The Snow Creature

''The Snow Creature'' is a 1954 American science fiction-horror film produced and directed by W. Lee Wilder, for Planet Filmplays Inc., written by Myles Wilder, and starring Paul Langton.

Plot

In an undisclosed Himalayan country, Dr. Frank Parrish leads a scientific expedition intent on collecting botanical samples. The team includes several sherpa men, including Subra, who leads the sherpas, as the only one who speaks English. Also along is photographer Peter Wells.

Shortly into their work, the expedition is thrown into upheaval when Subra's wife is kidnapped by what Subra insists is a Yeti. Unable to convince Parrish to pursue the Yeti, Subra seizes the expedition's guns and takes control. Parrish and Wells are forces to go along with the sherpas while looking for opportunities to overthrow Subra. However, as the team draws closer to the Yeti, evidence emerges that begins to change Parrish's opinion regarding the creature's existence.

Finally, the team makes contact with the snow creature, who hurls stones at them from atop his mountain refuge. The expedition tracks the creature to his cave, where they encounter it, along with two other Yeti, a female, and young one. Parrish forcibly prevents the enraged Subra from shooting the Yeti, reasoning that the creature is more valuable for science alive. The ensuing fight causes a cave-in, killing the female and child while knocking the male unconscious. In the confusion, Parrish gains control of the guns and the expedition, deciding to take the Yeti back to the United States for study.

The Yeti is transported first to Bombay and then California in a telephone-sized freezer. Upon reaching California, Parrish is confronted by reporters. Meanwhile, Wells has sold his photos of the Yeti and the ensuing articles have made things difficult for U.S. Customs, as they can't determine if the Yeti is an animal or a man. The Yeti is kept in quarantine while an anthropologist is brought in to determine the question of the Yeti's humanity. During this delay, the Yeti escapes from his containment and roams the city, attacking women. He hides in the cooler sewer system, also infiltrating meat lockers for food.

The police manage to track the Yeti to the sewers where they catch him in a large net. The Yeti continues to attack, beginning to throttle one of the policemen and is shot and killed.

Cast

* Paul Langton as Frank Parrish
* Leslie Denison as Peter Wells
* Teru Shimada as Subra
* Rollin Moriyama as Leva
* Robert Kino as Inspector Karma
* Robert Hinton as Airline Manager
* Darlene Fields as Joyce Parrish
* George Douglas as Corey Jr.
* Robert Bice as Fleet
* Keith Richards as Harry Bennett
* Rudolf Anders as Dr. Dupont
* William Phipps as Lt. Dunbar
* Jack Daly as Edwards
* Rusty Wescoatt as Guard in Warehouse
* Lock Martin as the Yeti (uncredited)

Production

''The Snow Creature'' was one of the first of several Yeti/Abominable Snowman-themed movies. It also bore some resemblance to ''King Kong'' in terms of plot, with act one in an exotic setting, and act two taking place in an urban setting. The use of the Los Angeles storm drain system as the film's climactic setting can also be seen in the 1954 film, ''Them''.

The first half of the movie takes place in an undisclosed Himalayan country but the actors portraying the locals speak Japanese. Another geographic improbability occurs with the return flight the main characters take, which heads ''west'' from India to California (via TWA).

Reception

''The Monthly Film Bulletin'' wrote: "A weak off-shoot of the science fiction school. The snow creature itself is an unconvincing monster, and the manner in which it repeatedly moves a few steps forward, followed by a few steps backward (always in the dark), becomes irritating. Later scenes are better contrived than the Himalayan episodes, though the finale in the sewers is hackneyed and unenterprisingly managed. Some of Floyd Crosby's lighting effects are intriguing, but otherwise there is little to commend in this mediocre production."

''Variety'' wrote: "''Snow Creature'' is bush league science fiction. Produced on a minimum budget, picture discloses an amateurish script, pedestrian direction, repetitive footage and uniformly unconvincing performances. ... PaulLangton, as the botanist, Leslie Denison, as his assistant and Teru Shimada, as a Tibetan guide, walk through their roles in colorlessly deadpan style, as does the rest of the supporting cast."

Film critic Leonard Maltin awarded the film one and a half out of a possible four stars, calling it "dull".

TV Guide wrote: "Billy Wilder's talentless brother put together this fourth-rate Abominable Snowman film (the first and the worst)". The reviewer also called the film's monster costume "phony".

The film was featured in an episode of ''Deadly Cinema''.

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Snow Creature
1954 films
1954 horror films
1950s monster movies
American science fiction horror films
Bigfoot films
Films set in India
United Artists films
Films about Yeti
Films directed by W. Lee Wilder
1950s science fiction horror films
American black-and-white films
1950s English-language films
1950s American films
English-language science fiction horror films