It is the tale of a trio of thieves and their female accomplice, who have come to the snow-capped Black Hills of South Dakota to pull off a daring gold bullion heist. Their leader is Alex, a brutal, foul-temÂpered thug. The distaff member of the gang, known as Gypsy, is a good girl gone wrong. She laments her plight, describing herself as “gutless” and longing for her lost days of childhood purity. One final character is added to the mix: Gill, a handsome, highly principled guide whom Alex deriÂsively calls “cowboy” and “nature boy.” Gill has been hired to take the robbers on a cross-country ski trip to his isolated cabin. He is unaware that they are crooks, and that he is leading them on their getaway. However, what no one counts on is the presence of the title monster, a mysterious creature, which resembles a creepy conglomeration of cobwebs, and delights in sucking the blood of its vicÂtims. After murdering a cocktail waitress, it stalks Gill and the thieves as they trek through the mounÂtains. You can bet that, sooner rather than later, it will strike a deadly blow. 65 minutes. Horror