Customer Reviews

Snowbeast

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

FIRST THOUGHTS: WITH GORE DOMINATING THE HORROR GENRE IT'S NICE TO SEE THE IMAGINATION CALLED UPON AGAIN

For me it is sad to see that most people found 'Snowbeast' to be boring and trivial. I say this because I have enjoyed watching this admittedly tame TV creature-feature with my daughter for the past 15 years. I introduced it to her on Video, having recalled seeing it as a TV movie when it was first released in 1977.

Yes, 'Snowbeast' promises more than it delivers, but I was able to feel OK when allowing my youngsters to watch this rather tame creature-feature which kept their interest without giving them nightmares.


IN A NUTSHELL: SNOWBEAST MAY BE A JAW'S RIP-OFF BUT JOE STEFANO IS AN EXCELLENT SCREENWRITER

One of the reasons that I wanted to see 'Snowbeast' when it was first on TV, nearly 30 years ago, was that the screenwriter, Joe Stefano, was the screenwriter for the original 'Psycho', directed by Alfred Hitchcock, and many of my favorite 'Outer Limit's' episodes. He always gives a good account of himself by forcing the viewer to use his/her imagination to enrich the experience. This works for me, but clearly the expectation of many creature-feature fans is for more explicit action and a more original plot. I do agree about the originality of the plot, but as for a more explicit tone, I think that sometimes less is better. This can of course be seen by some as promising more than is delivered. It is interesting to note that the film 'Tremors' which has been very well recieved, is even more of a rip-off of 'Jaws' than 'Snowbeast', yet it is a well-crafted film which includes quite a bit of gory horror.


-----> THE PRINCIPAL CAST MEMBERS <-----

Bo Svenson - Gar Seberg
Yvette Mimieux - Ellen Seberg
Robert Logan - Tony Rill
Clint Walker - Sheriff Paraday
Sylvia Sidney - Mrs. Carrie Rill


-----> THE PRODUCTION TEAM <-----

Herb Wallerstein - Director
Wilfred Lloyd Baumes - Producer
Joseph Stefano - Teleplay By
Frank Stanley - Cinematographer
Robert Prince - Composer (Music Score)
Dennis Mosher - Editor
Carroll Sax - Editor
Steve Sardanis - Art Director


BOTTOM LINE: LIKE AN ORIGINAL OUTER LIMITS EPISODE BY THE SAME WRITER

It is probably safe to say that if you liked original 'The Outer Limits', which had about 1/3 of its episodes written by 'Snowbeast's' screenwriter, you will like 'Snowbeast' which has always seemed to me like an 'Outer Limit's' double episode.


HERE'S ANOTHER WAY TO PURCHASE SNOWBEAST ON DVD THROUGH AMAZON:

If you want to see this film, you can get it on DVD with 2 other films, 'Creature' and 'Track Of The Moon Beast'. The exact title is 'Classic Creature Movies II (Creature / Track Of The Moon Beast / Snowbeast)' and currently it sells for $5.98 direct from Amazon or from $3.43 via numerous Amazon sellers

I don't get all of the negative reviews. This is a good horror movie. The acting is really good, the snowbeast scared the crap out of me, and the whole movie is just done well. No, this is not as good as Hammer Film's The Abominable Snowman, but it still is a good Yeti flick. Check it out, if you like Yeti movies, I think you will like this.

If you grew up in the 70's like me you remember that phrase well. In a time before cable and V.C.R.'s, us old timers had to watch what came on and even had to go to the T.V. to change the channel(unless you could afford the high priced remote T.V.'s of the day). Every Friday night children like myself were treated to an episode of "The Night Stalker" (The best show ever to me at the age of 11) and at least one or two horror movies. "Snowbeast" was one of about five movies that showed up regularly on those long ago nights("Shock waves, "The Devil's Rain", "Race With The Devil" ,and "Terror At 37,000 Feet" rounded out the others) and at least every three to four months one would play.
The story, about a Bigfoot like snow monster was played as "Jaws" in the snow. At the age of 11 this movie was silly,but very cool and even scary at times. With fond memories I bought this one and sat down to get lost in it again one Friday night. Well I'm not 11 anymore and most of the scares are very lame now, but i still felt some magic as this piece of cheese unfolded in front of me. The actors try hard to give this "chiller"(snow, chiller get it!) some life and sometimes in spite of it's self it works.
Not for all taste to be sure, but if you are old enough to remember it, some small amount of fun can be had watching it, I recommend a snowy Friday night at about 12:00 o'clock

A true classic of the Bigfoot/Sasquatch/Yeti genre, and held in high esteem by genre aficionados, Snowbeast stands head and shoulders above the pack. A wholly effective 1977 made for television offering, well scripted, acted, directed, et al.; Snowbeast harkens back to a time in which Bigfoot films were actually dignified efforts in film-making.

