This was filmed partially in Crested Butte, Colorado for the ski slope shots, and 30 miles away in Gunnison, Colorado for fill shots. They shot the 'Winter Wonderland' High School dance sequence in the gym at the high school. This was a pretty big deal for all of the students. A real "Hollywood" movie! I remember Yvette being very petite and very quiet during her on-camera parts. One of the shots has Bo sitting in the middle of a bunch of students in the bleachers. Look close (and quick) and you'll see a geeky guy in glasses behind him. I remember wearing a bright shirt that day. We all had to sign the waivers and promise to be polite and quiet. The director would lay out what was going on in that particular shot and how we were supposed to act. They replaced the glass in one of the gym doors so the Beast could stick his arm through it. They seemed to be careful to not let us see the whole beast. Only parts of it. Bo was a large guy, as I remember. And nice. I was a freshman or sophomore at the time so this was being filmed in the 1976-77 time frame. My friends dad was principal at the time. I remember him being very stressed about all the diversions. Not education friendly I guess. But it was a neat learning experience in another way. And I get to say I was in a movie with Yvette and Bo. Thanks.
114 Reviews
Peed my pants
symbioticpsychotic11 May 2018
I saw this on late night tv in the early eighties. I was staying at my grandmothers house and I was in a sleeping bag. She had one of those Ye olde toilets where you had to go outside to pee. Needless to say I was to scared to go out side lest the Snowbeast would get me. There was no snow but I was too scared and peed in the sleeping bag. I'm still scared of the dark. And sleeping bags. And my grandmother. She's dead now though which is fine cause she was crazy. Also don't watch scary movies if you have to outside to pee, it may not end well.
Snowbeast: Competent 70's b-movie
Platypuschow31 January 2018
1977 is one of my lowest rated years so I went in expecting more of the same but immediatly found myself pleasantly surprised.
This 70's b-movie is set around a Colorado ski resort that comes under attack from a big yeti like creature. Nothing original, but it was done competently enough to be entertaining.
Two things set this apart from others, for one it's PG! So you don't see any deaths, no violence, nothing. That for one was a weird choice but didn't seem to damage the film.
Second you never actually see the monster in its entirety, in fact you barely see it at all. A shot of it's paws, a quick shot of it's face and that's literally it! You'd think this would kill a movie like this off immediatly but it actually works in the films favour. I've always said if you don't have the budget to pull something off then don't try, they didn't have the budget so were just selective as to how/where & when you see the monster. For that I tip my hat.
Nothing spectacular but certainly a decent enough big foot movie.
The Good:
Cast do a great job
Looks great
The Bad:
Cheating antagonists....again!
Fade to reds are stupid
Things I Learnt From This Movie:
A monster movie without a monster works better than you'd expect
This 70's b-movie is set around a Colorado ski resort that comes under attack from a big yeti like creature. Nothing original, but it was done competently enough to be entertaining.
Two things set this apart from others, for one it's PG! So you don't see any deaths, no violence, nothing. That for one was a weird choice but didn't seem to damage the film.
Second you never actually see the monster in its entirety, in fact you barely see it at all. A shot of it's paws, a quick shot of it's face and that's literally it! You'd think this would kill a movie like this off immediatly but it actually works in the films favour. I've always said if you don't have the budget to pull something off then don't try, they didn't have the budget so were just selective as to how/where & when you see the monster. For that I tip my hat.
Nothing spectacular but certainly a decent enough big foot movie.
The Good:
Cast do a great job
Looks great
The Bad:
Cheating antagonists....again!
Fade to reds are stupid
Things I Learnt From This Movie:
A monster movie without a monster works better than you'd expect
Corman-esquire cure for insomnia
mstomaso29 July 2006
Good looking actors like Mimieux and Svenson and pretty scenery can only do so much to save a poorly written story. Snow Beast is a typical 1970s monster horror film and plays out like an over-long ancestral episode of the X-Files without any of the subplots that made that show tolerable. Of course it's about a yeti terrorizing a ski resort. But since the yeti itself (also a pretty good looking creature) only appears in the film for about 2 minutes scattered over the entire 86 minutes of the film, the resort is mostly inhabited by bad actors. Frankly, only Mimieux gives a performance worthy of recording, though Svenson seemed to at least be enjoying himself.
Svenson and Mimieux's characters are married, though seemingly becoming estranged because of Svenson deepening depression. Bob Logan plays a good friend of the couple who appears to be interested in Mimieux for reasons that go beyond friendship. Svenson's problem is that he regrets having given up skiing after winning five gold medals and becoming a champion. This sets up a subplot which is used to justify about 30 minutes of Corman-esquire scenes of people skiing. Svenson is a pretty poor skier for an ex-champion. The hunt for the yeti, which really couldn't justify more skiing scenes, instead explains why most of the last 15 minutes of the film consists of the principle cast riding around on snow mobiles. And lest I forget, Clint Walker shows up, playing himself in a County Sheriff's uniform and leads the snow-mobile brigade.
Like many "shockers" of the 70s, Snow Beast avoids an adequate special effects budget and an R rating (it's a TV movie) by not allowing the audience to see the beast itself or really, any of the horror scenes. You only see the beast when the actors do. And when they see it, they die, while you are only likely to experience narcolepsy.
It took me four nights to get through this one. I have read through some of the more enthusiastic reviews, and all I can say about them is that I am glad that diversity thrives here on IMDb.
Svenson and Mimieux's characters are married, though seemingly becoming estranged because of Svenson deepening depression. Bob Logan plays a good friend of the couple who appears to be interested in Mimieux for reasons that go beyond friendship. Svenson's problem is that he regrets having given up skiing after winning five gold medals and becoming a champion. This sets up a subplot which is used to justify about 30 minutes of Corman-esquire scenes of people skiing. Svenson is a pretty poor skier for an ex-champion. The hunt for the yeti, which really couldn't justify more skiing scenes, instead explains why most of the last 15 minutes of the film consists of the principle cast riding around on snow mobiles. And lest I forget, Clint Walker shows up, playing himself in a County Sheriff's uniform and leads the snow-mobile brigade.
Like many "shockers" of the 70s, Snow Beast avoids an adequate special effects budget and an R rating (it's a TV movie) by not allowing the audience to see the beast itself or really, any of the horror scenes. You only see the beast when the actors do. And when they see it, they die, while you are only likely to experience narcolepsy.
It took me four nights to get through this one. I have read through some of the more enthusiastic reviews, and all I can say about them is that I am glad that diversity thrives here on IMDb.
Enjoyable If You Don't Expect Too Much
Big Movie Fan17 September 2002
I loved Snowbeast when I first saw it. It could never be accused of being a great film but it is very good.
