Beast of Hollow Mountain (1956) – movie review

Rare and Obscure Dinosaur films

Beast of Hollow Mountain (1956) – movie review

This was the first western/dinosaur film mash-up, made many years before The Valley of Gwangi. Both films were based off of a story Idea from Willis O’Brien. It is said that O’Brien penned some of the script under a pseudonym, El Toro Estrella. Although it beat the Harryhausen/Gwangi film to the punch it is not nearly as good. O’Brien was originally going to do the effects for the film but did not for unknown reasons. It was directed by Edward Nassour and Ismael Rodriguez and the stop motion effects (and replacement animation) were most likely handled by, Nassour and Henry Lyon, though a clear credit is impossible to find. It stars Guy Madison and Patricia Medina.

An American rancher, Jimmy Ryan, comes to Mexico to find cheap land to raise cattle. He does, right next to a legendary cursed place called Hollow Mountain. The Mountain has never been explored. Soon Cattle go missing and it is said that a giant beast takes them in the night. Jimmy Ryan becomes friend’s with a boy and his father (Panchito and Poncho) and gets into a love triangle with a local gal, Sarita. Soon Jimmy and the rival suitor have to team up to stop the giant beast, an Allosaurus, from destroying the small village and eating their loved ones.

The film is rather dull at points and the Allosaurus was not all that realistic looking compared to dino flicks to that date. The Allosaurus was cartoonish and looked like a dinosaur that you would see in a children’s show. If you replaced the Allosaurus with a wild animal you would have a grade-z western. There were parts of the film I did like. The scene where the Allosaurus attacked Sarita and Pachito and destroyed the barn trying to get them is interesting, but comparable to what you‘d see in the 70‘s children’s TV show, Land of the Lost. It was not a great film, but being a dino-film completist, I had to purchase it nevertheless. It is currently available on Bluray as a double feature with The Neanderthal Man.

His tongue looks like a rubbery piece of bacon

Aw, poor man eating beasty got a boo-boo 😦

The Steaks are high!

Is this where the party is at?

tastes just like chicken

 

Vintage Monster Magazines – Famous Monsters and beyond

Famous Monsters – my collection

I started collecting Famous Monsters of Filmland Magazine when I was a wee lad. I had held on to my fave issues and recently purchased a few from eBay and other channels to replace ones that I lost or had deteriorated over time.

These are my two favorite issues:
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The Godzilla/Toho special issue #114 and the King Kong special issue #108
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Also one of my fave issues below – it has seen better days:
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Features Frankenstein Conquers the World, issue #39
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Two great Harryhausen issues #37 and # 117
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I also love this Gorgo issue # 50
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I got this in mint condition
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King Kong 1976 issues:

#125 and #132
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I discovered the world of monster movies and special fx thru the pages of Famous Monsters. Knowing how the movies were made did not detract from the films – instead it made me appreciate the craftmanship even more.
It was in the back of these FM Magazines of the 1960’s and 70’s that I discovered the fantstic Aurora Model Kits, bought an 8mm projector and monster movie film reels (leading to begging my mom for a 8mm movie camera) and obsessed over monster movie masks, movie posters and macabre products of the time.
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I recently purchased a new issue, July 2013, mainly because of the beautiful Cthulhu artwork on the cover. When I opened it they had 20 pages of the original Kong, too! I was sold.

Famous Monsters #287
It’s not the same as the old issues when Forrest Ackerman was at the helm but I’m glad I picked this one up.
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Monsters of The Movies by Curtis Publishing

Monsters of the Movies only had 11 issues before they closed in the 1970s. It was close to the quality of Famous Monsters.
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Issue #1 (King Kong) Issue # 5 (Godzilla) and issue # 6 (The Mummy)
This was one of my all time favorite depictions of a mummy

Monster Land

MonsterLand was around for a while but I didn’t like it as much as the others.
I only have one issue of Monster Land:
 

Kong and Harryhausen’s 7^th Voyage in the same issue #16
it also had an interview with Peter Cushing

the center page (gatefold) was a color poster
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Hope you enjoyed a look at my personal collection. Thanks for tuning in…
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Related posts:
Sci Fi Boys – documentary movie review

Horror art – Famous Monsters – cover art 

Aurora – model kit – w/conversion

Sci Fi Boys – Documentary (2006) – movie review

Sci Fi Boys – Documentary (2006)

This documentary is as much a tribute to Forrest J. Ackerman and Famous Monsters of Filmland Magazine, as it is to Sci-fi films. You may be surprised to learn that it was Ackerman who coined the term “Sci-Fi.” It is a fitting tribute because Forry, along with good friends, Harryhausen, George Pal, and Ray Bradbury helped shape and push the genre of Sci-fi into the hearts and minds of young film fans who would later become the top directors, FX artists, and filmmakers in the world.

The film starts out with past footage of Forry making a speech. He says, “I am speaking to you from the year 1970…” a very ‘sci-fi sounding’ choice of words. He goes on to explain a bit of what makes sci-fi what it is. During the course of the documentary we hear from Peter Jackson, John Landis, Frank Darabont, Stephen Sommers, Harryhausen, Bradbury, Stan Winston, Rick Baker, Phil Tippet, and Dennis Muren amongst many others, talk about their Sci-Fi roots which often point to Famous Monsters magazine and the original 1933 movie King Kong. Bob Burns and Don Glut talk of their favorite Sci-Fi films and eras. Roger Corman speaks of William Castle and the wonderful sales pitch he would deliver for each of his films. Bob Burns talks about the creations of Paul Blaisdell in the 50’s sci-fi films and how Paul and his wife would assemble monsters on a shoe-string budget from items in his garage. There is a segment devoted to Harryhausen’s inaugural ‘Star’ on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, only yards from Grumman’s Theater, where, as a boy, he had seen the film that set the direction of his life, King Kong.

There is also a segment which features the amateur 8mm and Super 8mm films of Don Glut, Steve Johnson, Bob Burns and Fred Barton, as well as others, from their early years as boys looking to emulate their favorite sci-fi feature. The film shows the early Harryhausen projects as well, test footage for films that have never been made. There are some great photos of George Pal standing on the set of War of the Worlds, and clips of Forry’s eulogy at Pal’s funeral.
 
Roger Corman                                                Metropolis

Near the end Steven Spielberg talks about the change over to CGI and the possibilities that change has unleashed. Dennis Muren from ILS talks of the early computer technology that started with the film 2001: A Space Odyssey, and how it influenced the making of Star Wars.  Sci Fi boys was put together by Paul Davids and he did an astounding job at presenting an interesting, and perfectly paced documentary. The dvd/blu-ray cover features artwork by Basil Gogas. The dvd itself includes bonus extras that are well worth the purchase for die hard fans.

This is a fantastic documentary and I would highly recommend it for every sci-fi, horror, and monster movie fan.

For more info, look here: Sci Fi Boys

Currently available on Netflix.

 

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related articles:
The Aurora Monsters – documentary
Creature Features – Giant Robots
Creature Features – The ‘It’ Movies
My Top 10 Robots in Film 
Creature Features
Ray Harryhausen Tribute
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