Snowbeast is a 1977 American made-for-TV horror film directed by Herb Wallerstein, a veteran of many television shows such as I Dream of Jeannie, Star Trek and The Six Million Dollar Man. Also known as Snow Beast
The teleplay was written by Joseph Stefano, who wrote the script for Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. Stefano reportedly used a book by Roger Patterson (who claimed to have encountered a sasquatch in 1967) as his primary inspiration. Produced by Wilford Lloyd Baumes. Executive produced by Douglas S. Cramer.
The movie stars Bo Svenson (Night Warning), Yvette Mimieux (Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell), Robert Logan, Clint Walker (Killdozer; Scream of the Wolf) and Sylvia Sidney (Beetlejuice; Ants!).
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Plot:
A ski resort in the Colorado Rockies has its annual winter carnival spoiled by the brutal murders of a series of vacationers by an unknown animal.
The local sheriff (Clint Walker) believes that the culprit is a legendary creature, a yeti or sasquatch. The owner of the ski resort declares there is no such being because she doesn’t want to lose her business. Either way, the creature must be stopped as it is continuing its attacks…
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Reviews:
“It’s a bit on the listless side, and devotes way too much time to the soap-opera subplot about an ex-Olympic skier and his troubled marriage to a TV news reporter, but Snowbeast is much better than its reputation would suggest, and the oft-made claim that you never get to see the monster simply isn’t true.” 1000 Misspent Hours and Counting
“There’s a good reason why the monster is never shown for more than a few fleeting seconds; no matter how good the special effects are, it’s hard to get scared by anything that fluffy and white. As a result, yeti films have never been wildly popular, and Snowbeast is one of the weaker entries into an already tepid horror subgenre.” AllMovie
“The only thing that doesn’t seem derived from Jaws is a romantic triangle subplot that is unimaginatively handled and itself a bit of a cliche. As a result, I get the sense that it was written on automatic, and the direction certainly doesn’t add anything special either. In short, this is routine and uninspired.” Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings
“This is not a great film. It is far too obvious that it was meant to cash in on Jaws, and you have to wonder if Joe lacked the enthusiasm he needed to make his script truly shine. But it does have a few thrills here and there and makes the best of its less than impressive beast.” Rivets on the Poster
Full film – free to watch online [720p]:
Cast and characters:
Bo Svenson … Gar Seberg
Yvette Mimieux … Ellen Seberg
Robert Logan … Tony Rill
Clint Walker … Sheriff Paraday
Sylvia Sidney … Carrie Rill
Thomas Babson … Buster
Jacquie Botts … Betty Jo
Kathy Christopher … Jennifer
Jamie Jamison … John Cochran
Richard Jamison … Ben Cochran
Liz Jury … Mrs Blodgett
Richard Jury … Charlie Braintree
Rob McClung … Deputy #2
Annie McEnroe … Heidi
Victor Raider-Wexler … Deputy Holt
Prentiss Rowe … Billy – Bell Captain
Michael J. London … The Snowbeast
Filming locations:
Crested Butte Ski Resort – 12 Snowmass Road, Crested Butte, Colorado
Gunnison, Colorado
Universal Studios – 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California
Technical details:
1 hour 26 minutes
Aspect ratio: 1.33: 1
