It’s difficult enough for movies to combine cowboys and aliens, Jetsons and Flintstones, or even a bunch or super heroes to make a good film.
More than 60 years ago, someone thought of making a western in Mexico, and adding a dinosaur. This became Beast of Hollow Mountain, one of the weirdest choices in the history of MST3K.
Jim, an American rancher in Mexico is trying to figure out why some of his cattle are missing. Some of the locals think the curse from a certain mountain. He does get help from the town drunk, Pancho, and his son who thinks he can do anything even if he’s seven (like a similar kid in The Black Scorpion). Jim also falls for Sarita, a girl who’s engaged to another guy who wants Jim to leave.
Now, the one who’s taking the cattle is a dinosaur who somehow has thrived in Mexico, but we don’t see it until the last 20 minutes of the movie.
Maybe just like Avalanche, the writers got caught up in the soap opera they almost forgot to add the dinosaur. The dinosaur doesn’t attack the town like in Reptilicus, but chomps on a couple guys before it sinks in quicksand.
It’s not much of a movie, but Jonah and the bots do just fine by using variations of the Blazing Saddles theme, and a couple of inside jokes about the show.
As for the host segments, the New Mads’ attempt to rewrite history about the Titanic doesn’t work, but seeing Max drink hot water twice shows he’s indeed the son of TV’s Frank.
The bots also do a fashion show connected with the movie, while the Mads say if they “love it” while wearing pretentious sunglasses. Jonah’s look isn’t popular, though.
There’s also signs that their hopes to drive Jonah and the bots crazy may not work. When Crow and Servo do a Mexican ceremony, Jonah panics along with the Mads. Max’s comments says it all: “It could be a celebration to the arbitrary quality of life or they suffered a really bad blow to the head.” This won’t be the only time the Mads wonder about their experiment.
RIFFS:
Pancho staggers out of the cantina while his son waits outside
So this is what happened to the “most interesting man in the world”.
Enrique, Jim’s rival, tries to apologize to Sarita for being so jealous
“When a man is in love, he is not, he is not himself”
He is another, stupider man.
Jim tries to gun down the dinosaur
“But the cowboy didn’t like him so he shot him in the face”
So meta!
Next time: Italy tries to make its own Star Wars
