Born in the early 1900s, the monster movie genre has long been fertile ground for entertaining cinematic experiences. But while many filmmakers have succeeded in this niche, a good few have discovered that a monster alone is not enough to create a successful picture. Written and directed by Gene Gallerano
and William Pisciotta, The Yeti is a film with an abundance of potential and little follow-through. This dull creature feature is a reminder that even the simplest premise requires careful construction for success.

Sent into the Alaskan territory in search of a missing group, a rescue team finds itself face-to-face with an ancient monster. Brittany Allen plays the lead character. She is joined by William Sadler, Corbin Bernsen, Heather Lind, Jim Cummings and Eric Nelsen.

One would think that a slasher film featuring the Abominable Snowman would be an easily executed story. Unfortunately, The Yeti squanders this potential and fails to deliver the most basic elements of the monster genre. Now, the movie has a sense of style and a well-designed creature, but sadly, the positives end there.

Watching this film will leave viewers bewildered, as many scenes flow into each other in a way that feels incredibly disjointed. A variety of big story moments are so poorly introduced that you will wonder if a sequence has been cut. A lot of the narrative appears to be happening off-screen, creating many roadblocks in the film’s already jumbled pacing.

As mentioned previously, this movie is fairly stylish, and it is certainly shot well. But the script itself ensures that these production elements are wasted. The narrative should have leaned into its old-school nature and gone for a bare-bones horror story. But even the kills themselves are bland. It is such a shame, as the monster’s costume looks decent but is barely shown.

The core issue with the film can be broken down to the fact that the basic theatricality of a creature feature should have been the narrative’s focus. Yet, we spend more time on boring character interactions than we do building tension for the monster.

The Yeti is a film that could have been a stripped-down cult classic in the right hands. It should have been the kind of movie that slowly builds a fanbase over time. Instead, it’s a creature feature with no guts or thrills. This is not a film that can be recommended.