Teenage Cave Man is the name of a 1958 science fiction film

Science fiction film

Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...

 directed by Roger Corman

Roger Corman

Roger William Corman is an American film producer, director and actor. He has mostly worked on low-budget B movies. Some of Corman's work has an established critical reputation, such as his cycle of films adapted from the tales of Edgar Allan Poe, and in 2009 he won an Honorary Academy Award for...

. It was shot as Prehistoric World, but was changed by American International Pictures

American International Pictures

American International Pictures was a film production company formed in April 1956 from American Releasing Corporation by James H. Nicholson, former Sales Manager of Realart Pictures, and Samuel Z. Arkoff, an entertainment lawyer...

 to its final title. Years later in an interview, Corman stated "I never directed a film called Teenage Caveman". Lead actor Robert Vaughn

Robert Vaughn

Robert Francis Vaughn, , is an American actor noted for stage, film and television work. His best known roles include the suave spy Napoleon Solo in the 1960s television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E., wealthy detective Harry Rule in the 1970s television series The Protectors, Albert Stroller in...

 has stated in an interview that he considered it to be the worst film ever made. The film was later featured on the television series Mystery Science Theater 3000

Mystery Science Theater 3000

Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....

.

Plot

The story revolves around a tribe of primitives in a barren wasteland who struggle to survive, despite a lush environment just on the other side of a nearby river; they refuse to cross the river because of an ancient tale which warns of a god lurking on the other side, who brings death with a touch. A young man of the tribe decides to challenge the law, eventually leading the tribe to follow him across the river and confront the "god": a horribly burnt humanlike giant. Despite the young man's attempts to make peace, the tribe stones

Stoning

Stoning, or lapidation, is a form of capital punishment whereby a group throws stones at a person until the person dies. No individual among the group can be identified as the one who kills the subject, yet everyone involved plainly bears some degree of moral culpability. This is in contrast to the...

 the giant to death. In the denouement in a voice-over

Voice-over

Voice-over is a production technique where a voice which is not part of the narrative is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, theatre, or other presentations...

by the giant after his death, the truth is revealed: the hideous figure is actually the last survivor of an ancient nuclear holocaust. Surviving due to his radiation suit, he wandered across the land as humanity slowly rebuilt itself, his terrible appearance causing everyone to fear and shun him. The final message of the movie is this: would humanity repeat its mistake?