SASQUATCH
HORROR TRIPLE FEATURE:
SASQUATCH: THE LEGEND OF BIGFOOT
(1977)
SNOWBEAST (1977)
THE SNOW CREATURE (1954)
Directed by Ed Ragozzino/Herb Wallerstein/W.
Lee Wilder
Retromedia DVD
THE FILMS
I’ve seen it coming for awhile,
but now there’s full-on proof.
The social climate of bad film entertainment
has been mutated, reaching goliath
heights that were previously impossible
to fathom. A DVD has hit the streets,
hawking a triple feature of Bigfoot
films. Blink and rub your eyes;
A TRIPLE FEATURE OF BIGFOOT FILMS.
Fantastic, right? Just the notion
of that novelty is enough to send
Sasquatch-film devotees into a blissful
tizzy. Myself included. Now we get
to the touchy part: the films themselves.
Offering up a total rarity (Sasquatch:
The Legend Of Bigfoot) and
two previously issued public domain
semi-snoozers (Snowbeast,
The Snow Creature), this
release poses a curious question
for the already initiated. To buy
or not to buy? Will Sasquatch
hold its own, especially to those
that already own the other two films?
Grab your pick axe, tennis-racket
snow shoes, and "computerized
research gear"; we're going
to find out together.
Juggling a travelogue episode of
The Wide World Of Disney,
old fashioned spooks, and some really
bad wigs, Sasquatch: The Legend
Of Bigfoot has finally surfaced
after years of deep-woods obscurity.
First up: Narration! Yeti newspaper
clippings! Computers! The Patterson
film! Soon enough, the set up fades
and we get to the basic plot of
this mockumentary. Several trailblazers
pack up their belongings and retreat
to the Canadian wilderness on a
five month tour, searching for proof
that might finally confirm Bigfoot's
existence. The first hour will test
your dexterity, despite some stunning
nature photography and impressive
physical strain on the cast. The
last twenty minutes builds on the
suspense, as the group finally catches
up with a tribe of Yeti (fat guys
in gorilla suits). Inbetween, there's
a couple of flashback Bigfoot encounters,
a bobcat attack with an unpleasant
outcome, and a grizzly bear street
fight. At one point the narrator
emotes, "The going was slow
and tough." He wasn't kidding.
A huge hit during its initial late
70s release, this central Oregon-lensed
indie has built up a solid reputation
over the last 20+ years, mostly
thanks to fond memories of childhood
shrieks. Seeing it fresh for the
first time, the glass seems to be
half full. The
Legend Of Boggy Creek this
ain't. Despite an out-of-this-world
concept (think Blair Witch meets
The Hardy Boys), first time director
Ed Ragozzino stretches the pace
way too thin, making for a surefire
case of the bores. The mock-reality
of the situations were fun and the
scenery was enveloping, but there
was a little too much of both. Not
enough of what really counts in
a low budget picture with “Sasquatch”
in the title: namely, Bigfoot mirth.
Most of the unknown acting was painfully
bad (re: the comic relief bumpkin
cook); not in a humorous way, but
in a stop-trying-so-hard way. The
music tumbled between generic 70s
soft rock (bad) and misty organ
blips (excellent). Do you see what
I’m getting at? Elements were
in place for an all-out classic,
but there was too much baggage dragging
it all down. It’s a shame
too; Bigfoot’s murderous ways,
the highly atmospheric ending, the
styrofoam boulders, the hilarious
final shot...ah well.
Take to the slopes. It’s time
for Rill’s Winter Carnival,
“a day and night’s orgy
of fun and games!” Snowbeast
is underway. A snowy vacation resort
is in the midst of their annual
moneymaker when a homicidal Yeti
starts pulling the faces off of
young ski-bunnies. The resort owners,
gravel-voiced Mrs. Rill (Sylvia
Sidney, Juno from Beetlejuice!)
and her son Tony, attempt to keep
the murders hush-hush so they can
rake in the dough. Cue washed up
ski celebrity (say what?) Gar Seburg
and wife Ellen, looking to get Gar’s
life on track amidst marital turmoil
and cliche-ridden soul searching.