Some Sasquatch type creature is butchering people staying at a ski resort and no-one seems to be able to locate it or kill it. Throughout the movie it kills people and causes some carnage.
You don't actually get many glimpses of the monster. You will see a claw here or there but if memory serves me right, you actually only get split second glimpses of it's face at the end when it is cornered by the good guys. Of course, this doesn't spoil the movie; on the contrary, I think it helps that you don't see the monster every five minutes, it makes the whole thing more authentic. It's much better to hear a few growls here and there and to see the victims reactions.
I recommend Snowbeast to anyone. If you notice it on the TV, make sure you record it.
Some Sasquatch type creature is butchering people staying at a ski resort and no-one seems to be able to locate it or kill it. Throughout the movie it kills people and causes some carnage.
You don't actually get many glimpses of the monster. You will see a claw here or there but if memory serves me right, you actually only get split second glimpses of it's face at the end when it is cornered by the good guys. Of course, this doesn't spoil the movie; on the contrary, I think it helps that you don't see the monster every five minutes, it makes the whole thing more authentic. It's much better to hear a few growls here and there and to see the victims reactions.
I recommend Snowbeast to anyone. If you notice it on the TV, make sure you record it.
Somewhat Entertaining, Made For TV Horror Cheese
MetalGeek26 October 2009
"Snowbeast" was yet another Dollar Store DVD pickup for me (on a double feature disc with David Janssen in "Moon of the Wolf," which I have yet to watch) and it is a serviceable, though far from great, late 70s creature feature. Several other IMDb posters have referred to it as "Jaws on a Ski Slope" and I'd have to say that's a pretty accurate description. Like the zillions of other 70s monster movies that were obviously inspired by the success of "Jaws," "Snowbeast" duplicates virtually every plot point of the shark classic and transfers them to a dry land location (a Colorado ski resort, to be exact)... the opening scene where the creature attacks a lone girl, the hero with a dark past, the authorities who want to keep the attacks secret for fear of losing business, the eventual hunt for the beast by a small group of people on their own, yadda yadda yadda. Since "Snowbeast" was made for TV you don't get much in the way of blood and guts, therefore the gorehound crowd can skip this one right off the bat. You also don't get to see much of the titular Snowbeast (a Bigfoot-style mountain creature) due to obvious budgetary constraints. The filmmakers try to hide this by shooting most of the Snowbeast-attack scenes from the monster's point of view, which means all you get to see most of the time is a hairy arm and claw shooting out from the edge of the screen to grasp a screaming ski bunny. We do get a two second look at the critter's face when it peers through a window during the resort's Winter Carnival, causing predictable chaos, and I swear that it looks enough like the "Abominable" from "Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer" that I half expected one of the characters to announce "Didn't I ever tell you about Bumbles? Bumbles BOUNCE!"
Despite the high cheese factor, I had fun watching "Snowbeast." It's not scary in the slightest but was a decent way to kill 90 minutes on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Bo Svenson (as the troubled ski instructor who's honor-bound to kill the beast) puts in a decent performance, as does Yvette ("The Black Hole") Mimieux as his long suffering wife. Everyone else in the cast is basically there to provide cannon fodder/Snowbeast chow and aren't terribly interesting. But the snowy Colorado scenery is nice to look at (though the constant shots of the characters skiing and snowmobiling around the resort while hunting for the monster get a little tiresome after a while; they're obviously only there to pad out the run time) and unlike most movies of this genre, the ending does not set up for a possible sequel (thank God). If this sounds like your bag, you can find "Snowbeast" on DVD at a dollar store near you. Ya can't beat the price and you can do a hell of a lot worse for your buck.
Despite the high cheese factor, I had fun watching "Snowbeast." It's not scary in the slightest but was a decent way to kill 90 minutes on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Bo Svenson (as the troubled ski instructor who's honor-bound to kill the beast) puts in a decent performance, as does Yvette ("The Black Hole") Mimieux as his long suffering wife. Everyone else in the cast is basically there to provide cannon fodder/Snowbeast chow and aren't terribly interesting. But the snowy Colorado scenery is nice to look at (though the constant shots of the characters skiing and snowmobiling around the resort while hunting for the monster get a little tiresome after a while; they're obviously only there to pad out the run time) and unlike most movies of this genre, the ending does not set up for a possible sequel (thank God). If this sounds like your bag, you can find "Snowbeast" on DVD at a dollar store near you. Ya can't beat the price and you can do a hell of a lot worse for your buck.
OK they can ski already
manicgecko6 April 2006
I really want find out where this ski resort is. For an entire movie we saw people skiing and snowmobiling during a supposed celebration and NO ONE was on the course other than the person the camera was focused on and the shadow of the camera man. But then again this is a film about skiing, and snow-mobiling, and more skiing, and more mobiling, and more skiing and more skiing and zzzzzzz. Oh yeah they threw a monster in to break up the skiing. The sad thing is that this movie does have some close to brilliant points, but then they had to put me asleep with either a morality lesson from Gar or, gasp, more skiing. Best actor nomination for this movie was the kid that found the body, nobody else came in even a distant second. And even in snow pants Yvette was worth looking act, but that about sums up the high points. I am thankful this came in a 20 movie set I got for $8 or I really overpaid.
Not enough Yeti!!!
misfitgirl7 February 2005
Warning: Spoilers
Too mediocre to rate a 1... this movie had such promise but failed to deliver the furry package of Yeti fun that we all hoped for (like so many other Yeti movies).
Focusing primarily on characters skiing from place to place or snowmobiling from place to place, this becomes one of those "follow the characters as they move around" movies instead of the tightly strung suspense film it might have been. The scenes of dull conversations where vague motives and character points feebly attempt to establish themselves are interspersed with "I am a Yeti looking through branches at prospective victims" shots and the occasional vicious Yeti attack. However, the ratio is disappointingly low on the Yeti side of the equation.
Perhaps a good movie to watch in the middle of the summer when you are wishing you had air conditioning.
The Yeti himself, finally showing more than a claw towards the end of the movie, is pretty terrifying, sending a gymnasium full of teenage girls screaming. RARRRRRR!!!! So brace yourself, okay?
Personally, if I redid this movie myself, I would try something new and interesting. Perhaps some footage cutting back and forth between the skiing/snowmobiling and conversations to portions of footage showing us what the Yeti is up to.
What does he do in his spare time? Housekeeping? Or is he a highly tactical attacker who plots out where his victims will be at certain times? Does he engage in lengthy surveillance, or just wander out randomly when he's finished napping to see what he can find for a lunch nibble? Does he eat a bite or two of his victims, or just leave them to scare the other vapid humans, because he's actually trying to protect what he perceives as his personal territory?
