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The Abominable Snowman

  • 1957
  • Approved
  • 1h 25m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
5.5K
YOUR RATING
Peter Cushing, Maureen Connell, and Forrest Tucker in The Abominable Snowman (1957)
Trailer for this chilling monster tale
Play trailer1:42
1 Video
99+ Photos
B-HorrorAdventureHorror

A kindly English botanist and a gruff American scientist lead an expedition to the Himalayas in search of the legendary Yeti.A kindly English botanist and a gruff American scientist lead an expedition to the Himalayas in search of the legendary Yeti.A kindly English botanist and a gruff American scientist lead an expedition to the Himalayas in search of the legendary Yeti.

  • Director
    • Val Guest
  • Writers
    • Nigel Kneale
    • Val Guest
  • Stars
    • Forrest Tucker
    • Peter Cushing
    • Maureen Connell
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.4/10
    5.5K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Val Guest
    • Writers
      • Nigel Kneale
      • Val Guest
    • Stars
      • Forrest Tucker
      • Peter Cushing
      • Maureen Connell
    • 107User reviews
    • 70Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    The Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas
    Trailer 1:42
    The Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas

    Photos100

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    Top cast13

    Edit
    Forrest Tucker
    Forrest Tucker
    • Tom Friend
    Peter Cushing
    Peter Cushing
    • Dr. Rollason
    Maureen Connell
    Maureen Connell
    • Helen Rollason
    Richard Wattis
    Richard Wattis
    • Peter Fox
    Robert Brown
    Robert Brown
    • Ed. Shelley
    Michael Brill
    • McNee
    Wolfe Morris
    Wolfe Morris
    • Kusang
    Arnold Marlé
    • Lhama
    • (as Arnold Marle)
    Anthony Chinn
    Anthony Chinn
    • Majordomo
    • (as Anthony Chin)
    Jack Easton
    • Yeti
    • (uncredited)
    Fred Johnson
    Fred Johnson
    • Yeti
    • (uncredited)
    Joe Powell
    Joe Powell
    • Yeti
    • (uncredited)
    John Rae
    • Yeti-eyes
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Val Guest
    • Writers
      • Nigel Kneale
      • Val Guest
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews107

    6.45.4K
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    Featured reviews

    9BrandtSponseller

    Thrilling combination of adventure and horror with a message

    Dr. John Rollason (Peter Cushing), his wife, Helen (Maureen Connell), and a colleague, Peter Fox (Richard Wattis), have traveled to a remote location in the Himalayas, ostensibly to study rare plant specimens. However, Helen and Peter soon learn that John had an ulterior motive, when he reveals that a ragtag group of explorers, headed by Dr. Tom Friend (Forrest Tucker) are on their way to meet up with John. They plan to lead a small expedition further into the mountains, in search for the infamous abominable snowman, or Yeti.

    The Abominable Snowman is a marvelous combination of adventure, horror, and a film with a broader message. The beginning may seem a bit slow to younger viewers, but it is crucial to the plot, and Peter Cushing, as always, turns in a tremendous performance. The monastery setting seems authentic, as do the climbing shots that follow, even though most of the film was shot in Hammer's UK studios and the mountains are actually the Pyrenees in France.

    It doesn't take long for director Val Guest to build tension, first dramatically with the ulterior motive revelation and the conflict is causes between John and his wife, then during the Friend expedition's climb, and most importantly, when our crew nears the Yeti. Because the creature effects, especially in the 1950s, can't rival the viewer's imagination, Guest wisely keeps the creatures off-screen for the bulk of the film, and when we see more, it's in heavy shadows. This makes the Yeti material extremely effective.

    The message at the end is sincere and poignant, as it also would have been at the time of the film's release, when anthropological exploration of seemingly alien cultures was still regular, captivating news.

    Overall a 9 out of 10 for me, and very close to being a 10.
    rixrex

    Movie bored me as a kid, but looks great now.

    I can remember barely being able to keep my eyes open watching this on a late night horror movie show, because it's not a movie for kids. Didn't realize that then, and so I always remembered it as being a pretty weak film. However, a viewing of the widescreen laserdisc version left me with a strong impression of a very fine adult feature that is more a thriller than a horror film. It lives up to the reputation of Hammer during this period, and of course that of Peter Cushing as the premier actor of the studio. Even Forrest Tucker's typical heavy-handed hamminess cannot take away from this absorbing tale of scientific endeavor clashing with crass commercialism, with a creature of an intellect that bests the men chasing it. I must say that the whole mental telepathy plot point was completely missed upon first viewing, but then I was only 10 at the time, however it now makes all the sense in the world.
    6Leofwine_draca

    Hammer's first horror

    Hammer's first 'real' horror film – this one preceded THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN by a few months – is a quaint, quintessentially '50s monster movie, with a typical British slant: the focus is on the psychology of the characters involved, rather than pure action and thrills as you'd expect from the Hollywood equivalent. As a result, this film is quite slowly paced (although not leaden) and short on the actual adrenaline of man-vs-beast action, but nevertheless it proves to be an efficient exercise in increasing tension, helmed by the able Val Guest.

