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[Bud Brewster]

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Bogmeister lays out the highs and lows concerning a movie with cowboys and T-Rex, an early effort by Roger Corman, and film in which Lon Chaney Jr. plays and evil superman!

Bog’s dedication to research makes his reviews informative and enjoyable.


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The Beast of Hollow Mountain (1956)

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_____ The Beast of Hollow Mountain movie trailer


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~ stars Guy Madison, Patricia Medina
Directed by Edward Nassour,Ismael Rodríguez / writer: Willis O'Brien

The Beast of the title is a predatory Tyrannosaurus Rex, inexplicably still existing in a mountainous region of Mexico in the early 20th century, preying on cattle and sometimes on humans.

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I should mention the specific kind of stop-motion animation that was used. I wasn't really aware of it — a process called "replacement animation", a technique involving several different models of the same character, each slightly different to represent a particular action.

There was one scene near the end when the T-Rex gallops (as I described it) after two of the cowboys who are on foot, and that scene is what prompts mention of the technique. This was the work of Willis O'Brien, by the way — some of his last work, followed by The Black Scorpion and The Giant Behemoth. Ray Harryhausen later provided the dino FX for The Valley of Gwangi (1969) which, I believe, was also a concept of O'Brien's.

The weakness of the film, for me, is a very uneventful 50 minutes before we ever see the dinosaur. The locations are nice, but the T-Rex — the Beast — doesn't show up until the final half-hour. I was also struck by how silently the Beast moves, such as when it's after the little kid (again, near the end).

Contrast this with the earth shaking when the T-Rex in Jurassic Park moves! But, the stuff that really made me want to turn away in embarrassment were the insert shots of the Beast's feet when it's walking — obviously fake rubber feet worn by some guy.

Still, when the T-Rex does show up, it's almost non-stop action & adventure for a few cowboys, a mexican boy, and a lady in peril. I liked the long shots of the T-Rex as it circles a little cabin, trying to get in. But the scenes are marred by the long, hysterical tongue that snakes out from the T-Rex's mouth from time to time!

BoG's Score: 5 out of 10


BoG
Galaxy Overlord Galactus
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Day the World Ended (1956)

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____________ The Day the World Ended Trailer


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This on by Roger Corman looked like an updating of Five (1951) to me, with the added distinction of a radioactive monster. The monster was pretty cheesy-looking — unless you were less than 10 years old. But there was some creepiness to the other couple of characters who were afflicted with radiation sickness/mutation.

I kept waiting for one of them (the one Denning's character helps carry in) to go totally berserk and go on some cannibalistic splurge or something.

Corman managed to bring some suspense to the whole deal. Denning was, as always, solid. And Touch (Mike) Connors (future Mannix) hammed it up as the sleazy villain.



There are those fans who refer to Roger Corman as the reincarnation of Ed Wood. That honor probably falls on Bert I. Gordon. In my opinion, you can rationalize all you want, but the films of Wood and Gordon were very similar in their capacity for being dull and unimaginative, and on the same level of unintentional humor.

Corman was a step above that — not a big step, but he managed to instill some edge and surprise in many of his films, including this one, which was budgeted at $96,000. I even have what I believe to be a great example of what I mean from this picture.


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Yes, most of the film is perfunctory & even a bit dull, but there is one scene where Corman utilizes the power of cinema . . . of imagery . . . in what I must determine as a conscious effort on his part, to its fullest potential.

Bill Warren singles this scene out in his usually excellent analytical manner in his book, "Keep Watching the Skies."

Towards the end, Denning's character fires a rifle at the mutant monster, which then begins to advance on him. Corman keeps the camera behind Denning's right shoulder as Denning continues to fire and the creature continues to advance. It's all a single, continuous shot. As Warren mentions, audience members were unnerved & startled by this scene. I can imagine them squirming in their seats and trying to back away as the creature continues to move forward, relentless, just "annoyed" by the bullets.

This is an example of Corman at his best, and there's nothing like this in the films of Wood or Gordon.

BoG's Score: 6 out of 10


BoG
Galaxy Overlord Galactus
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Indestructible Man (1956)

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The film is told in flashback and hence has annoying narration. Lon Chaney plays an unpleasant convicted killer called "Butcher" — sentenced to death.

He's got issues with his own lawyer, who he thinks back-stabbed him, and swears revenge. Of course, the lawyer doesn't think too much of this threat since Butcher is executed later that night.

However, the body is taken to a local scientist who has just perfected a technique involving electricity. He zaps Butcher's body and Butcher returns to life — although the narrator explains that he's no longer human due to the change to his cellular structure. He is now impervious to everything from needles to bullets, and he's immensely strong.

Also, he can no longer speak because the electricity fried his vocal cords. He quickly goes on a killing spree while seeking the backstabbing lawyer and his cronies.



Though very low budget and slow in parts, this is also strangely effective at times, a combination Frankenstein and Point Blank (1967). When Chaney is in action, the scenes are fairly entertaining. Chaney's backstory is almost without dialog — he had just undergone surgery for cancer, but I dunno if this was the original script or it had to be changed.

The narration is sometimes intrusive and seems to have been incorporated to make up for the lack of dialog in Chaney's scenes. The title sounds like it's from a comic book, with Chaney's Butcher an early film version of a super-villain. There's an action-packed finale as the police throw everything in their arsenal at the superhuman.

BoG's Score: 4.5 out of 10


BoG
Galaxy Overlord Galactus
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)