littleawkie

Contrary to a previous review, this IS a documentary of events that took place in 1959.* There are numerous references on various Internet sites with the same storyline. The photos in this documentary are compelling as to what was evidently a gruesome tragedy in the Ural Mountains in Siberia. Events are presented in chronological order of a multi-party expedition of experienced hikers, with a number of photos preserved from cameras retrieved at the destroyed campsite. As the title indicates, the director takes great steps to present his speculation that the nine hikers were confronted and killed by a Russian Yeti (known as a Menk in Russia). A tenth hiker was the sole survivor; he had fallen ill and turned back on the fifth day of the expedition that ended on day seven. Documents are presented that indicate there was government involvement prior to the actual reporting of the missing hikers. The director also includes photos, videos and interviews of sightings in the same region in recent years to support his view that the hikers did indeed lose their lives by a Yeti. I had recorded the show so to zip through all the commercials and the inevitable, and frequent, recapping. Since the events occurred in Russia, a good amount of the interviews required caption-reading. I watched the 2-hour show in a little over an hour.

*BUT, there are also bits and pieces of blurry "reenactments" (and sound effects) that are obviously meant to strictly give the viewer an idea what horrors the victims must have experienced. Toward the end of the program, there is footage taken when the director and crew traveled to the site and had their own "experience"!