Snowbeast (1977)

A Colorado ski resort is besieged by a sub-human beast that commits brutal murders on the slopes.

Director:

Herb Wallerstein

Writer:

Joseph Stefano

Stars:

Bo Svenson, Yvette Mimieux, Robert Logan

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bo Svenson	...	Gar Seberg
Yvette Mimieux	...	Ellen Seberg
Robert Logan	...	Tony Rill
Clint Walker	...	Sheriff Paraday
Sylvia Sidney	...	Carrie Rill
Thomas Babson	...	Buster (as Thomas W. Babson)
Jacquie Botts	...	Betty Jo
Kathy Christopher	...	Jennifer
Jamie Jamison	...	John Cochran
Richard Jamison	...	Ben Cochran
Liz Jury	...	Mrs. Blodgett
Richard Jury	...	Charlie Braintree (as Ric Jury)
Rob McClung	...	Deputy #2
Annie McEnroe	...	Heidi (as Anne McEncroe)
Victor Raider-Wexler	...	Deputy Holt

Storyline

In this made for TV film, an enormous and angry bigfoot creature begins to terrorize a Colorado Ski Resort during a winter carnival, by eating several skiers. At first everyone insists it is just a bear, until ski patrolman Tony Rill sees a white shadowy beastly shape disappearing into the woods. Although Tony's grandmother Mrs. Carrie Rill, who owns the Ski Resort and the town sheriff, Sheriff Paraday disagree, it soon becomes clear when the creature finally attacks the town.

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Plot Keywords:

winter | winter carnival | log | camper | ski lift | 

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Taglines:

An unknown terror stalks a ski resort!

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 April 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

Snowbeast

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Douglas Cramer Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Glen Glenn Sound)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

While shooting on location in the Colorado mountains the temperatures would rarely rise above five degrees during the day and would drop well below zero during the evening. In fact while shooting the scene where Gar and Tony talk in the hot tub the actors wet hair would actually start to freeze during filming.

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Goofs

Early in the movie, ski patroller Buster Smith goes out on his own to search for Jennifer a second time (against the wishes of his boss - Tony Rill). While out searching, Buster wipes out on the ski hill and as he falls, his hat and goggles and both skis come off. In the next scene as he is sliding/rolling down the hill, his hat miraculously reappears on his head and one ski becomes reattached. The following scene shows Buster hanging precariously over the edge of a drop with no hat or goggles (or skis) present as it should be.

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Quotes

Sheriff Paraday: I understand she was a guest at your ski lodge. I was hoping you could help me idenify her.
Tony Rill: I must have seen her somewhere. Maybe I will recognize her when I see her face.
Sheriff Paraday: She does not have one.

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Alternate Versions

The National Broadcasting Company decided it would be a little violent to have a skier fall from the ski lift and break a leg and then become a victim to the Snowbeast. In this scene, it was where the Winter Games took place. Writer Joseph Stefano and director Herb Wallerstien changed the scene to have the Snowbeast attack the town's gymnasium were they are holding a skiing contest for the snow champions. The fall from ski lift scene appears in some other versions of this film.

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Connections

References Jaws (1975)

User Reviews

Jaws on the Slopes

For a low budget, made-for-TV movie from 1977, this one packs quite a wallop. Sure, we never really get to see the monster and there is an abundance of non-professional extras on hand, but the lead performances (Bo Svenson, Yvette Mimieux and Clint Walker) are just fine. There are two very strong qualities which take this film into the recommendable range. One is the excellent location photography. Sure, the Colorado mountains are gorgeous, but the stedicam work around the slopes really add to the tension. Second is the musical score. It is just excellent, so far about the norm for a TV movie of the era. I don't have the composer credit at hand, but it's my guess that there was a connection between him and Joseph Stefano, who wrote the film and was a veteran of Outer Limits, also noted for its engaging musical score. Anyway, between the music and the swooping camera work, this film is often genuinely creepy, almost from the first few minutes. And bless her sweet soul, isn't Yvette gorgeous? She sure grew from the Time Machine into a beautiful woman. Final word: it's hard not to notice the plot similarity between this feature and Jaws. Made two years after the Spielberg classic, we're still dealing with a monster on the loose and a town that doesn't want to admit it for fear of losing tourist dollars. Maybe Jaws on the Slopes would be a good subtitle here.