Man Beast

(1956)**1/2

Connie Hayward’s brother is missing. He was last seen in the Himalayas, where he was searching for the legendary Yeti. Forming a search team that includes friends and an anthropologist, Connie sets out to search her brother’s last known whereabouts, a remote base camp high in the mountains. During her search she meets Vargas, her brother’s creepy guide who aids the group on their journey. Before long team members begin disappearing and Connie has a strange feeling that they are all being watched, but by whom?



Despite questionable acting, low rent production values (with plenty of stock footage to boot) and too much early exposition, Man Beast is actually a lot of fun and a cut above some of the other popular “monster” movies of its time. Although not always successful, the film attempts to address some ambitious “science” fiction concepts, such as evolution, ESP, and crossbreeding, and it examines the nature of obsessive behavior – the pursuit of the Yeti at all cost. Even more interesting is the implied notion of bestiality/rape between Connie and the “Man Beast”, which is pretty weighty stuff for 1956 pulp sci-fi. I find that I really dig horror movies that take place in the snow.