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"A Better Bigfoot"
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Compared to many recent Bigfoot-inspired flicks, "Abominable" is a true work of art. Consider that its biggest competition comes from "Sasquatch," "Sasquatch Hunters," and the awful "Clawed," and I'm sure you'll agree with me. Perhaps it doesn't deserve four stars (three-and-a-half would be a better rating), but this movie just has too much going for it than to toss it to the wayside.
+3
First of all, the story is a labor of love by director/writer Ryan Schifrin. In the commentary and the documentary, "Back to Genre: Making Abominable," Schifrin comes across as a very likeable, very grounded guy. You can't not want to cheer for him and his creation. He managed to pick up a third-tier leading man, Matt McCoy, to take the lead role, used the creature designer, Christien Tinsley, as probably the funniest jerk in recent flicks, scooped up the legendary Lance Henriksen, Jeffrey Combs and Dee Wallace Stone for key cameo roles and the unforgettably funny Paul Gleason (The Breakfast Club) to portray the local sheriff.
Secondly, the actual DVD is awesome considering it is an independently produced film. It comes in a nice sleeve like most popular big studio flicks do. It's got wonderful liner notes by Schifrin and a nice tribute to Paul Gleason. Also, the artwork is top-notch. You'll recognize the style used as that of Drew Struzan. You know who he is, he designed the "Star Wars" posters, the "Indiana Jones" posters, and a ton of others. As far as extras are concerned, there's the aforementioned documentary and commentary, outtakes and bloopers, extended and deleted scenes, storyboard and stills gallery, a student film by Schifrin and the screenplay for those with DVD-ROM capabilities.
The movie takes place deep in the California forests where McCoy's character, Preston, has been taken for a little rehab since losing his wife and the ability to walk in a climbing accident. He's cared for by the very uncaring Otis (Christien Tinsley). When Otis leaves to get some soy milk (Preston's allergic), a small group of good-looking, giggly girls move into the cabin next door for a bachelorette party. That gaggle of giggly ladies includes female lead, Haley Joel, and my personal favorite scream queen, Tiffany Shepis.
When the sun goes down, the body count goes up. Bound by his wheelchair, Preston can do nothing but watch as the creature takes out each girl one-by-one. Preston desperately attempts to warn the girls and the sheriff's department via wireless internet. The girls think he's a peeping tom, and want nothing to do with him. The sheriff thinks he's either crazy or playing a practical joke, and holds his deputies back from going to check on the girls and Preston.
There are a couple of things that are wrong with this film. First of all, the music is hit-and-miss. Sometimes it is dead-on with building tension. At other times it's nothing but overkill. Secondly, there's the subpar acting of a couple of the girls in the cabin across from Preston's. Granted, I don't expect Oscar-worthy performances, but I just felt that a couple of the girls weren't acting as well as the could have. Finally, and this is the biggie, the creature looks sort of like Jack Elam (this fact is also noted on a messageboard at IMDB). He's not that scary once you get to see him in all of his hairy glory. He's got bug-eyes and a jack o'lantern smile and isn't very consistent with his footspeed. However, he does manage to give the audience quite a few "boo!!" moments that make up for his slightly silly look.
There's actually quite a bit of good scares in this flick. As stated before, when the music is on, it is extremely good at building suspense. You'll want to cheer for Preston as he tries to both warn the girls and save his own hide. The brief appearances of Henriksen and Combs are both funny and action-packed. Dee Wallace Stone is luckier than most in this film, but it's great to see her on the screen. Overall, this is a really good horror flick to watch. Sure, it has its bad points, but it's all made up for with excellent pacing, good lighting, and plenty of 80's era gore.
There is quite a bit of violence and gore in this flick, including explosive stomping of bodies, face-biting, body snapping, car crashes, axes hacking, needle injections, and on and on. The language can get pretty rough at times, though I've heard much worse in other R-rated flicks such as this one. There's also a little obligatory nudity from one of the lasses. In short, your kids shouldn't watch this.
For a wonderful evening of mindless violence and comedy, as well as a pretty decent flick all around, "Abominable" is sure to please. If you're a big fan of Sasquatch, definitely purchase this flick. If you appreciate B-cinema, you'll enjoy this film.
Highly recommended.
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More Abominable (2006 movie) reviews
Pros: some really great scares Cons: the ending The Bottom Line: “Gathering up our courage Ready for the fight Howling in the shadows Till we start to bite We're creatures of the night” ~Adam Mitchell/Paul Stanley We were going along so well and then they had to end the movie. I could have waited all day for that ending, it certainly took away all … more
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Kendall Fontenot (kfontenot)
Ranked #32
Ranked #32
Despite looking extremely cool, I have to admit that I'm a dork. I grew up on the outskirts of the small town of Oberlin, LA. I have since relocated to the Lake Charles, LA area.I love my home state … more
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About this movie
After being hunted and mythologized for centuries, the monstrous creature known by such names as Bigfoot, Yeti, and Sasquatch turns the tables around, unleashing his wrath upon a cabin full of hot young coeds, a paraplegic mountain climber, and a host of others unlucky enough to cross his path.
It has been sighted 42,000 times in 68 countries, a vicious creature of myth and legend called Sasquatch, Yeti, and perhaps most infamously, Bigfoot. We ve hunted it for years. But what happens when it decides to hunt us? For newly paraplegic mountain climber Preston Rogers (Matt McCoy), the horror hits home when this ravenous beast attacks a remote forest community. Will its next hot meal be a group of knucklehead hunters (including Lance Henriksen of ALIENS & Jeffrey Combs of RE-ANIMATOR), a skeptical police chief (Paul Gleason of DIE HARD), a cabin full of nubile co-eds (including Ashley Hartman of THE O.C.), or a trapped Preston himself? Rex Linn (CSI: MIAMI) and Dee Wallace-Stone (CUJO) co-star in this wild and gruesome horror shocker that Fangoria calls the best serious fright film ever made about Bigfoot!
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It has been sighted 42,000 times in 68 countries, a vicious creature of myth and legend called Sasquatch, Yeti, and perhaps most infamously, Bigfoot. We ve hunted it for years. But what happens when it decides to hunt us? For newly paraplegic mountain climber Preston Rogers (Matt McCoy), the horror hits home when this ravenous beast attacks a remote forest community. Will its next hot meal be a group of knucklehead hunters (including Lance Henriksen of ALIENS & Jeffrey Combs of RE-ANIMATOR), a skeptical police chief (Paul Gleason of DIE HARD), a cabin full of nubile co-eds (including Ashley Hartman of THE O.C.), or a trapped Preston himself? Rex Linn (CSI: MIAMI) and Dee Wallace-Stone (CUJO) co-star in this wild and gruesome horror shocker that Fangoria calls the best serious fright film ever made about Bigfoot!
Cast:
Phil Morris,
Jeffrey Combs,
Lance Henriksen,
Matt McCoy,
Tiffany Shepis,
Paul Gleason,
Rex Linn,
Dee Wallace,
Hayley Joel,
Christien Tinsley,
Ashley Hartman,
Michael Deak,
Karin Anna Cheung,
Natalie Compagno,
Dee Wallace Stone,
Chad Smith,
Haley Joel
Genre:
Horror
Release Date:
April 14, 2006
MPAA Rating:
R
DVD Release Date:
October 03, 2006
Runtime:
1hr 34min
Studio:
ANCHOR BAY
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