Man Beast

Got the video of this in a lot of horror films that we bought, and was surprised at how well done this little low-budget film was. It definitely stands as one of the better Yeti films of the period, most of them are fairly sluggish and without any real terror. This one is just over an hour, and has a nice pace with a concise story. Good acting by all except the female lead, good locations that are mostly realistic (except for some shrubs sticking out of the snow in an area where no shrubs would exist), fairly scary Yeti creatures. Some may not like the idea presented here that the Yeti are dangerous to humans, and perhaps prefer to think of them as kind and peaceful, how some other films portray Yeti, but let's remember that Yeti have not been proved to exist and are most likely imaginary creatures. Sorry to pop the politically-correct balloon regarding Yeti.

No illusions from me here. This movie is bad. Real bad. In fact, it's a stinker. A woman and a guy named "Hud"(wants to be her boyfriend I think) hire he-man/guide into the Himalayas Steve Cameron to find her brother. Turns out her brother is part of an expedition to find the famed yeti creatures. Well, along the journey we meet up with the lead professor of the mission and his native guide named Varga. Are there yeti creatures? Big surprise. Are they made up fairly interestingly? Not real bad. What is real bad is the acting. It is bad and everyone in the movie is bad. The woman playing Connie looks off to the side trying to feign interest while wearing enough make-up in the Himalayas to be mistaken for a hooker! The guy playing Steve is even worse. Catch the scene where he and Connie are talking at the fire near the beginning. He actually looks like he is looking directly into the camera lens with virtually no shame. The gentleman playing the rounded, bald professor fairs just a tinge better, and the best performance of all these bad ones goes to the guy playing Varga. He at least can ham it up a bit. The story makes no sense when you hear the resolution. It is in its favor a very short film and is mildly entertaining for all of its faults and flaws.

Man Beast (1956)

** (out of 4)

One of many "Yeti" movies to be made during the 1950s, this one here from Jerry Warren who is best known for being one of the worst director's in the history of movies. Just check out Teenage Zombies or Frankenstein Island for more proof. This film here falls into the "so bad it's good" range because while it contains some dumbness it remains entertaining. A group of scientists head into the mountains where there have been countless reports of people running into the Yeti. Once on the mountain the Yeti certainly attacks but the scientists have a plan of their own. If you're a fan of bad movies and can laugh at them then this one here should keep you entertained because some of the performances are among the worst I've ever seen. They're bad enough to where you should be laughing even when the scene is trying to be dramatic. The attack sequenced are even better as apparently Yeti's like to beat people over the head with sticks. Seeing this might leave tears in your eyes so be sure to have something nearby to wipe your eyes.

In Director Jerry Warren's MAN BEAST, a trio of climbers sets out on an expedition in the Himalayan mountains, in search of Dr. Eric Erickson. Once they find him, it's still quite a slog up the mountains in search of the brother of the only woman in the group (Asa Maynor).

Soon, sheer horror ensues. Well, sort of. When the titular terror finally makes its appearance, it's a bit underwhelming to say the least. However, though inept in every way, this film gets credit for being an early entry in the Bigfoot / Yeti / Abominable Snowman movie subgenre.

In spite of this, be prepared for soul-squeezing dullness beyond description. This is a Jerry Warren movie after all, setting the tone for all of his future brain hammers...

This was the unequaled Jerry Warren's first production. He didn't write it so it's not as goofy as, say, "The Wild World of Batwoman" or "Frankenstein Island". For a low-budget B-movie it does alright for itself. There are probably too many shots of people hiking in the mountains, but the dialogue seems realistic in most scenes and the story does build nicely to an unexpected climax. In fact, Varga's revelation is kind of creepy. I probably wouldn't go out of my way to find it, but if it came across my path I'd check it out.