Not even bad in a good way

not as good as all the hype

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

First of all, I don't know why this site says this movie is Horror, Romance, Sci-Fi. It's not any of those. It's a light-hearted western comedy. If a man failing to steal a woman is a romance, then this is a romance. I haven't seen many westerns but from what I have heard they all have this plot. The bad guy wants to chase someone off their land. And there's a drunk Mexican. The only really bad thing about this movie is that it is way too long. There are several extended periods of nothing and it's hard to keep paying attention. Basically, this movie is a family friendly monster flick that no child would ever have the patience to sit through. I'm sure if you could force a first grader to watch the whole thing, they might thing it was awesome. A second grader would know better.

Jimmy Ryan (Guy Madison) is an American cowboy working in Mexico and is upset about missing cattle. To be exact, cattle and farmers are mysteriously disappearing in southern Mexico near the location of Hollow Mountain. It is said to never have been explored and the swamp at its base is said to claim the lives of anyone brave enough to snoop around its banks. Ryan and a couple of cowboys will search for missing cattle and discover strange tracks. A giant prehistoric dinosaur appears and is obviously the attacker of farms, ranches and villages.Directed by Edward Nassour and Ismael Rodriquez with special effects by innovator Willis O'Brien's stop motion techniques animating the dinosaur. It is said that this film is one of the first and few American/Mexican co-productions.Other players: Carlos Rivas, Mario Navarro, Patricia Medina, Julio Villarreal, Eduardo Noriega and Pascaul Garcia Pena.

One of two 'cowboys vs. dinosaurs' movies penned by Willis O'Brien, the other being the far more successful VALLEY OF GWANGI made in 1968. THE BEAST OF HOLLOW MOUNTAIN is something of an obscure film despite its mainstream status as an average '50s B-movie monster flick. For the most part, the film is flawed in numerous ways and fails to deliver on the entertainment stakes until the last twenty minutes. The film was made in Mexico on the cheap and it shows, with an entirely Hispanic cast aside from imported lead Guy Madison (AVENGER OF THE SEVEN SEAS). Perhaps these are the reasons for its lack of popularity. Another reason is that this film is far more of a routine oater than a monster movie; due to the budget (or lack thereof) we don't actually get to see the monster until the final twenty minutes of the movie.Up to then, THE BEAST OF HOLLOW MOUNTAIN follows all the usual clichés of the western genre, filling the screen with a bunch of predictable characters: the noble, kindly newcomer; the damsel in distress; the jealous Mexican bad guy; the drunk; the annoying little kid who screams and cries a lot. There's a hell of a lot of smalltalk going on and far too much filler, especially during a never-ending street party in the latter half of the movie. At least its short and you can just about get by watching it without dozing off. There are one or two notable action sequences to enliven things, including a nicely-choreographed fist fight on the street and a cattle stampede from hell. There are a fair amount of real stunts involving horses which appear to be pretty dangerous and likewise a scene where villagers let off fireworks IN THEIR HANDS shows that in Mexico there are no health and safety measures to worry about.Cast-wise there are few surprises to be had. Everybody fulfils their own role without really standing out from the crowd. Ten minutes after the film ended I couldn't really remember a face or character which may tell you something. Guy Madison does his best with the material and goes through his familiar motions, carrying off some great athletic work there too (the bit where he runs and jumps on a horse is very impressive). This was just before Madison set sail for Italy and pursued his career as a villain in an assortment of swashbucklers and peplum epics for the next ten years.As for the Beast itself, it turns out to be a mouldy old dinosaur inexplicably living in the mountain for thousands of years without dying of old age. The stop motion effects used to animate the beast are usually poor; O'Brien should have been allowed to handle the effects himself instead of some amateur doing the job. At least the stop motion is better than the terrible rubber dinosaur feet used in the close-up shots. The last twenty minutes of the film is one long-running action scene with the dinosaur figuring heavily in the action stakes; although it may not look the best it is pretty well animated, especially when we see it running after a horse. The trap our hero sets for the Beast is the cleverest thing in the movie.As a kid I was fortunate enough to catch this one on television and I loved it totally. Seeing it as an adult I am well aware of the flaws and faults but I still view it with a sentimental eye. Although the monster looks cheap, at least it gets to eat a few cows and kill a couple guys, and the ending will impress all but the most spoilt kids. Hardly a classic movie but a winner on the nostalgia front. They don't make 'em like this anymore, that's for sure.

This is just a great movie! I have spent many years in the remote areas of Mexico (Oaxaca, Chiapas, Michoacan, Guerrero, Guanajuato, Durango, etc. and have lots of extended family there. My niece (dual Mexican/American citizen) is actually an actress in Mexico. The portrayals of life in a Mexican pueblo of the time is reasonably realistic. The acting is generally believable. In short, a great movie of the genre. I am enjoying it immensely!As for the special effects, there is a reason why Harryhausen was an acolyte of O'Brien. They were both innovators in the domain of stop-motion animation, a field in which my sister-in-law has continued to contribute as the producer of such subjects as "The California Raisin" commercials, etc.