Beast from Haunted Cave is a 1959 horror/heist film directed by Monte Hellman and starring Michael Forest, Frank Wolff and Richard Sinatra.

Filmed in South Dakota at the same time as Ski Troop Attack, it tells the story of bank robbers fleeing in the snow who run afoul of a giant spider-like monster that feeds on humans.

[1] A group of criminals, led by the ruthless Alexander Ward, hatch a plan to steal gold bars from a bank vault in Deadwood, South Dakota.

Ward sends one of his henchmen, Marty Jones, to set an explosion in a nearby gold mine; the detonation will act as a diversion for their heist.

Although Marty, accompanied by local barmaid Natalie, succeeds in setting off the explosion, he encounters a beast in the mine.

Led by a local guide named Gil Jackson, they set off to a remote cabin, where they hope to be picked up by a plane.

Gil is initially unaware of their plans, but he becomes suspicious when he hears reports of the robbery on the radio and discovers that they're carrying handguns.

Despite their fear of further attacks, the gang is set on tracking down Gil and Gypsy before they reach town, so they head to a nearby cave.

In the final struggle, the beast kills the remaining gang members, but Marty shoots it with a flare gun before he dies.

I didn't know how to add a monster to that script, so I had it all wrapped up in a cocoon in a cave just threatening to break loose all the time.

[7] To amortize costs, Roger Corman produced another film, Ski Troop Attack at the same time on the same location, utilising the same screenwriter and lead actors.

Ahlstrand, Playboy's Playmate of the Month for July 1958, also played a minor role in the film as Nathalie the barmaid.

[14][8] Special effects maestro Paul Blaisdell claimed in interviews that Roger Corman pleaded with him to design and create the film's monster, but the film's budget was so minuscule, Blaisdell turned him down immediately, saying that Corman didn't even offer him enough money to cover the cost of the materials he would need to build the creature.

[15] The monster in the film was eventually designed and portrayed by actor Chris Robinson, who would later star in General Hospital.

Robinson offered to do the job for free if he received on-screen credit for special effects, and even pay for the materials himself.

In order to create the creature's skeletal form, Robinson added aluminum stripping to a plywood base, then covered the frame with chicken wire before wrapping it in sheets and muslin.

Robinson then placed putty and patches of crepe hair onto the design before adding spun glass and Christmas tree tinsel in order to give it a cobwebby appearance.

[22] Time Out gave the film a negative review, calling it "routine" with "nothing to distinguish it from any other grade Z horror pic of the '50s".

[24] Leonard Maltin awarded the film a mixed 2 out of 4 stars, calling it a remake of Naked Paradise with a monster added in.

"[1] On March 20, 2001, Beast from Haunted Cave was released for the first time on DVD by Madacy as a part of its "Killer Creatures" double-feature pack alongside The Brain That Wouldn't Die.