It's rather strange seeing Hammer horror in black and white after all the vibrant colours that their later offerings show off so boldly; but the black and white gives it that old monster movie feel (which is what the movie is anyway...) and it's a good factor for that reason. It's true that this isn't Hammer's finest work, but it's a very nice early offering; and shows some early ingeniousness of the studio. That's what I like best about Hammer Horror; when you see one of their movies, you know that you're going to be in for a fun and imaginative ride and this film certainly delivers on that front. The plot follows botanist Peter Cushing as he joins a group of arctic explorers that go off into the Himalayas in search of the mythical beast - the Yeti. The film then follows, in adventure style, their misadventure as they come face to face with the beast itself and get more than they bargained for...
The snow setting gives the film a feeling of isolation that invokes a constant feeling of dread and we get the impression that if something bad does happen - there wont be anyone there to save our hero's. This mind game has been carried off in many films since this one (Alien, most notably), but here is a good early example of that. The film is also different from most other horror films as it handles a subject and a monster that hasn't often been covered. This sets it apart in a good way as it's something different from the viewer and also goes some way to showing Hammer's inventiveness as most studios are happy to continue taking the safe option and making horror films that have been tried and tested. The fact that the Yeti doesn't appear for much of the film will no doubt annoy some viewers, and it did me somewhat, but it helps the film as it ensures that the audience will be intrigued to finally see the monster. The film is very well paced and doesn't get boring either, which is a plus.
As I said, this isn't Hammer's best film. However; it's definitely well worth tracking down for the Hammer fan, and people in general that want to see a good monster movie.
The snow setting gives the film a feeling of isolation that invokes a constant feeling of dread and we get the impression that if something bad does happen - there wont be anyone there to save our hero's. This mind game has been carried off in many films since this one (Alien, most notably), but here is a good early example of that. The film is also different from most other horror films as it handles a subject and a monster that hasn't often been covered. This sets it apart in a good way as it's something different from the viewer and also goes some way to showing Hammer's inventiveness as most studios are happy to continue taking the safe option and making horror films that have been tried and tested. The fact that the Yeti doesn't appear for much of the film will no doubt annoy some viewers, and it did me somewhat, but it helps the film as it ensures that the audience will be intrigued to finally see the monster. The film is very well paced and doesn't get boring either, which is a plus.
As I said, this isn't Hammer's best film. However; it's definitely well worth tracking down for the Hammer fan, and people in general that want to see a good monster movie.