Archaeologists are puzzled by a perfectly-preserved human body unearthed from a multi-million-year-old geological stratum. Following subsequent analysis, the remains are determined to be of an early ancestor to modern man. This startling discovery rouses the interest of a few high muckamucks in the science world, and they prattle-on endlessly with the usual pseudo-scientific explanatory deductions. Things take an even more bizarre turn when an electrical storm unexpectedly(?) reanimates the prehistoric fellow, who proceeds to wreak very familiar B-movie havoc. He's not really much of a beast, quite frankly...long-haired and clad in a formless makeshift skirt, he looks more like an unsightly vagrant transvestite who just got thrown from a mechanical bull.
THE BEAST FROM THE BEGINNING OF TIME is something of a regional curio, largely funded(well, okay, maybe not LARGELY) by a Wichita, KS area independent TV station, and written/directed by the host of a weekly horror movie show popular in the region during that time(he has the starring role, as well). The film languished in obscurity for decades, being seen only by the handful who caught it during a scant few local TV airings.
The film is now readily viewable on a number of streaming sites, free of charge. This is fortunate, as it's honestly not worth paying money to see. Genre fans should be grateful for any monster movie that gets shielded from the death-kiss of "lost cinema", and this case is no exception...all things considered, I'm happy to have seen it. I'm also sorry to report that it has a barnyard quality very much on par with some of the era's other low-grade regional cheapies...TEENAGERS BATTLE THE THING(1959), NIGHT FRIGHT(1967) and THE LEGEND OF BLOOD MOUNTAIN(1965) spring to mind. Flatly written and depressingly unimaginative, it runs its course at a loitering pace with a mere modicum of action in the final stretch. To its credit, however, performances from the key players are, surprisingly, rather passable for such a picayune project, and there are dashes of gore which, though tame by today's standards, were fairly excessive for '65. Too, the finale is shot with an unexpectedly artful, even borderline experimental flourish in high-contrast black and white.
All said, this might intrigue a select few for its rarity and somewhat unusual production history. Any rediscovered addition to the horror canon is a welcome one, but the best thing I have to say about TBFTBOT is that I've seen worse.
3.5/10...disappointing.