Snowbeast

This was filmed partially in Crested Butte, Colorado for the ski slope shots, and 30 miles away in Gunnison, Colorado for fill shots. They shot the 'Winter Wonderland' High School dance sequence in the gym at the high school. This was a pretty big deal for all of the students. A real "Hollywood" movie! I remember Yvette being very petite and very quiet during her on-camera parts. One of the shots has Bo sitting in the middle of a bunch of students in the bleachers. Look close (and quick) and you'll see a geeky guy in glasses behind him. I remember wearing a bright shirt that day. We all had to sign the waivers and promise to be polite and quiet. The director would lay out what was going on in that particular shot and how we were supposed to act. They replaced the glass in one of the gym doors so the Beast could stick his arm through it. They seemed to be careful to not let us see the whole beast. Only parts of it. Bo was a large guy, as I remember. And nice. I was a freshman or sophomore at the time so this was being filmed in the 1976-77 time frame. My friends dad was principal at the time. I remember him being very stressed about all the diversions. Not education friendly I guess. But it was a neat learning experience in another way. And I get to say I was in a movie with Yvette and Bo. Thanks.

I watched this on DVD after acquiring a 10 pack called "Vault of Horror". I was surprised how much I enjoyed this. The acting ranges from competent to embarrassing, you never really see the monster, the storyline apes Jaws from scene to scene, but somehow it works if you watch it in the right frame of mind. Most of all it brought back memories of my childhood of watching those low-budget 72 minute TV movies they used to show from 8:30 to 10:00.

An annual Colorado skiing event is terrorised by a Yeti.

Over the years, I've revisited Snowbeast more times than I care to admit. I first caught it as a child, long before Blu-ray or YouTube, and the film etched itself into memory. For some, it was just another TV movie, but for me-growing up on Tales from the Darkside, Creepshow, and Tales from the Crypt-it struck a chord. Monsters were my entry point into horror, and this snowbound Yeti tale felt both familiar and unsettling.

The film was shown a number of times on UK television, including 20 September 1980 (LWT), 7 August 1987 (LWT), 22 June 1997 (LWT), 24 June 1997 (Sci-Fi Channel Europe), 19 May 1999 (Sci-Fi Channel Europe), and 13 August 2000 (Channel 5). I'm not certain whether I first caught it on one of these airings or via a VHS recording of the UK broadcast. It wasn't available on UK home entertainment releases until 2004 and 2009, so any viewing at that time would have been from TV broadcasts or personal recordings.

Not to be confused with 2011's Snow Beast, veteran TV director Herb Wallerstein's 1977 NBC outing is a competently made, poor man's TV version of Jaws, but it tries hard reach the summer blockbuster's depth, tension, and flair.

Written by Joseph Stefano (who wrote the screenplay for Psycho), it offers the expected slow, talky dialogue, which is broken up by the occasional glimpses of the Yeti, a Bigfoot-like Snow Beast. Robert Prince's music is fitting, notably in a setup where the beast is glimpsed at a window before smashing through it in front of a hall full of children and skiers. Endless Snow Beast POV shots aside, the snowy on-location shoot adds atmosphere, with cinematography by Frank Stanley.

The acting is of its time, but better than today's low-budget attempts. The man in a suit and real-looking blood is still more effective than the bad CGI Syfy Channel productions currently being put out. It has higher-than-usual production values, especially considering it's a made-for-television movie.

As Yeti films go, it's worth checking out-particularly for those wanting a 1970s fashion nostalgia ride.

For those who still hear the call of this snowbound cryptid, the USA's Retromedia released a Blu-ray in 2018; Makeflix reissued a BD-R in 2024 offering both the 72-minute and restored longer versions, which is probably your best bet.

I saw this on late night tv in the early eighties. I was staying at my grandmothers house and I was in a sleeping bag. She had one of those Ye olde toilets where you had to go outside to pee. Needless to say I was to scared to go out side lest the Snowbeast would get me. There was no snow but I was too scared and peed in the sleeping bag. I'm still scared of the dark. And sleeping bags. And my grandmother. She's dead now though which is fine cause she was crazy. Also don't watch scary movies if you have to outside to pee, it may not end well.

Rating- 3 stars*** out of 5

What else could you ask for a man dressed in a bigfoot-yeti-sasqutach like costume. I have never seen a film about that ledgenary creature but here it is Snowbeast. Not a great title but still okay. It's about that Bigfoot like creature killing skiers at a ski resort in Colorado. Bo Svenson, Vvitte Mineux, Clint Walker and Robert Logan leap into pursuit to stop it. Silva Syndey co-stars. Although the films looks rather like Jaws in some ways. I once had to think Joseph Stefano did great on Psycho why would he try to copy Jaws? Also it's failing of Direction leads to not so great suspense. But it's music by Robert Prince was okay. So if you hav'nt seen a movie about the legendary creature go out and rent it it's not all that bad. Filmed in 1977. Mostly played on T.V but was released to theaters in small quanties.