THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN (1957)
Article #761 by Dave Sindelar
Date Viewed: 4-15-2003
Date Posted: 9-12-2003
Directed by Val Guest
Featuring Peter Cushing, Forrest Tucker, Maureen Connell

A scientist accompanies an opportunist on an expedition to track down the Yetis.

To say that this is the best Yeti movie I’ve seen so far isn’t saying much; that just means it’s a better movie than either THE SNOW CREATURE or MAN BEAST, a feat that isn’t particularly difficult. To say it’s the best genre movie I’ve seen with Forrest Tucker is somewhat better, placing it above THE CRAWLING EYE, anyway. I’m not sure I can say it’s the best Peter Cushing genre movie; he’s had so many good ones, but I will say I found this one scarier, more suspenseful and more thoughtful than any of Hammer’s Frankenstein or Dracula movies I’ve seen to date. One thing I definitely won’t say is that it’s the best movie I’ve seen with Nigel Kneale’s name attached to it, not with the Quatermass movies out there. However, the fact that Nigel Kneale’s name IS attached to this one goes a long way to explaining its strengths; a thoughtful storyline, well-developed characters, subtlety, and a real sense of tension as the screws start to tighten are all here, and they’re all aspects I’ve come to expect from him. The most unexpected pleasure I got from the movie came out of left field, though; I wouldn’t have anticipated that Forrest Tucker and Peter Cushing would have had such chemistry together. As it is, they play off of each other’s strengths beautifully, and it is a joy to watch them talk with each other. This is good, because there is a lot of talk in this movie, and they go the extra mile to make it fascinating.