New kid on the schlock Film Masters continues to honor the legacy of parent Film Detective with the October 24, 2023 BD double-feature release of "Beast From Haunted Cave" (1959) and "Ski Troop Attack" (1960). The numerous leitmotifs include that these B-movie cult classics are the inaugural double-feature from low-budget master Roger Corman and his brother Gene for their newly formed Filmgroup Studios.
Detective veteran Ballyhoo Motion Pictures does its usual expert job with part one of a documentary on Filmgroup. This non-fiction production also looks at the Corman classic "The Wasp Woman." It is believed that Masters pairs "Woman" with a December 2023 BD release. That release mostly likely will include part two.
The other common themes of "Beast" and "Patrol" are that they revolve around skiing and use many of the same cast and South Dakota locations.
"Beast" arguably is the more entertaining of the two films. This one also is notable for two Masters enhancements.
These old-school guys include an Easter egg that is accessed by right-clicking over to a photo of the titular monster and selecting it. This links to an equally entertaining and insightful interview with Chris Robinson, who plays the titular monster.
The second enhancement reflects the wisdom of RTFM. Not looking at the back-cover of the set before watching "Beast" resulted in not choosing wisely in selecting the theatrical version over the television version. Doing my homework would have taught me that the silver-screen version is shorter than the small-screen one.
The wonderfully cliche-ridden plot of "Beast" is that a small-time crook, his second-in-command, his muscle who has taken far too many blows to the head, and his bimbo moll go to a ski-resort town to pull a heist. They enlist the aid of a studly ski-bum to help with their escape by hiring him to guide them on a backwoods adventure.
The (of course comically cheesy) wraithlike beast enters the picture in a wonderfully Hays Code manner. A member of the gang mixes business with pleasure by persuading a loose local to accompany him to the mine that will play a pivotal role in the crime. This releasing the beast is highly symbolic on many levels.
Hilarity ensues when the game gets afoot on our group heading out on their excursion. The beast tags along to get his man. This, of course, leads to a climatic showdown that is pure Corman.
The caveat regarding thoughts on "Patrol" is that it largely is a war film and a fauxumentary on skiing. Neither genre is a favorite of your not-so-humble reviewer. The rest of this confession is admitting to fast-forwarding through at least the 20 minutes that merely is footage of our heroes skiing through a German forest during World War II.
The real-world background of this story is more interesting. The US Army recruited expert skiers, recalled largely to be college athletes, for these patrols.
Our fictional band of brothers are charged with observing and reporting but often exceed those orders by engaging the enemy. They ultimately take things even further by utilizing an opportunity to attempt sabotage.
A segment in which the guys force their way into the secluded cabin of a loyal daughter of the Third Reich is the most interesting part of the film. An awesome Code element of this element is finding stockings in the drawer of their hostess. This viewer anyway wishes that the film had focused more on the story with the woman than on the skiing and the equally repetitive fights with the Nazis.
All of this shows that Masters provides a good chance to own expertly remastered versions of lesser-known films of a guy who helped keep the '50s Saturday afternoon kiddie matinee industry afloat and provides lovers of the best bad films plenty of material to cheer and equally enthusiastically jeer. They truly do not make 'em like that anymore.