    Peter Cushing takes the lead role of the kindly scientist, whose idea is to capture and study the Yeti, rather than use it to make money through entertainment. Essentially, he plays the same type of dedicated good guy as in most of his Hammer horror films, and he's great as usual. Forrest Tucker is the American co-star, his presence here to draw in the overseas markets; he's the mountaineer with a ruthless secret and essentially the film's villain. The rest of the cast are made up of pretty women (Cushing's wife), scared natives (the Sherpas) and stuffy British types (get a load of that guy 'Foxy').

    The movie is well shot and has a fair few effects shots; all of them are cheap, and you can see how most were created, but they're nevertheless charming. The Yeti is wisely hidden for most of the film, only appearing in a brief shadowy instance at the climax, and is all the more thought-provoking and weirdly disturbing for it. The plot, when all is said and done, is little more than a threadbare mystery a la Agatha Christie, with the cast being picked off one by one whilst the Yetis lurk and howl in the background. The plus side is that Nigel Kneale's script is excellent and the human psychology of the key players is always true-to-life, just as in the QUATERMASS films; as a result, this low-budget movie is actually a lot better than it probably should be.
    Infofreak

    The more Hammer movies I watch the more I am impressed by this legendary studio. 'The Abominable Snowman' is a great example of their originality and versatility.

    Hammer studios made a variety of films for many years before they struck gold with horror movies. One of their first steps in that direction was 'The Quatermass Xperiment', directed by Val Guest and written by Nigel Kneale who adapted his own highly successful TV production. A couple of years later Guest and Kneale did the same again with 'Quatermass 2'. Both were science fiction with some horror, and both were very, very good. Guest and Kneale had an uneasy relationship ("relationship" is probably not even the right word, Guest said he only ever met Kneale a few times), but they collaborated once again on 'The Abominable Snowman'. Despite the title it isn't a monster movie, it's more of an adventure tale with some mysticism and philosophical touches. It was successful commercially, but coming out just before the one-two punch of 'Curse Of Frankenstein' and 'Dracula' (the two movies that really put Hammer on the map) has meant it has all but been forgotten today. When people list the best of Hammer you rarely if ever see 'The Abominable Snowman' mentioned, which is a shame. It's consistently interesting, well acted, stylish and suspenseful. Sadly I haven't seen Kneale's original TV version ('The Creature') so I can't compare the two, but I really enjoyed this movie, especially the performance from Peter Cushing, soon to become a Hammer legend. Forrest Tucker is best known to people of my generation for his comic role in the popular 1960s sitcom 'F Troop'. Pairing him with Cushing might seem an odd choice at first but it really works. Their contrasting styles play off each other, and Tucker is perfect for the role of the ambitious Tom Friend. There's also a good supporting performance from Robert Brown, who later appeared as a caveman in Hammer's 'One Million Years BC'. Later still in the 1980s he played M in several Bond movies. The more Hammer movies I watch the more I am impressed by this legendary studio. "Hammer House Of Horror" yes, but also so much more. 'The Abominable Snowman' is a great example of their originality and versatility.
    7AaronCapenBanner

    Yeti.

    Val Guest directed this atmospheric thriller set in the Himalayas at a remote monastery, where Dr. John Rollason(played by Peter Cushing) is a botanist with his wife(played by Maureen Connell) and associate Peter(played by Richard Wattis). He is awaiting the arrival of American Tom Friend(played by Forrest Tucker) so that they can undertake a scientific expedition to find the legendary and elusive Yeti. John is dismayed to learn that Friend is really a showman who plans on killing the creature for display, but also uses a corpse to attract a live one as well, which is exactly what happens, though not in the way they expected... intelligent story, fine direction and performances, and an eerie feel all combine to make this a memorable thriller, which discreetly keeps the Yeti mysterious.

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    Related interests

    Bridget Hoffman in The Evil Dead (1981)
    B-Horror
    Still frame
    Adventure
    Mia Farrow in Rosemary's Baby (1968)
    Horror

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This was Peter Cushing's first of 23 Hammer films. However, the second Hammer film that he made, The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), was released first.
    • Goofs
      It's day in the long shots, but then back to night in the close-ups of Forrest Tucker.
    • Quotes

      Dr. John Rollason: This creature may have an affinity for man, something in common with ourselves. Let's remember that before we start shooting.

    • Crazy credits
      Hammer shot this in an anamorphic widescreen process which they credited as "Hammerscope." When it was released in the United States, the promotional material credited it as "Regalscope."
    • Alternate versions
      This was released in the United States in an edited version as "The Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas" (1957) with a running time of 85 minutes.
    • Connections
      Featured in The World of Hammer: Hammer Stars: Peter Cushing (1994)

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 19, 1957 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • El monstruo del Himalaya
    • Filming locations
      • Pyrénées, France
    • Production companies
      • Clarion Films
      • Hammer Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 25m(85 min)
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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