The Abominable Snowman 02/01/20

Just under the top echelon of British sci-fi lurks this well-produced, absorbing ‘expedition to terror!’ that surprises us by paying off on an intellectual plane. After building his monster but before defeating Dracula, Peter Cushing found himself in a real fix on a snowy mountain peak. Sure, the race of enormous Yeti are shiver-inducing, but Cushing must also withstand the mind games of a suspiciously solicitous Tibetan Lhama, and a piratical double-cross by an American huckster who goes by the deceptive name, ‘Friend.’ Forrest Tucker co-stars, perhaps giving his best film performance; Hammer’s production and Val Guest’s direction help communicate writer Nigel Kneale’s intellectual sci-fi extension of apocalyptic ideas in Lost Horizon. This came out about six weeks ago, on Blu-ray from Scream Factory.
02/01/20