These and other questions mock me from my brain as I watch yet another movie lacking in Yeti insights.
Focusing primarily on characters skiing from place to place or snowmobiling from place to place, this becomes one of those "follow the characters as they move around" movies instead of the tightly strung suspense film it might have been. The scenes of dull conversations where vague motives and character points feebly attempt to establish themselves are interspersed with "I am a Yeti looking through branches at prospective victims" shots and the occasional vicious Yeti attack. However, the ratio is disappointingly low on the Yeti side of the equation.
Perhaps a good movie to watch in the middle of the summer when you are wishing you had air conditioning.
The Yeti himself, finally showing more than a claw towards the end of the movie, is pretty terrifying, sending a gymnasium full of teenage girls screaming. RARRRRRR!!!! So brace yourself, okay?
Personally, if I redid this movie myself, I would try something new and interesting. Perhaps some footage cutting back and forth between the skiing/snowmobiling and conversations to portions of footage showing us what the Yeti is up to.
What does he do in his spare time? Housekeeping? Or is he a highly tactical attacker who plots out where his victims will be at certain times? Does he engage in lengthy surveillance, or just wander out randomly when he's finished napping to see what he can find for a lunch nibble? Does he eat a bite or two of his victims, or just leave them to scare the other vapid humans, because he's actually trying to protect what he perceives as his personal territory?
These and other questions mock me from my brain as I watch yet another movie lacking in Yeti insights.
No beast
Zeegrade8 March 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Is the mere presence of Bo Svenson in a made for t.v. movie carry enough entertainment value to keep viewers hooked on a story? Snowbeast sure thinks so. A Colorado ski lodge is plagued with mysterious attacks that threaten to ruin the winter snowqueen banquet. Bo Svenson plays Gar Seberg a former olympic gold-medal winner skier that hasn't gotten on the skis since. This is supposed to significantly factor into the storyline which features more snowmobiling than skiing. Along for the ride is Gar's wife Ellen (Yvette Mimieux) who at one time had a relationship with ski lodge manager Tony Rill played by Robert Logan. Sylvia Sydney who's been acting since the late jurassic period is lumped into this snowturd as Tony's mother.
The snowbeast is given very little exposure in this movie and by the time the climax arrives the movie resorts to Gar attacking a growling camera from the perspective of the beast. LAME! If you can't afford an entire monster suit then why make a monster movie? All that is afforded the viewer is two arm shots, a window face shot, a foot kicking a log, and a quick head shot for the "finale". The acting in this is straight out of a seventies soap opera. One particular ludicrous scene has Tony asking Gar to help him kill the beast all the while they are soaking in a pool. Gar fiercely defends the rights of the beast as if he works for the crytozoology department of the ACLU. In disgust Gar gets out of the pool and all of the sudden both men are lounging side by side in absurdly cushioned bathrobes where Gar continues his defense of the snowbeast. The scene is just so bizarre. Another annoying feature is the use of the blood-red fade outs and fade ins that were for the commercial breaks. I expected any second to see a clip of the donny and marie show along with who was guest starring on Fantasy Island tonight. At least Yvette Mimieux looks adorable in snow boots. Avoid this movie and pray for spring.
The snowbeast is given very little exposure in this movie and by the time the climax arrives the movie resorts to Gar attacking a growling camera from the perspective of the beast. LAME! If you can't afford an entire monster suit then why make a monster movie? All that is afforded the viewer is two arm shots, a window face shot, a foot kicking a log, and a quick head shot for the "finale". The acting in this is straight out of a seventies soap opera. One particular ludicrous scene has Tony asking Gar to help him kill the beast all the while they are soaking in a pool. Gar fiercely defends the rights of the beast as if he works for the crytozoology department of the ACLU. In disgust Gar gets out of the pool and all of the sudden both men are lounging side by side in absurdly cushioned bathrobes where Gar continues his defense of the snowbeast. The scene is just so bizarre. Another annoying feature is the use of the blood-red fade outs and fade ins that were for the commercial breaks. I expected any second to see a clip of the donny and marie show along with who was guest starring on Fantasy Island tonight. At least Yvette Mimieux looks adorable in snow boots. Avoid this movie and pray for spring.
Jaws on the Slopes
hdavis-2923 April 2005
For a low budget, made-for-TV movie from 1977, this one packs quite a wallop. Sure, we never really get to see the monster and there is an abundance of non-professional extras on hand, but the lead performances (Bo Svenson, Yvette Mimieux and Clint Walker) are just fine. There are two very strong qualities which take this film into the recommendable range. One is the excellent location photography. Sure, the Colorado mountains are gorgeous, but the stedicam work around the slopes really add to the tension. Second is the musical score. It is just excellent, so far about the norm for a TV movie of the era. I don't have the composer credit at hand, but it's my guess that there was a connection between him and Joseph Stefano, who wrote the film and was a veteran of Outer Limits, also noted for its engaging musical score. Anyway, between the music and the swooping camera work, this film is often genuinely creepy, almost from the first few minutes. And bless her sweet soul, isn't Yvette gorgeous? She sure grew from the Time Machine into a beautiful woman. Final word: it's hard not to notice the plot similarity between this feature and Jaws. Made two years after the Spielberg classic, we're still dealing with a monster on the loose and a town that doesn't want to admit it for fear of losing tourist dollars. Maybe Jaws on the Slopes would be a good subtitle here.
Skiing the movie...
KyleBender7216 June 2020
If Love Cheap And Chessy...
the_fog_19807 January 2003
If you love cheap and chessy movies, this little beauty is for you. I love these kinds of films, and this one has a fond spot in my heart. I remember it from 1977. Snuggled up on the soffa with my teenie girl squeeze. This was a cool night for a 14 year old dude. This film is fun with some pretty good moments. This beast did get hit with the ugly stick, big and bad. Maybe that's why it's so ticked off. I found this film as part of a triple feature DVD for under $10.00. And it's well worth the time to look back at a cheap and chessy 70's monster flick. I won't give anything away. I do recommend that you check it out. Plus it's kinda cool to see all the old tv actors from yesterday's gone by. Clint Walker and Bo Svenson are fun to watch. Take care and ENJOY!!
Great for Clint Walker and GI Joe Fans
Johnny_West17 August 2019
Snowbeast is pretty entertaining. The story is a mostly ripping off JAWS. It is set at a ski resort, and instead of a big shark, the monster is a big Yeti or Sasquatch. The Yeti is pulling guests off the ski slopes and eating them. Tourists are terrified.
