Snowbeast (1977) (TV)

Director:

Herb Wallerstein

Writer:

Joseph Stefano (written by)

Release Date:

28 April 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Horror

Tagline:

An unknown terror stalks a ski resort!

Plot:

A Colorado ski resort is besieged by a sub-human beast that commits brutal murders on the slopes.

Plot Keywords:

Creature | Sheriff | Town | Bigfoot | Beast

Cast

Bo Svenson	...	Gar Seberg
Yvette Mimieux	...	Ellen Seberg
Robert Logan	...	Tony Rill
Clint Walker	...	Sheriff Paraday
Sylvia Sidney	...	Mrs. Carrie Rill
Thomas Babson	...	Buster Smith (as Thomas W. Babson)
Jacquie Botts	...	Betty Jo Blodgett
Kathy Christopher	...	Jennifer
Jamie Jamison	...	John Cochran
Richard Jamison	...	Ben Cochran
Liz Jury	...	Mrs. Blodgett
Richard Jury	...	Charlie Braintree (as Ric Jury)
Rob McClung	...	Deputy #2
Annie McEnroe	...	Heidi (as Anne McEncroe)
Victor Raider-Wexler	...	Deputy Holt
Prentiss Rowe	...	Billy the Bell Captain
Michael J. London	...	The Snowbeast

Directed by
Herb Wallerstein

Writing credits
Joseph Stefano		(written by)

Produced by
Wilfred Lloyd Baumes	....	producer (as Wilford Lloyd Baumes)
Douglas S. Cramer	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Robert Prince

Cinematography by
Frank Stanley		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Dennis Mosher
Carroll Sax
Neil Travis		(uncredited)

Casting by
Sam Christiansen		(as Sam Christensen)

Art Direction by
Steven P. Sardanis		(as Stephen Sardanis)

Set Decoration by
Robert Gould

Costume Design by
Guy C. Verhille		(as Guy Verhille)

Makeup Department
Dee Manges	....	makeup artist
Peggy Shannon	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Mitchell L. Gamson	....	production manager (as Mitchell Garrison)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Michael Grillo	....	assistant director
George R. Meek	....	assistant director

Art Department
William A. Petrotta	....	property master (as Bill Petrotta)

Sound Department
Pat Mitchell	....	sound (as Patrick Mitchell)
Shawn Johnstone	....	location sound recordist (uncredited)
Nobuko Oganesoff	....	sound mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Marlowe Newkirk	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Paul Ryan	....	photography: second unit (as Paul G. Ryan)
John White	....	camera operator (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Stephen Lodge	....	costume supervisor

Music Department
Dan Carlin Sr.	....	music editor (as Dan Carlin)

Transportation Department
Joe Sawyers	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Diana Aretio	....	assistant to producer
Nicholas Batchelor	....	production assistant
Wilfred Lloyd Baumes	....	title designer (as Wilford Lloyd Baumes)
Jeff Hayes	....	production associate (as Jeffrey Hayes)
Hudson Hickman	....	production associate
Harry Kohoyda Jr.	....	production accountant
Karen Rasch	....	script supervisor
Shirley Snyder	....	production coordinator
Douglas S. Cramer	....	dialect coach (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Douglas Cramer Productions

Distributors

• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1977) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• BijouFlix Releasing (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Exposure Cinema (2008) (UK) (DVD)
• Image Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• Legacy Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Mill Creek Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2004) (USA) (video)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (all media)
• Retromedia Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD) (on "Sasquatch Horror Triple Feature")
• Treeline Films (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
• Worldvision Entertainment (video)

Other Companies

• Arctic Enterprises  snowmobile equipment and wardrobe
• Echo Film Services  sound effects
• Glen Glenn Sound  sound design

Runtime:

USA:86 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Unrated | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Colorado, USA

Company:

Douglas Cramer Productions

Trivia:

The girl seen in close-up running with her flute now lives in Tucson, Arizona, and teaches English at the University of Arizona.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Shadow of cameraman in some scenes.

Quotes:

Gar Seberg: Ellen, you where right. Coming up here was a dumb idea.
Ellen Seberg: I never said it was a dumb idea. I just thought you might feel better getting a job outside the ski business.
Gar Seberg: This is all I know how to do.
Ellen Seberg: You know what I think, Gar? You really don't want a job. This is just some damn excuse to back off and still feel right about it!

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in "South Park: Manbearpig (#10.6)" (2006)

Jaws on the Slopes

For a low budget, made-for-TV movie from 1977, this one packs quite a wallop. Sure, we never really get to see the monster and there is an abundance of non-professional extras on hand, but the lead performances (Bo Svenson, Yvette Mimieux and Clint Walker) are just fine. There are two very strong qualities which take this film into the recommendable range. One is the excellent location photography. Sure, the Colorado mountains are gorgeous, but the stedicam work around the slopes really add to the tension. Second is the musical score. It is just excellent, so far about the norm for a TV movie of the era. I don't have the composer credit at hand, but it's my guess that there was a connection between him and Joseph Stefano, who wrote the film and was a veteran of Outer Limits, also noted for its engaging musical score. Anyway, between the music and the swooping camera work, this film is often genuinely creepy, almost from the first few minutes. And bless her sweet soul, isn't Yvette gorgeous? She sure grew from the Time Machine into a beautiful woman. Final word: it's hard not to notice the plot similarity between this feature and Jaws. Made two years after the Spielberg classic, we're still dealing with a monster on the loose and a town that doesn't want to admit it for fear of losing tourist dollars. Maybe Jaws on the Slopes would be a good subtitle here.