THE YETI

The Yeti features outstanding practical creature effects that creates a chilling and bloody monster flick, featuring two strong turns from Brittany Allen and Jim Cummings, helping to overcome a screenplay that can never fully deliver on the expectations of the monster movie subgenre.

There have been countless monster films featuring various different creatures from sharks, dinosaurs, spiders, and even unicorns, but there have been relatively few featuring a yeti… if any. For their feature film debut, writers and directors Gene Gallerano and William Pisciotta made it their goal to create an old school creature feature for the yeti, and not only do they achieve this with some excellent practical and visual effects without using green screen to create a horror film with real danger, but they create a chilling film from start to finish that pays homage to the greats of the genre. Combined with a strong cast led by an empowering turn from Brittany Allen, even if Gallerano and Pisciotta could have pushed the story farther than where they stop in the third act, it’s an impressive debut that delivers an effective and chilling creature feature while proving Gallerano and Pisciotta’s talents as filmmakers.

The blueprint for the monster films was defined by Jaws back in 1975, and the main rule for this horror subgenre is that you cannot fully show your monster too early on. As a filmmaker, you are allowed to tease the monster and the death and devastation it causes, but it is expected that the monster’s full reveal is saved for the film’s latter half to pay off the suspense that has built over the course of the film. In The Yeti, Gallerano and Pisciotta do exactly this, merely teasing the titular yeti for the film’s first two acts, whether it be its shadowy presence in the background, a footprint in the snow, or a body part appearing on screen as it claims its next victim. It’s all done with a great eye for building tension, utilizing the isolating, cold and dark environment of the film to help send a feeling of unease down the viewer’s spine, displaying a true understanding of this horror subgenre.

At the same time as building the shrouded mystery of the yeti, the carnage of the film slowly builds with each kill. While never short on blood, as each member of the rescue expedition is slowly picked off, the violence intensifies. Building from off screen deaths to seeing the yeti physically rip apart and crush its victims, while hiding its full appearance, the creature effects and prosthetics work is exquisite, showcasing an old school horror filmmaking style that delivers exactly what viewers want from a creature flick. With these moments unfolding in the tense atmosphere that Gallerano and Pisciotta have built with no CGI and no green screen, there is no question that Gallerano and Pisciotta have talents behind the camera that the horror genre needs.

However, when it comes time for the yeti’s grand reveal, it does not stick fully its landing. There is no big set piece that showcases the yeti with its unstoppable power and thirst for blood, as there are not enough victims left for it to claim, having worked through the majority of the film’s characters at this point. While the practical effects for the full yeti reveal are impressive, the reveal comes at a point in the story where there is nothing left to do with the monster, instead with the story reverting to the interpersonal character drama. The dichotomy of man and monster is essential to the creature flick genre, as seen in Jaws with Robert Shaw’s monologue being one of the film’s most powerful moments, which is what Gallerano and Piscoiotta go for here with the exploration of fathers and children that unfolds in the final act. But, the payoff that viewers have been waiting for the entire film never arrives in the form of an all out monster attack, which is the biggest crime a horror movie can commit. Partially held back by its smaller budget preventing a larger cast of characters being available to be yeti fodder, partially determined by the creative story direction, The Yeti ends on a note that viewers won’t expect given the horror subgenre it exists, and while it’s not a bad ending from a thematic point of view, it's just not the satisfying one viewers have tuned into the film for.

That being said, the film features some strong performances that help to dampen the blow of the absence of the all out monster mayhem. Brittany Allen, fresh off a visit to HBO’s The Pitt, is great in the lead role of Ellie Bannister, bringing a strength and determination to the role that makes for a great heroine to be at the centre of the story. Eric Nelsen is effectively slimy and dangerous as Merriell Sunday Jr., capturing the stereotypical rich individual who will willingly sacrifice the rest of their team to achieve their goal, creating a perfect human adversary when required by the story. While their screen time is more limited, there is no denying that both William Sadler and Corbin Bernsen chew every moment they have to create two formidable forces in the story and help to build the father-child relationship which is an integral part of the screenplay. But, it is Jim Cummings who consistently steals the film as Booker. Playing against his normal manic comedic stylings that he excels in, Cummings finds a warmth and compassion that not only provides a beacon of hope in an otherwise dark film, but makes for both a great screen partner for Allen and an ally for Ellie in what is the best performance of the film.

For their feature film debut as writers and directors, Gene Gallerano and William Pisciotta make an impressive debut and it is evident that they have the knack for storytelling and world building. While The Yeti could have benefited from pushing its monster mayhem further in the final act, what unfolds onscreen is nonetheless enthralling due to the bloody and startling creature feature that unfolds. With the impressive creature effects and prosthetics work bringing to life the mythic yeti combined with the slow and purposeful reveal of the titular creature, The Yeti delivers all the chills that are expected of the creature flick subgenre that is only elevated by the performances of Brittany Allen and Jim Cummings even if the final act is missing the all out monster mayhem that audiences will expect of it.