It is up to Clint Walker, Bo Svenson, Yvette Mimieux, and Robert Logan to put together the GI Joe Adventure team that searches for the Yeti and stops it from chomping on more tourists!!
As a kid, I saw this movie along with my Adventure Team action figures and the Yeti set. It fits together perfectly. Playing along with the movie certainly made the movie a lot better than it probably was. If you have any Yeti and action figures, I suggest you watch this movie and play along. It will be fun!!
It is up to Clint Walker, Bo Svenson, Yvette Mimieux, and Robert Logan to put together the GI Joe Adventure team that searches for the Yeti and stops it from chomping on more tourists!!
As a kid, I saw this movie along with my Adventure Team action figures and the Yeti set. It fits together perfectly. Playing along with the movie certainly made the movie a lot better than it probably was. If you have any Yeti and action figures, I suggest you watch this movie and play along. It will be fun!!
A strictly so-so 70's made-for-TV horror creature feature timewaster
Woodyanders13 October 2006
Warning: Spoilers
"Jaws" was a huge hit in '75, so it comes as no surprise that at least one mid-70's Sasquatch cinema outing was specifically made to capitalize on the meteoric success of the Spielberg smash. The only startling thing about this strictly ho-hum made-for-TV terror picture is that it not only blatantly copies "Jaws," but also William Girdler's equally derivative "Jaws"-with-claws offering "Grisly" as well! A huge, hulking, growling murderous yeti terrorizes a Colorado ski resort during an annual winter carnival. The resort's snippy old lady owner (a severely wasted Sylvia Sidney) dismisses any possibility that an albino Bigfoot is on the attack and keep things quiet so business won't be negatively affected. But the owner's concerned grandson (blandly played by "Wilderness Family" film series star Robert Logan) decides to investigate the disappearance of a luckless skier and discovers that the creature is both very real and a grave threat to the resort's guests. So Logan treks into the woods along with a has-been ski champion (a sleepwalking Bo Svenson) and the stalwart sheriff (a stolid Clint Walker) to hunt the pesky critter down.
Original "Psycho" scribe Joseph Stefano's by-the-numbers cookie cutter script flatly recycles the standard "Jaws" formula: a killing occurs, there's a cover-up, another killing happens, mass panic ensues, and a motley assortment of gutsy guys join forces to take on the offending beastie. The shopworn premise isn't helped any by pedestrian direction, draggy pacing, a debilitating dearth of tension, soap opera-like characters and situations, a slushy score, infrequent glimpses of the monster, tacky red-tinted freeze frames, and a predictable ending. On the plus side both Annie ("Warlords of the 21st Century") McEnroe and Yvette ("Devil Dog: The Hound from Hell") Mimieux make for highly fair damsels in distress, the wintry mountainside scenery looks gorgeous, and Frank ("Corvette Summer") Stanley's cinematography rises well above the sub-par material with its expert use of extremely effective hand-held monster-on-the-prowl POV shots. Unfortunately, the flick's pervasive sense of boob tube banality ensures that things never come to life and start seriously cooking the way they should, thereby dooming this damp squid to outright mediocrity.
Original "Psycho" scribe Joseph Stefano's by-the-numbers cookie cutter script flatly recycles the standard "Jaws" formula: a killing occurs, there's a cover-up, another killing happens, mass panic ensues, and a motley assortment of gutsy guys join forces to take on the offending beastie. The shopworn premise isn't helped any by pedestrian direction, draggy pacing, a debilitating dearth of tension, soap opera-like characters and situations, a slushy score, infrequent glimpses of the monster, tacky red-tinted freeze frames, and a predictable ending. On the plus side both Annie ("Warlords of the 21st Century") McEnroe and Yvette ("Devil Dog: The Hound from Hell") Mimieux make for highly fair damsels in distress, the wintry mountainside scenery looks gorgeous, and Frank ("Corvette Summer") Stanley's cinematography rises well above the sub-par material with its expert use of extremely effective hand-held monster-on-the-prowl POV shots. Unfortunately, the flick's pervasive sense of boob tube banality ensures that things never come to life and start seriously cooking the way they should, thereby dooming this damp squid to outright mediocrity.
"It Wasn't An Animal, And It Wasn't Human Either!"...
azathothpwiggins26 November 2018
SNOWBEAST is about the Rill Ski Lodge, its 50th anniversary celebration, and the huge, hairy monster that wrecks it all.
The wanton slaughter starts right away, leaving unwary skiers slumped on the slopes. Of course, lodge owner, Carrie Rill (Sylvia Sidney) won't entertain the idea of closing the place down. After all, what are a few deaths, when a winter carnival is at stake?
Enter Gar and Ellen Seberg (Bo Svenson and Yvette Mimieux). He's an 8 foot tall man in need of a job and a confidence boost, and she's his long-suffering wife. Can they put their soap opera marriage on hold long enough for Gar to help track the creature? When 9 foot tall Sheriff Paraday (Clint Walker) gets involved, it takes a while to convince him, and then the hunt is on.
As made-for-TV, killer Bigfoot movies go, this one's not too bad. It's also fairly talky, and has several lengthy shots of people just skiing along, like they're in a travelogue.
THE BEST PARTS ARE: #1- When the beast attacks the lodge, ruining the night for the winter carnival queen! #2- The monster's assault on the sheriff's camper! The yowling yeti unleashes an avalanche of -conveniently placed- logs that defy physics and all logic, by hopping into the camper sideways!
A frigid feast of furry fun!...
The wanton slaughter starts right away, leaving unwary skiers slumped on the slopes. Of course, lodge owner, Carrie Rill (Sylvia Sidney) won't entertain the idea of closing the place down. After all, what are a few deaths, when a winter carnival is at stake?
Enter Gar and Ellen Seberg (Bo Svenson and Yvette Mimieux). He's an 8 foot tall man in need of a job and a confidence boost, and she's his long-suffering wife. Can they put their soap opera marriage on hold long enough for Gar to help track the creature? When 9 foot tall Sheriff Paraday (Clint Walker) gets involved, it takes a while to convince him, and then the hunt is on.
As made-for-TV, killer Bigfoot movies go, this one's not too bad. It's also fairly talky, and has several lengthy shots of people just skiing along, like they're in a travelogue.
THE BEST PARTS ARE: #1- When the beast attacks the lodge, ruining the night for the winter carnival queen! #2- The monster's assault on the sheriff's camper! The yowling yeti unleashes an avalanche of -conveniently placed- logs that defy physics and all logic, by hopping into the camper sideways!
A frigid feast of furry fun!...