While most of the scares are conceptual (an approach sadly discarded to the detriment of newer offerings, such as the terrible Yeti: Maneater Series, and the completely atrocious Snow Beast (2011)), and it's not entirely original in scope (It is in fact a near exact re-telling of Jaws (Widescreen Anniversary Collector's Edition) (1975), which makes for simple and effective storytelling, and is especially satisfying if, like myself, you'd have preferred if Jaws were a pernicious Yeti), the film is nevertheless a substantial and well balanced effort; expertly scripted by Joseph Stefano, whose screenwriting credits include no less than Psycho (50th Anniversary Edition) [Blu-ray] (1960), and deftly directed by veteran television director Herb Wallerstein, whose vast resume includes directing episodes of Star Trek (the original series), The Brady Bunch, Happy Days, and Gunsmoke, amongst others. The acting as well is beyond reproach, which places Snowbeast at the top of the genre canon. Robert Logan, as Tony Rill, a veritable Hammer of Yeti's, is sublime. His cool demeanor, fitted ski suit, and Ted Bundy hairdo, bespeaking his proactive, "it must be destroyed," aggressive anti-Yeti campaigning. And Bo Svenson, excellent as Gar, the has-been ski champion-cum-pacifist turned conscientious Yeti slayer, has some classic cuckold moments as Tony casually seduces his very sexy and equally disillusioned wife Ellen (the petite, and yet fantastically busty, Yvette Mimieux).

A quick aside: In regard to the creature itself, though I refer to it as a Yeti per it's being white furred, and while it is never positively identified in the film, but rather implied as being a malevolent "Bigfoot" that has wandered out of the wilderness and into the resort area, the creature is in fact more closely akin to that described by the "... weather beaten old mountain hunter, named Bauman." A creature which stalked him, and murdered his trapping partner, in the lonely mountain pass with the evil reputation. "... Something either half human or half devil, some great goblin-beast." As told first-hand to then president Theodore Roosevelt, and recounted in his 1892 classic, The Wilderness Hunter.

<Spoiler Alert> The only real problem I have with the film, while minor in the extreme, is what I like to call the Snowbeast "Magic Logs" theory. This is in reference to the creature's attack on a motor home, wherein it rolls a huge pile of logs down an embankment crashing broadside into said motor home, knocking it over, but these "Magic Logs" (in full defiance of the laws of physics, and more so, film continuity) inexplicably manage to end up INSIDE the motor home, thereby trapping Sheriff Paraday (the uber-manly, Clint Walker), and literally securing his demise.

All said: If you are a fan of any of the classic, non-CGI, Bigfoot/Sasquatch/Yeti genre films, then Snowbeast (1977), a true masterpiece of the genre will most assuredly take it's place as a cherished part of your collection.

"... The Crown! The Crown!"

Forgetting whether or not you are a movie monster buff, if you are an avid skier, then you should enjoy this film. It is so well filmed, you would think that you are right there on the mountain. Beautiful shots of the mountain, skiing, and outdoors makes it a worthwhile film. The way the monster is portrayed gives one a constant feeling of foreboding, and the monster is convincing. The acting is also convincing. As like spaghetti westerns, this is a relaxing film that I could watch over and over again. The only let down was the way the monster died, but it was thrilling right up to the end, and Bo Svenson was convincing! I fail to understand why some others gave it a less rating.

I saw this movie on tv back a few years after it came out when I was around 16 years old. I enjoyed it and recently purchased it again. It has its duller moments with the conversations and small talk in between scenes of the creatures actions. The creatures face isnt visable much but I never had a problem with that anyway. The scenery is beautiful and this was one smart creature knowing how to trash a camper (what bad luck they had) with a pile of logs. anyway, for the price its a cool flick I liked it.

