The Abominable Snowman

"See It With Someone Brave! A Timeless Terror to Freeze You to Your Seats!"

1957 1h 25m EN

😐

6.2

MID

★6.2TMDB · 121

AdventureHorror

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A kindly English botanist and a gruff American promoter lead an expedition to the Himalayas in search of the legendary Yeti.

“See It With Someone Brave! A Timeless Terror to Freeze You to Your Seats!”

WhatsApp X Facebook Telegram

Where to watch · US

fuboTVSubscription

Amazon VideoRent

Amazon VideoBuy

Cast

Forrest Tucker
Tom Friend
Peter Cushing
Dr. John Rollason
Arnold Marlé
Lhama
Maureen Connell
Helen Rollason
Richard Wattis
Dr. Peter Fox
Robert Brown
Edward Shelley
Michael Brill
Andrew McNee
Wolfe Morris
Kusang

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Val Guest
Writers: Nigel Kneale, Nigel Kneale
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

85 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

69 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Val Guest, shot by Arthur Grant. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Humphrey Searle. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Bill Lenny shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Forrest Tucker and Peter Cushing and Arnold Marlé carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "See It With Someone Brave! A Timeless Terror to Freeze You to Your Seats!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Val Guest directs. Arthur Grant behind the camera. Humphrey Searle scores. Bill Lenny cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

185 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
269 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
4Directed by Val Guest, shot by Arthur Grant. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Humphrey Searle. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Bill Lenny shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Forrest Tucker and Peter Cushing and Arnold Marlé carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "See It With Someone Brave! A Timeless Terror to Freeze You to Your Seats!".
9IMDB entry: tt0050095 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 10 themes, including "himalaya mountain range", "expedition", "mystic", "yeti".
11Released under 17 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Arthur Grant
Original score: Humphrey Searle
Editing: Bill Lenny
Production design: Bernard Robinson
Costume design: Beatrice Dawson
Makeup / hair: Philip Leakey
Runtime: 85 min · 1h 25m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: The Abominable Snowman (1957)

Also by

Val Guest

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

John Chard2020-03-04
★ 8/10
The Abominable Snowman Tom Friend is about to embark on a life changing expedition, his aim? To find the fabled creature known as the Yeti, or Abominable Snowman. Joining him on the trip is botanist John Rollason, whose scientific interest is totally at odds with Friend and his trapper companion, Ed Shelley. As the expedition moves deeper into the Himalayas, bad luck and differences of opinions dog the party, and as the confrontations draw closer it becomes apparent that the Yeti is not a dumb animal to be killed or captured. Adapted by Nigel Kneale from his own BBC play, "The Creature", The Abominable Snowman is one of the finest early offerings from Hammer Studios. The long running (to this day) stories of a giant beast living up in the Himalayas is of course interesting stuff, much like Nesse up in her Loch, it seems their worth will never ever fade. Thankfully there is a ream of intelligence in this picture, forgoing out and out shocks in the name of horror, director Val Guest has treated Kneale's story with the utmost respect. This is more of a character story as regards men with different ideals on a supposed legend, we barely see the creature until the wonderful last quarter, we don't need to because there are other creatures on this expedition, it's very adroit and accomplished in its telling. The cast do not let the material down, Hammer stalwart Peter Cushing takes the role of Rollason, Forrest Tucker ("Sands Of Iwo Jima") is Friend, Robert Brown ("The Masque of the Red Death") is Shelley and Maureen Connell is wonderful down in the village as Rollason's fraught wife, Helen. Now in this day and age we can get good digital transfers of old black and white classics, and here the Regalscope Widescreen brilliantly captures the snowy landscapes, firmly enhanced by Arthur Grant's gorgeous monochrome photography. So what you waiting for? The technical side is great, the story is of course excellent, all that remains to say is that the ending is perfect and seals the deal. A British treasure. 8/10
Peter89Spencer2020-10-20
★ 8/10
This was entertaining to watch, especially it being the first Hammer Horror filmed in black and white. An adventurous expedition turns into a fight for survival, with a horrifying discovery. It's similar to The Thing and Mountains of Madness, but the difference being it is less gruesome than the other two.
CinemaSerf2023-10-09
★ 6/10
Forrest Tucker was drafted in to bring a bit of box office to this actually quite atmospheric tale of an expedition to the heights of the Himalayas where he - "Friend" and scientist "Rollason" (Peter Cushing) encounter the mysticism of the locals and, well slightly more than they bargained for! Clearly nobody set foot outside the studio here, and the confetti sellers must have a field day; but Cushing was always quite good at sustaining these slightly eccentric boffin roles; the rather stilted Tucker does what's required with a rather listless script and Maureen Connell offers just a little more as the leading lady that is oft provided in these adventures. The use of lighting and audio does help create a sense of menace and I did quite like the ending... Cheap and cheerful, yes - but still quite watchable.