Let's watch the camera man walk around in the snow for 86 min.
ash_077721 September 2005
This is more of a warning than a review. I have seen what is probably millions of movies. I am an avid collector. I am telling you this so your realize I have merrit here. Out of all the movies I own, this is the second worst EVER!! (the first being Skydivers) Basically, it's the camera man walking around taking blank snow shots. In between these scenes is some bland dialog, and boring people. Note: virtually nothing happens in this movie.
One of my favorite types of movies is the bad one. The kind that makes you laugh with the badness, and how hard the makers tried. That's the good bad. Then there's "Frunch". These are the movies that literally waist your time. The bad bad. Stay away. You will be frustrated and angry that somebody made it. This one falls into that category. If you here "frunch", run. This one is frunch. DO NOT WATCH. I am baffled that it got a 4+ ranking on this site.
I would give this one a minus ranking if I could, but 1 was the lowest. Consider yourself warned!
One of my favorite types of movies is the bad one. The kind that makes you laugh with the badness, and how hard the makers tried. That's the good bad. Then there's "Frunch". These are the movies that literally waist your time. The bad bad. Stay away. You will be frustrated and angry that somebody made it. This one falls into that category. If you here "frunch", run. This one is frunch. DO NOT WATCH. I am baffled that it got a 4+ ranking on this site.
I would give this one a minus ranking if I could, but 1 was the lowest. Consider yourself warned!
Classic 70s animal horror movie
jrsnakes14 January 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Even though the movie was kind of cheesy I thought the acting was pretty good. Big fan of monster movies, good and bad. Problem I have with the movie is: 2 were on fire watch at a time (that's what we called it in the marine corps), one of the fire watch members came out, the snowflake, excuse me, snowbeast knocked down the pile of logs that were somehow stacked up in the middle of nowhere and They knock over the vehicle. The 3 fire watch crew outside ran off. I'll have to watch the movie again because I didnt see what happened to the 3 rifles they had. WHERE DID THE RIFLES GO!! if they are standing guard againt a monster where are their weapons. Again I must have missed that part.
Just When You Thought It Was Safe To Ski!!!
geminiredblue26 April 2011
Warning: Spoilers
JAWS, a monumental horror movie brought to us by none other than Steven Spielberg himself. It taught everybody to fear what lurks beneath the ocean. I put it to you, mention the JAWS theme song and at least one person will start singing "duh-duh, duh-duh, duh-duh!" In its wake, rip-offs were inevitable. In '77, along came this made-for-TV movie called SNOWBEAST. Just substitute the beaches off Amity for the ski lifts of Colorado, and the shark for a yeti, and it's the same basic story. Good solid acting by a cast of veteran character actors, however, can't make up for a lack of oomph! Most of the violence happens off-screen (understandable for a made-for-TV movie) but perhaps this film would've fared better as a theater movie where violence could be shown. It's talked about the yeti ripping people apart, but we don't even get to see a severed hand! Even JAWS, which is rated PG, allowed us that! Plus, most of the movie, we get the Yeti's point-of-view shots. Only once do we actually see the creature, and when we do, it looks like a man in a white gorilla suit. As is usual in monster flicks like this, the monster eventually attacks at a local event. But even then, all we see are a group of people running around, screaming. The lack of seeing the creature actually hurts the movie in this case. At least in JAWS, we're given glimpses of the shark. So that when we finally see the shark in full, it works. And that's what is so sad with this film, you can see where it could've been a great monster film instead of a mediocre made-for-TV movie! However, not all is lost, get some friends together and enjoy mocking it. That, you can raise your beer bottles to!
It'll be a cold day in Hell when I give this a good review. Get it...?
chris_gable20058 May 2012
Skiing. Yetis. Obviously this is a video game movie of SkiFree. And like most video game movies, it sucks. I also got this in a Mill Creek "Chiller" pack.
Some have described it as "Jaws with snow," which isn't far off. First person Yeti-cam, main character wants to close down the park after a gruesome death. Higher authority says no in the name of profit, and wont cave after more deaths until they see it first hand. i can see the resemblance. Just replace "it wasn't a shark, it was a boat rudder" with "it wasn't a yeti, it was an avalanche." It's low-budget, made for TV B-Grade horror. And although I tend to enjoy a good laugh at a goofy B-Film, this wasn't even all that laughable. I can see why this was included in a $5 set of 20 Films no one had the rights to. Because no one would want the rights to this.
Much like the mutilated body of a Yeti victim, there's not much to salvage here.
Some have described it as "Jaws with snow," which isn't far off. First person Yeti-cam, main character wants to close down the park after a gruesome death. Higher authority says no in the name of profit, and wont cave after more deaths until they see it first hand. i can see the resemblance. Just replace "it wasn't a shark, it was a boat rudder" with "it wasn't a yeti, it was an avalanche." It's low-budget, made for TV B-Grade horror. And although I tend to enjoy a good laugh at a goofy B-Film, this wasn't even all that laughable. I can see why this was included in a $5 set of 20 Films no one had the rights to. Because no one would want the rights to this.
Much like the mutilated body of a Yeti victim, there's not much to salvage here.
Cheese melted with Bigfoot
DJAkin19 March 2006
Warning: Spoilers
This movie was more about skiing than bigfoot. The TV actors adorned this entire movie. Sure, it was spooky, not that great spookywise but kinda spooky. You never saw the yetti for more than a few seconds. I was more impressed with wherever this was shot. Creste Butte maybe? I will have to check that ski resort out. The best part of this movie was that scene where all the logs roll onto the truck and destroy it! Then bigfoot comes and kills the sheriff that was inside that truck. But killing bigfoot with a ski pole really stole the show for me. Yes, you read that right, the sasquatch was killed with a ski pole. I am a very very good skier. If I ski, and see this yetti, I will know what to do with my pole.
White-Out
sol12181 April 2004
******SPOILERS****** "Snowbeast" is another BigFoot/Yeti movie that takes place in and around a snowy Colorado Rocky Mountain ski-resort which is celebrating it's 50th anniversary.
Owner and former Lodge Snow Queen Carrie Rill, Sylvia Sidney, wants everything to go all right to attract more skiers to her Nill Lodge. The last thing she or her manager and grandson Tony, Robert Logan, want is what is about to happen on the snowy ski slopes around the lodge; A monster on the loose killing and mutilating the lodges costumers.
