AC/AL 2006 94m Eng 5m N/GV CAST: Matt McCoy, Haley Joel, Christien Tinsley, Jeffrey Combs, Paul Gleason, Rex Linn, Phil Morris, Dee Wallace Stone, Karin Anna Cheung, Ashley Hartman, Tiffany Shepis, Natalie Compagno & Lance Henriksen CREDITS: Director/Screenwriter: Ryan Schifrin, based on a story by Ryan Schifrin & James Morrison; Producers: Donna Cockrell/ Theresa Eastman/Paul Spadone; Director of Photography: Neal L. Fredericks; Editor: Chris Conlee; Music: Lalo Schifrin THE SYNOPSIS Recently paralyzed & widowed after a mountain-climbing accident, well-to-do Preston Rogers (McCoy) is sent back to his mountain getaway as part of his healing process. In tow is abrasive male nurse Otis (Tinsley)--who doesn’t make Preston’s “recuperation therapy” any easier. Once at the residence, Preston is grateful to see a quartet of lovely young women staying in the next house. Using his high-powered binoculars, he “spies” on C.J. (Cheung), Karen (Hartman), Michelle (Compagno), Tracy (Shepis) & Amanda (Joel). The girls see Preston watching them and are (naturally) creeped-out. Speaking of creepy, there’s an 8-foot Yeti-like creature stalking the surrounding area--when it’s not killing and eating livestock, it’s killing and eating people. Losing livestock is not fun for burly Farmer Hoss (Linn) and his wife Ethel (Stone). He organizes a hunting party involving himself, trigger-happy Ziegler (Henriksen) and a whacked-out store clerk (Combs) and the 3 fools head off in search of the monster. That night, Karen steps out to use her cellphone and is abducted by the monster--and Preston sees it all. Though frantic with fear, he cannot convince Otis nor the girls across the way that something is out there. Preston, though paraplegic and stuck in a wheelchair, is sharp as a knife and manages to send an e-mail to the local Sheriff’s station. Deputy McBride (Morris) intercepts the message and brings it to his boss, Sheriff Halderman (Gleason)--a blowhard yet lackadaisical sort--who basically ignores the e-mail after learning of its source. Preston’s fears are confirmed as the monster comes back for the other girls--oh, that’s after it attacks and eats Hoss and his foolish hunting party. Preston’s hysteria reaches a fever pitch that Otis is about to drug him into submission when Preston ends up doping him instead! Just as the monster attacks the girls in their home, does one of them escape. It is Amanda and Preston guides her up to his place. The monster follows and they must band together to evade the monster and eventually destroy it. THE CRITIQUE Joining a long list of horror movies that feature the Bigfoot/Yeti/Abominable Snowman motif, ABOMINABLE earns its stripes for trying to be better than its budget-restriction (around $5,000,000) and genre-convention. Just to show you what I mean, the movie posits itself as a cross-pollination of the classic Rear Window (1954) and any post-1978 slasher movie--albeit the slasher in this case is a hairy, 8-foot mo-fo! Among the cast members, the always-reliable Matt McCoy does a good job of emoting. Plus, he’s got the brightest blue peepers this side of Mel Gibson. I hope that McCoy’s peepers got inducted into SAG--because they can act all on their own! Lead actress Haley Joel offers the requisite pretty face/loud shrieker in spades. This movie marks great character actor Paul Gleason’s last role (the once-and-always “Richard Vernon” died in 2006). As a tribute to his character in the classic The Breakfast Club (1984), the mug he drinks out of quotes his best line in the movie. Other actors of note is handsome actor Phill Morris (son of late, great Mission: Impossible actor Greg Morris), great genre actors Jeffrey Combs and Lance Henriksen, the always watchable Rex Linn and E.T. matriarch Dee Wallace Stone (who basically appears in one scene). The gaggle of women who play the victims are all hot too. And I liked the gratuitous nudity as well (the girls’--not the Yeti’s). Yeah, I’m a guy. I admit it! Written & directed by the up-and-coming Ryan Schifrin (son of famous film composer Lalo Schifrin) with some flair and derring-do, the kid works with what he has. Compounding this is the glossy-lensing by the late cinematographer Neil Fredericks (The Blair Witch Project). Combining shadowy lighting with high-key lighting schemes, Fredericks helps elevate this movie in a good way. The gory make-up FX are courtesy of actor Christien Tinsley (he played Otis, the Asshole Male Nurse), who scored an Oscar© nom for his work on The Passion Of The Christ. The rustic California locations are also primo while the other tech credits (editing, production design, etc.) are pro. And by the way: Papa Schifrin contributes his talents with the score to this one. Who says nepotism doesn’t work? THE BOTTOM LINE ABOMINABLE is B-movie all the way, but enjoyable just the same. Was it a great movie? No, but good production values, solid cinematography, and plentiful gore easily elevate this one to watchable status--hell, that cast of genre players also adds to the cache. The nudity is nice too. Can’t help it, I’m a guy! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_budgetinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_filmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screen_Actors_Guildhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screenplayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_directorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_scorehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinematographyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinematographerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Low-key_lightinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-key_lightinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosthetic_makeuphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Awardshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filming_locationhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_editinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Production_designerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_scorehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_moviehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Production_valueshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinematographyshapeimage_2_link_0shapeimage_2_link_1shapeimage_2_link_2shapeimage_2_link_3shapeimage_2_link_4shapeimage_2_link_5shapeimage_2_link_6shapeimage_2_link_7shapeimage_2_link_8shapeimage_2_link_9shapeimage_2_link_10shapeimage_2_link_11shapeimage_2_link_12shapeimage_2_link_13shapeimage_2_link_14shapeimage_2_link_15shapeimage_2_link_16shapeimage_2_link_17shapeimage_2_link_18shapeimage_2_link_19shapeimage_2_link_20