Steven Spielberg's Jaws (1975) brought about a number of things, the first and foremost being an unprecedented level of worldwide success, the second being a few sequels (including one in 3-D), and last but not least a plethora of generally cheap imitations just itching to leech off the gravy train, in this case a lackluster, made for TV feature titled Snowbeast (1977). I should mention I don't necessarily mind Hollywood's continual cannibalization in order to squeeze every bit of profit from a premise as possible, but I do mind overly obvious, lacking in effort rip offs, such as we have here. Directed by Herb Wallerstein ("I Dream of Jeannie", "The Brady Bunch", "The Six Million Dollar Man"), the telefeature stars Bo Svenson (North Dallas Forty, Heartbreak Ridge), Yvette `Weena' Mimieux (The Time Machine, Where the Boys Are), and Clint Walker (The Dirty Dozen, Yuma, Killdozer). Also appearing is Robert Logan (The Adventures of the Wilderness Family, Mountain Family Robinson) and Sylvia Sidney (Madame Butterfly, Blood on the Sun), whom I best remember as the character Juno, the chain-smoking social worker in the afterlife from Tim Burton's Beetle Juice (1988).

As the movie begins we see a couple of female skiers shushing down the mountain. One of them wants to turn back because she feels uneasy, but the other thinks she's being foolish...guess who gets it? Back at the lodge preparations are underway for the annual winter carnival, including the hanging of a banner stating "A day and night weeks orgy of fun and games"...well all right...Tony Rill (Logan), the manager, gets word one of his guests has gone missing, and he organizes a search party. After finding a bloodied and tattered ski jacket, the surviving girl relates a tale of how a monster got her friend. Tony's grandmother (Sidney) wants to keep things hush hush, as not to spoil the upcoming events. Soon Tony's friend and washed up former Olympic gold medalist skier Gar Seberg (Svenson) makes the scene with his wife Ellen (Mimieux), as Gar is hoping to land a job at the resort. I should probably mention Ellen is a television journalist, one who just happened to do a story on Bigfoot not too long ago. Soon the missing skier's body is found (sans her face), and Sheriff Cole Paraday (Walker) makes the scene. As the creature claims another couple of victims, Ellen begins snooping around, and Tony, the Sheriff, and Gar make plans to eliminate the growing threat (Gar the pacifist was against the idea at first, but after seeing the remains of the mutilated woman, he's all on board now). After an attack on a school gymnasium during the crowning of the snow queen (and yet another murder), Sheriff Paraday, Tony, Gar, and Ellen decide to head up the mountain and kill the murderous beast once and for all, but it ain't that easy as the creature is smart, smart enough to trash their camper and steal their weapons...the hunters have now become the hunted, and it seems like nothing, nothing human at least, is going to make it off that mountain alive...

Snowbeast is pretty much what you might think it is, a forgettable TV made knock off whose only intent at the time was to capitalize on the popularity surrounding the films Jaws. If there was any doubt in my mind towards this, it was satisfied during one, particular sequence. At one point news gets around the sheriff bagged the creature responsible for the deaths. Turns out he ended up killing a bear (most of the population wasn't aware exactly what was responsible for the recent maulings), the intent being to put the townspeople and tourists minds at ease. Gar and Ellen happen to be on hand, and they have a good idea the bear wasn't the creature responsibly for the recent spate of deaths due to the fact they only just recently had a run in with the real monster. Gar suggests to the sheriff they cut the dead bear's stomach open, and see what it had been eating, as to verify if in fact it truly is killer. If you've seen the film Jaws, you'll recall a very similar scene after a large shark is captured. Oh, and let's not forget the cover up perpetrated to ensure the carnival goes off without a hitch and tourist dollars keep flowing...anyway...between the seemingly excessive amount of padding shots (skiing and snowmobile sequences), there is something of a story, populated by a lame group of characters. The script really isn't very good, and features some painfully forced drama, particularly between the characters of Gar, Ellen, and Tony (seems Ellen and Tony had a history before she chose to marry Gar). This sets up a really unintentionally funny uncomfortable moment as Tony comments on Ellen's beauty right in front of Gar, who can't really say anything since he's come to the resort in hopes of find a job. Another fine example of the excremental scripting comes when Gar finally relates to Ellen why he hasn't picked up a pair of skis since he won the gold during a not so recent Olympics...ugh (where's that damn face ripping sasquatch when you really need him?). Yvette Mimieux is worth hanging around for, as she's just as hot in the mid 1970s as she was when she appeared in the film The Time Machine (1960), but at a diminutive 5' 4", she must have felt miniscule among the cast given the prominent male actors in the film were all six feet plus (Logan was 6' 3", Svenson 6' 4", and Walker a whopping 6' 6"). Given the gigantism of the male leads, I kept hoping for a scene where at least one of them got into a hand to hand battle with the Bigfoot monster, but it never happened. There are a few, extremely brief shots of the creature, but otherwise everything else is limited to endless point of view shots, lots of growling, and ominous musical cues as the creature stalks its prey. There's virtually no blood anywhere to be found, but that not surprising given this was intended for television audiences (so much so you can see the obvious commercial break insert points as various scenes fade out, in blood red, no less). About the only reason to check this feature out is to see Yvette Mimieux in a tight snowsuit, but other than that, the movie is about as much fun as smacking yourself in the forehead with a two by four.