Jennifer, Kathy Christopher, is lost in the woods after she and her friend Heidi, Annie McEnroe, were attacked by some wild beast. Looking for Jennifer Buster, Thomas Babson, one of the members of the Nill Lodges ski petrol is also missing. When Jennifer is later found in a shack dead and savagely mutilated. It's becomes obvious to Lodge manager Tony that a wild beast is on the loose in the woods and mountain slopes and that the the Nill Lodge 50th Winter festival may well have to be canceled and with it all the desperately needed revenue to keep the lodge opened for the rest of the skiing season.
In the middle of all this a friend and former Olympic Skiing Gold Medal winner Gar Seberg, Bo Sevenson, and his TV reporter wife Ellen, Yette Mimieux, arrive at the lodge. Gar is is there looking for Tony to give his a job at the lodge; little did Gar know that he couldn't have come at a better time.
A few days later the Snowbeast stuck right in the heart of lodge itself killing and wounding a number of people and putting everyone at the lodge in a state of panic. With nothing left to keep the people at the lodge from knowing about the dangerous Snowbeast Tony and his friend and new employee Gar go up into the woods and mountain slopes to put an end to what's responsible for all this death and destruction. O.K movie about a not-too-friendly Bigfoot on the rampage with some very good ski and outdoor photography. There's also a nice sub-plot about Gar's fears and anxieties about being another washed-up Olympic Gold Medal winner. With nothing to look forward to in the future and of course, to those of us watching and rooting for Gar to come through in the movie, more then making up for his unfounded fears in the end.
It was also good to see Clint Walker, Sheriff Paraday, the epitome of the "Strong & Silent Type" who really didn't have that much to do, or say, in the movie in that he was killed off before the big final ending scene. But when Walker did say something the movie cast, as well as the audience, would stop look and listen.
There were also good performances by Yvette Mimieux as Gar's TV reporter wife and Silvia Sidney as Tony's grandmother and owner of the Nill Lodge. The Snowbeast was given very little screen time but was always on everyones mind which made it more dangerous and effective then having it over-exposed until he became an eyesore to watch. Hard sliding ending put the Snowbeast on the skids for good and saved the day for everyone still alive in the movie.
Owner and former Lodge Snow Queen Carrie Rill, Sylvia Sidney, wants everything to go all right to attract more skiers to her Nill Lodge. The last thing she or her manager and grandson Tony, Robert Logan, want is what is about to happen on the snowy ski slopes around the lodge; A monster on the loose killing and mutilating the lodges costumers.
Jennifer, Kathy Christopher, is lost in the woods after she and her friend Heidi, Annie McEnroe, were attacked by some wild beast. Looking for Jennifer Buster, Thomas Babson, one of the members of the Nill Lodges ski petrol is also missing. When Jennifer is later found in a shack dead and savagely mutilated. It's becomes obvious to Lodge manager Tony that a wild beast is on the loose in the woods and mountain slopes and that the the Nill Lodge 50th Winter festival may well have to be canceled and with it all the desperately needed revenue to keep the lodge opened for the rest of the skiing season.
In the middle of all this a friend and former Olympic Skiing Gold Medal winner Gar Seberg, Bo Sevenson, and his TV reporter wife Ellen, Yette Mimieux, arrive at the lodge. Gar is is there looking for Tony to give his a job at the lodge; little did Gar know that he couldn't have come at a better time.
A few days later the Snowbeast stuck right in the heart of lodge itself killing and wounding a number of people and putting everyone at the lodge in a state of panic. With nothing left to keep the people at the lodge from knowing about the dangerous Snowbeast Tony and his friend and new employee Gar go up into the woods and mountain slopes to put an end to what's responsible for all this death and destruction. O.K movie about a not-too-friendly Bigfoot on the rampage with some very good ski and outdoor photography. There's also a nice sub-plot about Gar's fears and anxieties about being another washed-up Olympic Gold Medal winner. With nothing to look forward to in the future and of course, to those of us watching and rooting for Gar to come through in the movie, more then making up for his unfounded fears in the end.
It was also good to see Clint Walker, Sheriff Paraday, the epitome of the "Strong & Silent Type" who really didn't have that much to do, or say, in the movie in that he was killed off before the big final ending scene. But when Walker did say something the movie cast, as well as the audience, would stop look and listen.
There were also good performances by Yvette Mimieux as Gar's TV reporter wife and Silvia Sidney as Tony's grandmother and owner of the Nill Lodge. The Snowbeast was given very little screen time but was always on everyones mind which made it more dangerous and effective then having it over-exposed until he became an eyesore to watch. Hard sliding ending put the Snowbeast on the skids for good and saved the day for everyone still alive in the movie.
I know less is more, but COME ON!
vegeta398630 July 2009
Welcome to movie number 13 of the chilling classics 50 pack. And today we have the epicness of blah, Snowbeast. Warning, there is a lot of skiing in this movie. a WHOLE lotta skiing. and a monster. but that's not important apparently.
It's pretty standard fair. there's a parade/contest/fair in town, and there's reports of a thing on the loose. no one wants to shut down the event because they don't want to lose money. And of course, because of their stupidness, people die. And there's also an incredibly long subplot about this guy who was a gold medal winner and now he can't accept being normal but blah blah blah i don't care. i guess they felt they needed more padding to their movie, but it really showed.
One of the bad things about this movie is you could totally tell that it was epicly cheap since they didn't show ANY of the victims getting killed or their bodies afterwards, and you only saw the monster in quick shots and extreme closeups. There's less is more, and then there's "okay, you obviously only had five dollars to shoot this movie with". This movie really does just frustrate me with the lack of anything.
It's not tremendously boring, it's not great. it kinda just sits there. like boobs in "Hatchetman" it's just......there. This movie is definitely the shrug of the shoulder, with 4 body counts, out of 10.
(thinks) hey, there actually IS a body count of 4. well that worked out nicely. XD
It's pretty standard fair. there's a parade/contest/fair in town, and there's reports of a thing on the loose. no one wants to shut down the event because they don't want to lose money. And of course, because of their stupidness, people die. And there's also an incredibly long subplot about this guy who was a gold medal winner and now he can't accept being normal but blah blah blah i don't care. i guess they felt they needed more padding to their movie, but it really showed.
One of the bad things about this movie is you could totally tell that it was epicly cheap since they didn't show ANY of the victims getting killed or their bodies afterwards, and you only saw the monster in quick shots and extreme closeups. There's less is more, and then there's "okay, you obviously only had five dollars to shoot this movie with". This movie really does just frustrate me with the lack of anything.
It's not tremendously boring, it's not great. it kinda just sits there. like boobs in "Hatchetman" it's just......there. This movie is definitely the shrug of the shoulder, with 4 body counts, out of 10.