The attacks get more bloody and
intense, as Mr. Yeti crashes a school
pageant and sets the authorities
on the hunt. It’s up to Tony,
Gar, Ellen, and Sheriff Paraday
to climb the peaks and take out
the white-haired beast, NO MATTER
THE COST!
If you’re in the mood, Snowbeast
isn’t half bad. It’s
a typical 70s TV movie, featuring
decades of padding (on the skis,
on the snow mobile), adequate directing
from TV-vet Herb Wallerstein (Star
Trek, The Brady Bunch), and a shimmery
roller-skate soundtrack. On the
upside, this particular Bigfooted
one is quite perturbed, wrenching
faces, eating people, and taking
names like some kind of wacked fur-Hercules.
As a result, the film's exciting
moments are well worth a look, even
though you've got to sit through
lots of soap opera theatrics (“I’ve
been having fantasies about you
for a year...”) to get there.
As for the 'squatch costume? We
don't get to see much of him (a
hand, a foot, brief full body),
but the rubbery sheep dog look is
absolutely fantastic in my book.
Add about $20 to the Shriek
Of The Mutilated get-up
and you're halfway there. All in
all, no great shakes, but a nice
diversion when there's nothing else
to do.
If the top two-thirds of this bill
were teetering on the ledge of average,
then The Snow Creature
takes the plunge. For a full review
of this one, you can check out my
take on Alpha’s DVD here.
It’s been six months since
my last viewing, so I decided to
take another shot. Thank goodness
for quadruple-time fast forward;
repeat viewings are not becoming
of this motion picture.
Welcome back to civilization. The
intent of this triple threat is
welcomed with open arms. Unfortunately,
it’s not quite what I expected.
Your satisfaction will depend on
your patience level and your devotion
to our friend, the Yeti.
AUDIO AND VIDEO
Here’s what you’re really
curious about, eh? Sasquatch
is presented in a pleasant widescreen
print, showing off some nice wishy-washy
70s color and a top notch mono soundtrack.
The print itself is in excellent
shape, light on damage, save for
a green emulsion line or two. Unfortunately,
compression artifacting is evident
during darker scenes of the film,
a problem which plagued earlier
Retromedia releases, but had gone
M.I.A. in recent months. It’s
not too bad, but the pixels were
slightly distracting, especially
given the age of DVD technology
at this point. Nice print though.
Since both Snowbeast and
Snow Creature have been
released numerous times on DVD over
the past few years, the presentation
on this release might make it or
break it for most people. I’ve
viewed both films on different releases
(Snowbeast from Brentwood’s
“Vault Of Horror” set,
Snow Creature from Alpha),
so here’s the scoop: Snowbeast
looks a little nicer than its previous
budget appearances, with less compression
and a very crisp picture. The full
frame print isn’t devoid of
spicks ‘n’ specks, but
it’s in better shape than
before. The Snow Creature
looks very similar to Alpha’s
release (slightly dupey, ghosting,
a little compression). In fact,
I had a hard time telling the difference
between them. The print is still
in rough shape cosmetically, but
you can’t expect gold from
public domain curios. Retromedia
provides a disclaimer regarding
the cobbled together print quality
before the film begins.
EXTRAS
Flipperville: side A contains Sasquatch,
while side B features the other
two films. Chapter stops, but no
chapter stop menus, and swell sound
effects make appearances on both.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Obviously, Bigfoot film addicts
will want to pick up this disc,
if only to proudly display the almost-classic
Sasquatch on the shelf.
Everybody else will get by with
a rental. Or not. The other two
films are pretty inconsequential,
so don’t get your hopes up.
— Joseph A. Ziemba, 06.14.05 |
Eye scorching!
Take the long way home
Fiendish
Blood Slopes
Champeen
Still awkward
|
