‘Beast From Haunted Cave’ & ‘Ski Troop Attack’ Blu-Ray Review – Low-Budget, Goofy Roger Corman Schlock

Get ready for a crash course in Corman! Acclaimed as the king of low budget movies, Roger Corman produced dozens of films that were both hilarious and thrilling, such as Beast from Haunted Cave (1959). Directed by cult favorite Monte Hellman (Two-Lane Blacktop, Cockfighter), Beast From Haunted Cave is a suspenseful tale of criminals being terrorized by a bloodsucking spider-like thing. Special Bonus: Ski Troop Attack (1960). Upon wrapping Beast from Haunted Cave, Corman directed this World War II drama using the same South Dakota location and much of the same cast and crew. For Corman, economy was key!

For thoughts on Beast From Haunted Cave and Ski Troop Attack, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic: 

[youtube https://youtu.be/LC32BEt1b-E?si=R6Xg7j8AEoIy_58r&t=3034]

Video Quality

Beast From Haunted Cave and Ski Troop Attack make their domestic Blu-Ray debut thanks to Film Masters with brand new 1080p masters in both their original aspect ratios. Beast From Haunted Cave is noted as being derived from a restored 4K scan from 35mm archival materials while Ski Troop Attack comes from a restored HD print. While Beast From Haunted Cave is the clear winner between the two, both transfers deliver a surprisingly first-rate experience that allows these films to look better than they ever have, especially considering the down-and-dirty nature of these Roger Corman productions. These two releases are pretty similar to one another and will be discussed as a pair with any meaningful differences pointed out. 

There is a welcome amount of detail present with nice texture on the outfits and within the locations that serve as the setting. The contrast is fairly firm across the board, but the tracks do experience fleeting moments of density fluctuation and clarity in the print. Black levels are substantial with no inexcusable occurrences of black crush or compression artifacts. There are moments during Ski Troop Attack when you will notice the fine detail cannot match the visual wonder of Beast, but it is not a lacking transfer by any means. These films likely look better than they did during their first-run exhibition.

The black-and-white photography sparkles in high definition with natural grain intact throughout. The grain field seems less refined in Ski Troop Attack, but both transfers are resolved without major issues. Print damage has been spruced up considerably with these presentations, with nothing but intermittent nicks and scratches making their way through the restoration gauntlet. Once again, Ski Troop Attack shows off its limitations where it has not been afforded as impressive of a restoration. There are thankfully very few moments where anything appears clumpy or unnatural. Film Masters continues to impress when it comes to rescuing older features that have not been appreciated. 

Audio Quality

These two films come with a DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio mono track that represents these stories in a deft manner sonically. Dialogue and background noises stay in harmony with all competing elements. No matter what is occurring on screen, the soundtrack does its best to show off a strong sense of fidelity. The music never clips the dialogue or other important information, but it does sound a little weak at its highest peaks. The artistic intention of both of these tracks is preserved with each outing. These tracks do flow out with a minor amount of age-related wear and tear including some light crackles that likely date back to the source elements. Film Masters has done their best to provide the most consistent track possible for these. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles included for all feature films and commentary tracks.

Special Features

Beast From Haunted Cave

• Theatrical Version (1:05:27) and TV Cut (1:11:56)

• Audio Commentary: Film Historian Tom Weaver leads a very informative commentary track with drop-ins from various friends and creative figures in which they discuss the history of the film, the cons of producer Gene Corman, the location shooting, the special effects of the picture, the background of the creative figures involved, how this film fits into the period in which it was released, the notable elements of the feature and more. 

• Behind-The-Scenes Still Gallery: A collection of images from the production is provided here. 

• Trailer: The disc provides the Original Trailer (1:38) and the 2023 Re-Cut Trailer (1:38) for Beast From Haunted Cave.

• Booklet: A multi-page booklet is provided featuring writing from Tom Weaver and Courtney C. Joyner. 

Ski Troop Attack

• Audio Commentary: Film Scholars C. Courtney Joyner and Howard S. Berger provide a nifty commentary track in which they discuss the history of the film, Roger Corman repurposing the shooting location for Beast From Haunted Cave, the aesthetic of the film, the background of the creative figures involved, the film’s legacy and more. 

• Hollywood Intruders: The Filmgroup Story – Part One: A wonderful 16-minute documentary that takes a closer look at the creation of Filmgroup by Roger and Gene Corman, their early films, the two movies in this set filmed in South Dakota, their place in the Hollywood system, and much more. 

• Trailer: The disc provides the two-minute 2023 Re-Cut Trailer for Ski Troop Attack.

Final Thoughts

Beast From Haunted Cave and Ski Troop Attack are two movies that utilize the same shooting location in very different ways. Beast From Haunted Cave is arguably the more successful of the two when it comes to goofy fun, as it takes a bad movie and finds the fun in its faults. Roger Corman knew how to make great schlock, and this is the type of ridiculous movie that puts a smile on your face. Ski Troop Attack gets a bit closer to being a legitimately good movie, but some obstacles keep it from being genuinely successful. As an add-on to the production of the former, it is especially impressive. The brief running time of each film aids in neither film ever feeling like a slog to get through. While they are silly, they are hard to hate. Film Masters has released a Blu-Ray featuring a very good A/V presentation and enjoyable special features. Corman fans should scoop this up with pride. Recommended 

Beast From Haunted Cave and Ski Troop Attack will be available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD on October 24, 2023. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Film Masters has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.