The picture quality, presented in fullscreen, on this Legacy Entertainment DVD release is fairly rotten. It's grainy, muddled, and I wouldn't doubt if the original source here was a VHS tape. The audio, which is supposedly in Dolby Digital, isn't much better, as the first hour its very soft, almost impossible to hear at times. After an hour, it kicks up dramatically, for whatever reason (make sure to have the remote handy about an hour in, especially if you've got the volume cranked). There are no extras included, but there are chapter stops.

Cookieman108

Move would be good if I could haer it better and it didn't freeze and i don't have the money to mail it back.

A feature of made-for-television movies beginning in the 1970s was loading up on B-list and former A-list actors. The most awarded actor in this 1977 movie is Oscar nominee Sylvia Sidney, who was awesome at the end of her career as Grandma Florence Norris in "Mars Attacks." Bo Svenson, a veteran actor of dozens of movies and television shows, including "Kill Bill 2" and "Heartbreak Ridge," plays a former skiing champion looking to redeem himself. Yvette Mimieux, who I will always remember as Weena in the original, and better, "The Time Machine," as well as Dr. Kate McRae in "The Black Hole," is Svenson's faithful wife. Robert Logan, who was quite popular in the 1960s and 1970s and starred in a number of films about a family living in the wilderness, is part of the family that runs the ski resort where the snowbeast appears. Then there is the sheriff, played by Clint Walker, who was the star of "Cheyenne" in the late 1950s and early 1960s and had an up and down career appearing in films such as "Killdozer" and "The Dirty Dozen."

The snowbeast makes an auspicious appearance at the beginning of the movie by attacking, and apparently eating, a beautiful young female skier. The skier's friend skis away as quickly as possible to try to get help (too late!) and to warn everyone about the monster.

Then follows the interlude where no one believes the report of the beast, followed by the realization that there is a beast, especially after the beast appears at a school and breaks in a window. This scene then sets up the exciting climax where our heroes set off into the wilderness to track down the beast and, with a little luck, kill it.

Sadly, we only get to see brief glimpses of the snowbeast. On the other hand, since the budget for this movie was likely minimal, keeping the appearance of the snowbeast to a minimum was likely a wise and effective move. It is better to see less of a cheesy costume. In this movie, the parts we do see are a bit scary. I loved it when the monster's face appeared in the window, which may have been the scariest scene in the entire movie.

In the monster subgenre of the horror genre, most monsters have ended up in some awful movies. Somehow, big foot, Yeti and other snow-related beasts seemed, to me, to fare better than most other monsters in that many of the directors of these low-budget films have used their monsters very carefully and effectively. Such is the case in this movie. Much of the time we see events through the snowbeast's eyes, so we know where it is in relationship to victims as well as hunters. These scenes often make you want to yell "run!" We also see partially obscured or brief glimpses of the snowbeast that tantalize us while avoiding overexposure of a potentially cheesy costume.

I do have two minor complaints about this movie. The first is the cliché subplot regarding several of our main characters. In this case, there are a couple of subplots. One is a former relationship between two of our heroes before she married another of our heroes. The other subplot is the need for one of the main characters to find redemption for some supposed failure or psychological issue. My other complaint is the cliché involving how the monster catches victims. In every case our victims fall, stop, and in one case, sit, waiting for the monster to grab them. When people fight back or run, they generally live. There is a moral in there somewhere. On the other hand, if people did not do stupid things, how would the monster eat?

There are not very many movies featuring shaggy creatures running around in the snow and attacking people, so if you enjoy these kinds of movies you have to watch this one. Even better is that the director handled his monster reasonably well using the "less is more" philosophy, though I would have liked to have seen the entire creature at least once. Even the acting seems better than average for this type of movie, which should hardly be a surprise given the experience of the main characters. This movie is one that you should consider watching if you have yet to see it. You may find that you want to keep this one in your library.

Sidenotes: The picture and the sound are reasonably good, though not remastered. I believe this film is in the public domain, so it is unlikely that anyone will remaster it any time soon.

Enjoy!

saw it on tv when I was a kid and now I don't have to keep waiting any more. Great movie for a great price. Thank you.