What a charming little movie this is. You don't get to see the "beast" until the very end of the movie, but the characters and the relationships between them was so simple that I didn't care that much. Guy Madison stars as super-rancher Jimmy Ryan. Madison is charismatic, athletic, and an all-around gentleman. The way he takes in little Panchito and his binge-drinking father Pancho is kind and a gesture that's as pure as snow (or desert sand in this case). The way Jimmy disposes of the beast is truly original. I didn't know what he was doing when setting up his dinosaur trap.

The beast is a primitive stop motion creation, but it's very endearing because the creators managed to give it some personality. It slides down hills, runs across an open field chasing our hero on horseback, and rips open the roof of a shack. For looking as basic as it does, the effects folks really did some unique things to bring it to life.

The biggest issue I have with this movie is the abrupt way it ended. I cared enough about the characters to want to see them live happily ever after but never got the satisfaction. It's possible to assume a happy ending based on the way everyone hugged each other and saddled up, but it felt kind of open-ended. I normally don't need all the loose ends tied up, but I wanted to know if Jimmy hooked up with Sarita and adopted little Panchito. I'm making this sound like a soap opera.

"The Beast of Hollow Mountain" really took me by surprise. It's not like it was anything more than a B-movie but it was innocent, lightweight and just an enjoyable little distraction. CometTV is really doing a great job showing these rarities. And no, I didn't see this on MST3K.