(thinks) hey, there actually IS a body count of 4. well that worked out nicely. XD
Watch solo in the dark!
firegal2000l12 May 2004
This was an excellent movie. There's something about the older scary movies as compared to today's, possibly the sound effects were more convincing then. Sorry, but, hard rock theme music just doesn't mesh with horror as we see in some of today's cheesy thrillers. If you want to enhance the scariness of this film, you must be fair. You must keep all noise and distractions out of the room, turn the phone off, then make it pitch black, preferably view alone, and begin your movie with buttered popcorn and a soda! I did this and I became so frozen with fear, that when my kittens were playing in another room(they don't watch movies), I was sure the noise was bigfoot breaking in! I was so paralyzed with fear, I couldn't get up to use the restroom, I thought bigfoot was hiding behind the wall, and would reach around and grab me. This would not have been so suuccessful, had it not been for SNOWBEAST. I watch this from time to time on the B-MANIA cable channel and can never get enough. The sound effects are great, the suspense , the anticipation surrounding the unknown inside those vast unending dark woods. Don't miss this film, it's a must see for those who enjoyed being scared, see for yourself.
Jaws on Ice
Red-Barracuda23 April 2014
Warning: Spoilers
It may seem hard for younger people to believe this now but back in the 1970's a lot of people believed in the existence of Bigfoot, so much so that there were even documentaries made on the subject that seem quaintly ridiculous now, such as The Legend of Bigfoot (1976). For this reason it's hardly surprising that creature features of the day were also sometimes about the legendary Sasquatch. Snowbeast is a TV movie of this ilk that plays upon the fact that a lot of folks still thought these creatures could be out there.
Its writer is Joseph Stefano the man responsible for the screenplay of Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller Psycho (1960). With this movie Stefano's writing skills are somewhat more derivative in that the plot-line to Snowbeast is essentially a copy Jaws (1975), a film that had been released a couple of years earlier and one that had been astronomically successful at the box office. There are various ways this flick mimics that Spielberg classic - it opens with an unseen beast killing an unsuspecting young woman, there is a carnival that is so commercially important to the community that the town leader insists on ignoring the grim warning signs, there is an everyman who alerts the authorities of the danger but is ignored until more unnecessary deaths occur, a small group eventually get the go ahead to go out to seek and kill the creature in a vehicle that the monster easily destroys. Also like Jaws the monster here is only seen sporadically, mainly it's powerful arm and a couple of flashes of the head but hardly anything really. It would probably have been better if we were to have seen more but it's not really a deal breaker for me. I actually though the most effective moment when the snowbeast is seen was when it's glimpsed from afar half hidden by trees way up a hill. It's quite a nicely creepy moment.
I've got to be honest and say I kind of like this movie and think it gets a bit of an unfair wrap. Admittedly I have a soft spot immediately for any film set in the snow. And the Colorado ski resort is a great location for me. The snowy expanses are kind of nice and I enjoy watching folks ski. So for this reason I am immediately on board with this one. But not only this, I also think it works pretty effectively as a creature feature. The story and characters are solid enough; while there are some effective enough tense scenes involving the Bigfoot. Overall, this one is a little under-rated I reckon; you could do a lot worse.
Its writer is Joseph Stefano the man responsible for the screenplay of Alfred Hitchcock's classic thriller Psycho (1960). With this movie Stefano's writing skills are somewhat more derivative in that the plot-line to Snowbeast is essentially a copy Jaws (1975), a film that had been released a couple of years earlier and one that had been astronomically successful at the box office. There are various ways this flick mimics that Spielberg classic - it opens with an unseen beast killing an unsuspecting young woman, there is a carnival that is so commercially important to the community that the town leader insists on ignoring the grim warning signs, there is an everyman who alerts the authorities of the danger but is ignored until more unnecessary deaths occur, a small group eventually get the go ahead to go out to seek and kill the creature in a vehicle that the monster easily destroys. Also like Jaws the monster here is only seen sporadically, mainly it's powerful arm and a couple of flashes of the head but hardly anything really. It would probably have been better if we were to have seen more but it's not really a deal breaker for me. I actually though the most effective moment when the snowbeast is seen was when it's glimpsed from afar half hidden by trees way up a hill. It's quite a nicely creepy moment.
I've got to be honest and say I kind of like this movie and think it gets a bit of an unfair wrap. Admittedly I have a soft spot immediately for any film set in the snow. And the Colorado ski resort is a great location for me. The snowy expanses are kind of nice and I enjoy watching folks ski. So for this reason I am immediately on board with this one. But not only this, I also think it works pretty effectively as a creature feature. The story and characters are solid enough; while there are some effective enough tense scenes involving the Bigfoot. Overall, this one is a little under-rated I reckon; you could do a lot worse.
Too much snow, not enough beast
happyendingrocks30 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Boasting a fairly nifty creature design, a capable cast of veteran character actors, and well-realized snowcapped settings, this killer bigfoot yarn has all the ingredients to be much better than it ultimately is. Unfortunately, the film's sluggish pacing, needless subplots, and overall dearth of sasquatchian savagery render Snowbeast an outing that falls well short of expectations.
The film is basically Jaws relocated to a ski resort with a murderous yeti subbing for a prowling great white, and the filmmakers follow Spielberg's template so closely the homage isn't even subtle. Our thankless protagonists are made aware something is amiss when a teenage girl goes missing, local higher-ups urge them not to divulge what they know because the chalet's major tourist season will be placed in dire financial jeopardy if they do, a cursory hunt leads to the killing of a lesser creature that our heroes know can't possibly be the monster menacing their mountaintop, and no decisive action is taken until a savage attack right at the town's doorstep forces everyone to acknowledge that they are being threatened by something far more heinous than the potential loss of leisure industry dollars. None of the characters are named Brody, but other than that, every aspect of the plot here will resonate as strikingly familiar to anyone who's ever visited Amity Island.
Regrettably, Snowbeast's primary weakness isn't its blatant plagiarism. What really undermines the film's aptitude is a vexing shortage of its most promising horror elements and an even more vexing abundance of rote melodrama. While it's reasonable for anyone sitting down to investigate a flick called Snowbeast to anticipate that most of what they're about to see unfold is centered around a beast in the snow, far too much of the runtime here is squandered on ancillary story threads like a tepid love triangle and the midlife crisis of a former champion skier (named Gar Seberg, no less). Certainly, solid character development can add immeasurably to the tension in a scenario like this, yet the momentum generated by the film's more exciting moments is quashed by an abundance of needless vignettes, such as an extended monologue revealing why our reluctant hero Gar decided to hang up his poles at the height of his success. The disjointed tone these interludes foster, along with the inclusion of some truly cheesy '70s library music, often makes Snowbeast feel more like a Halloween episode of Quincy M.E. than a proper horror film.
