The Abominable Snowman

NOT genuine Anchor Bay
The three star rating here isn't for the film, which is one of Hammer's finest early films. It's for the DVD. Read the description carefully and be advised - This is NOT a DVD, but a DVD-R. I don't know who makes it, but despite what Amazon says, and what the case liner says, it most certainly ISN'T Anchor Bay, who apparently no longer have the rights to distribute the Hammer films. The genuine Anchor Bay copy is on Amazon too, at the usual ridiculous astronomical scalper prices - $516.76 REALLY! This DVD-R, with the usual blurry copy of the cover sheet, and a generic label on the disk, is almost certainly an illegal copy.

Having said that however, it's also apparently copied from the genuine disk, as it looks virtually identical. The picture isn't quite as good as the real one (which I have), but it's not bad. A bit darker and less sharp, but by no means bad. About what you'd expect from a copy of the original. Everything is exactly the same, and all the extras are...

Ice Screams!!
"THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN"

This is an unexpectedly involving movie with a great look.

Forrest Tucker is greedy Tom Friend looking for a new side show attraction in this pristine black and white widescreen transfer of a gripping, thoughtful, artistic Hammer Films classic from the 1950s.

Tucker, aided by Peter Cushing's sensitive scientist Dr. Rollason, set off into the Himalayas to find the legendary eponymous creature in a surprisingly intelligent adventure.

Vast, lonely mountain vistas and a large, finely detailed monastery make a believable setting in which the hunters ponder life, their dilemma and the great yeti - who apparently has the ability to play mind games until the hunters become the hunted!

The sound design, including the hair-raising, echoing, whale-like moans of the yeti and the oriental music score add considerably to the authentic atmosphere.

In the entertaining bonus audio track, Droll director Val Guest and writer Nigel Kneale make reference...

The Abominable Snowman
The Abominable Snowman proves that you don't need a mega budget to produce an excellent movie. The treatment of the subject matter, the Yeti, is surprising. Not surprising that the great Nigel Kneale would create an intelligent story. The acting is superb. Peter Cushing became a fixture and headliner in Hammer movies about this time. This dvd has a nice special feature on Cushing. By all accounts, it was wonderful to be a part of the Hammer Family. The sets depicting the Himalayas are very atmospheric. The location footage, shot in the French Pyrenees, is also excellent. The director is the very talented Val Guest. Can't say enough about how delightfully surprised I was concerning the depiction of the Yeti. Who the Yeti were, why they were living in the awesomely foreboding Himalayas, their intelligence(and superintelligence), and their protection by the lama. The ending is haunting. Engrossing film. The Abominable Snowman is a triumph of the Horror/Sci-Fi Genre!

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