Snowbeast

I first saw Snowbeast ages ago when I was ploughing through my cheap Region 1 50 Drive-in Movie Classics boxset - it was a terrible disc but the film was still watchable.  Imagine my surprise when I found out that it had recently been released in the UK. 
 
A made for TV movie, Snowbeast is basically Jaws in the Rockies - a small town is hosting its 50th annual Winter Carnival when one skier is horribly attacked and killed by something in the woods.  Unwilling to put safety before profits and turn away tourists, Carrie Rill, the resorts owner, persuades her grandson Tony who manages the ski lodge not to call in the authorities, blame a rogue grizzly bear and simply cordon off that area of the woods.
 
Unfortunately, the dead girl's friend is sure that something inhuman attacked her and, besides, grizzlies are hibernating at this time of year.  Tony agrees to go with his grandmother's plan as he will inherit the resort and wants it to be running a profit when he does.  Friends of his, Gar Seberg and his wife Ellen come visiting as Gar is broke and hopes his old mate will be able to fix him up with a job.  The only problem is that, since winning gold in the 1968 Olympics, Gar hasn't strapped on a pair of skis but Tony gives him a post as a ski instructor anyway.
 

When another falls victim to the beast, this time one of the Ski Patrol, and the body of the first victim is discovered, Gar and Tony decide to kill whatever is out there but must keep Ellen in the dark as she is a TV journalist and would blow the cover story.
 
Snowbeast has an incredible array of names attached - written by Joseph Stefano (who did the screenplay for Psycho) and starring prolific TV actors Yvette Mimieux and Bo Svenson (who has recently been picked up by Quentin Tarantino, cultural vacuum cleaner extraordinaire to appear and Kill Bill Vol. 2 and Inglourious Basterds).  The film is a monster movie fo the week but with a Tourneur-esque approach to the man in the suit, so you don't see much of the Snowbeast, just people screaming, bloody clothing and footprints.
 
It is forgettable tosh, but enjoyable forgettable tosh with great moments where it fades to red for the commercial break and the actors spout their ridiculous lines with the upmost of earnestness.
 

The Disc

 
Picture & Sound
This didn't come from the finest source material available but is a decent transfer with minimal amounts of graining and other detritus; the quality is certainly better than the R1 version I originally saw.  The decision to film on location in the Colorado Rockies was a good one as there's real snow about, no laughably fake stuff here, and the actors do sometimes look cold. 
 
The soundtrack is very clear and easy to make out but there is nothing particularly special about the score.
 
Final Thoughts
The DVD isn't particularly expensive, but then it has no extra features.  Snowbeast is nonsense, but if B-movies are your cup of tea then it's a fun and reasonably entertaining way to spend 85 minutes.  It's not a 'so bad it's good' film - it almost is, but it just isn't bad enough!  Let's say 'it's not so bad'.