When the movie stays on topic, the results are much stronger. The monster design is certainly more impressive than the shaggy bipedal Ewok featured in the far stupider (but far more fun) Shriek Of The Mutilated, and there are numerous effective shots of the titular creature lurking among the trees and lumbering through the arctic terrain as it stalks its prey. The gore quotient here is sadly as paltry as the era's made-for-TV rubrics mandated, though some of the implied violence is executed to chilling effect--particularly the discovery of the first victim, which lends the film its best lines: "Maybe I'll recognize her when I see her face"; "She doesn't have one." The way the kill scenes dissolve to a stark red screen to suggest the terrible things left unseen is likewise a novel device, even if these inserts were probably mostly utilized to provide easy spots for the network to cut away to commercial breaks.
Still, with only a few deaths sprinkled throughout and not a lot of payoff when these moments arrive, Snowbeast's gruesome lead never really coalesces into something especially menacing. The most ambitious sequence, an extended attack at a pageant, offers up an entire building of trapped and ready victims yet only yields a body count of one, and elsewhere in the narrative several random characters are tracked through interminable protracted prowl and growl scenes that eventually conclude with them simply skiing anticlimactically away to safety. Snowbeast's moderate milieu didn't allow the filmmakers to bombard the screen with shorn limbs and splatter the hillsides with crimson snow, but since they offer repeated glimpses of the creature's imposing claws, most genre fans will inevitably be disappointed by how little we get to see of the damage those talons are capable of inflicting.
The biggest letdown in the film arrives during the stilted climax, during the final battle between our intrepid protagonists and their wooly nemesis. The creature's comeuppance is staged in far too clumsy a manner to lend the culmination of this saga any impact, and the picture comes to such a dull and unspectacular finish I can only assume someone in the wardrobe department lost the bigfoot costume before the last scenes could be filmed. As the credits cue, it isn't quite clear whether the monster rolled down the mountain or simply vanished into thin air after it was vanquished, but what becomes abundantly clear is that ending a movie about a bloodthirsty yeti with a seven-minute fight scene during which said yeti never once appears on the screen is an utterly dissatisfying tactic.
Snowbeast has its charms, but as far as the lethal abominable snowman subgenre goes, it is neither the best nor the worst entry in that canon. Sasquatch devotees who don't mind spending 90 minutes in the middle of that particular road will find a suitably entertaining romp here; for the rest of you, I'm much more inclined to recommend you just watch Jaws again instead.
The film is basically Jaws relocated to a ski resort with a murderous yeti subbing for a prowling great white, and the filmmakers follow Spielberg's template so closely the homage isn't even subtle. Our thankless protagonists are made aware something is amiss when a teenage girl goes missing, local higher-ups urge them not to divulge what they know because the chalet's major tourist season will be placed in dire financial jeopardy if they do, a cursory hunt leads to the killing of a lesser creature that our heroes know can't possibly be the monster menacing their mountaintop, and no decisive action is taken until a savage attack right at the town's doorstep forces everyone to acknowledge that they are being threatened by something far more heinous than the potential loss of leisure industry dollars. None of the characters are named Brody, but other than that, every aspect of the plot here will resonate as strikingly familiar to anyone who's ever visited Amity Island.
Regrettably, Snowbeast's primary weakness isn't its blatant plagiarism. What really undermines the film's aptitude is a vexing shortage of its most promising horror elements and an even more vexing abundance of rote melodrama. While it's reasonable for anyone sitting down to investigate a flick called Snowbeast to anticipate that most of what they're about to see unfold is centered around a beast in the snow, far too much of the runtime here is squandered on ancillary story threads like a tepid love triangle and the midlife crisis of a former champion skier (named Gar Seberg, no less). Certainly, solid character development can add immeasurably to the tension in a scenario like this, yet the momentum generated by the film's more exciting moments is quashed by an abundance of needless vignettes, such as an extended monologue revealing why our reluctant hero Gar decided to hang up his poles at the height of his success. The disjointed tone these interludes foster, along with the inclusion of some truly cheesy '70s library music, often makes Snowbeast feel more like a Halloween episode of Quincy M.E. than a proper horror film.
When the movie stays on topic, the results are much stronger. The monster design is certainly more impressive than the shaggy bipedal Ewok featured in the far stupider (but far more fun) Shriek Of The Mutilated, and there are numerous effective shots of the titular creature lurking among the trees and lumbering through the arctic terrain as it stalks its prey. The gore quotient here is sadly as paltry as the era's made-for-TV rubrics mandated, though some of the implied violence is executed to chilling effect--particularly the discovery of the first victim, which lends the film its best lines: "Maybe I'll recognize her when I see her face"; "She doesn't have one." The way the kill scenes dissolve to a stark red screen to suggest the terrible things left unseen is likewise a novel device, even if these inserts were probably mostly utilized to provide easy spots for the network to cut away to commercial breaks.
Still, with only a few deaths sprinkled throughout and not a lot of payoff when these moments arrive, Snowbeast's gruesome lead never really coalesces into something especially menacing. The most ambitious sequence, an extended attack at a pageant, offers up an entire building of trapped and ready victims yet only yields a body count of one, and elsewhere in the narrative several random characters are tracked through interminable protracted prowl and growl scenes that eventually conclude with them simply skiing anticlimactically away to safety. Snowbeast's moderate milieu didn't allow the filmmakers to bombard the screen with shorn limbs and splatter the hillsides with crimson snow, but since they offer repeated glimpses of the creature's imposing claws, most genre fans will inevitably be disappointed by how little we get to see of the damage those talons are capable of inflicting.
The biggest letdown in the film arrives during the stilted climax, during the final battle between our intrepid protagonists and their wooly nemesis. The creature's comeuppance is staged in far too clumsy a manner to lend the culmination of this saga any impact, and the picture comes to such a dull and unspectacular finish I can only assume someone in the wardrobe department lost the bigfoot costume before the last scenes could be filmed. As the credits cue, it isn't quite clear whether the monster rolled down the mountain or simply vanished into thin air after it was vanquished, but what becomes abundantly clear is that ending a movie about a bloodthirsty yeti with a seven-minute fight scene during which said yeti never once appears on the screen is an utterly dissatisfying tactic.
Snowbeast has its charms, but as far as the lethal abominable snowman subgenre goes, it is neither the best nor the worst entry in that canon. Sasquatch devotees who don't mind spending 90 minutes in the middle of that particular road will find a suitably entertaining romp here; for the rest of you, I'm much more inclined to recommend you just watch Jaws again instead.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
