Abominable

For those who moaned at the lack of “appearance” in the rather excellent Willow Creek, Big Foot is here in all his hairy glory as we look back on this wonderful , stupid 2006 horror delight!

Having been re-released on DVD, Abominable is every bit the Bigfoot movie you want.  Its gloriously bad at times but wonderfully entertaining, which is all you need when settling down to watch a horror!

Made in 2006 but actually feels and looks a lot older than that. Abominable has resurfaced thanks to the likes of Willow Creek and the success of Exists, which because of its Blair Witch connection, managed to do really well in sales and seems to have spawned a brand new weekly straight to DVD Big Foot horror release!

Eduardo Sanchez  may have delivered for this particular franchise, but it may never get the acclaim that Abominable has due to its rapidly growing cult fan base that has seen this film once more come to the attention of the public horror domain.

To begin with, Abominable is not scary. nor does it try to be! This is a glorious reminder of when Horror never took itself seriously, when its own tongue was firmly in its cheek.  I personally love this film, adore all of its corny lines that are sprinkled through out and its tone that makes it feel like its set in the same universe as the likes of Critters. Honestly you believe this must have came out in the glory days of the 80’s and it’s surreal when you realise it was 2006!

What basically plays like a Hitchcock style Rear Window thriller, here we see Matt McCoy in a wheelchair, staring out and seeing nothing but carnage and death around him.  The film itself knows its so ridiculous at times that it wants you to embrace the stupidity and if you do, then the reward is a joyful watch!  McCoy who everyone remembers as the guy who took over from Mahoney in the Police Academy movies, plays Preston Rodgers who lost the use of his legs after a rock climbing gig with the wife went horribly wrong.  

The lovely titled mountain “Suicide Rock” saw his wife plunge to her death while he survived but never able to walk again. Now six months later his doctors think it would be helpful for him if he went back to that place and fight his fears.

Accompanied by his nurse Ortis (Christen Tinsely), he ends up in this cabin, right next to another one which just happens to have a bunch of pretty teenage girls partying for the weekend.

With a pair of Binoculars on hand, Rodgers begins to suspect that there is something quite hairy in the woods and is thirsty for blood, but sadly no one else believes him, that is of course until its too late……..  damn you non believers…..DAMN YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We know its Bigfoot because of the true slash opening shot where Dee Wallace Stone.…yes E.T’s mum and Critters fame, witnesses her dog being butchered and finds the now famous imagery of large footprints in the snow.

If your horror cult juices are flowing because Stone makes an appearance in this, then hold on to your horror hat because also Lance Henrikson and Jeffrey Combs also turn up and any film where the Re-Animator makes an appearance is worth a look!

Most of the action is centred around Rodgers though, as Bigfoot picks off the girls one by one and all Rodgers can do is try and convince his dumb nurse (who always looks away when bigfoot turns up) to phone the police.  

All this plays along to a wonderful score from the legend that is Lalo Schifrin who was the musical touch behind the likes of Dirty Harry which adds another top notch of quality to Abominable’s CV.  

How did such a low quality film get someone like this on board? Well it helps that his son Ryan wrote and directed this flick, so basically a nice family touch.

I am not going to say that this is a masterpiece of horror because its far from it.  Its so ridiculous at times that you can not help but shake your head. But I loved every moment of this underrated monster slash flick.  Take the creature for instance! A stupid creation at times but somehow it clearly works and it reminds you of the good old days before CGI became everything.

Also the movie is littered with funny moments.  “We gonna need a bigger knife” is an obvious JAWS riff, and when Rodgers sits down and tells of how his wife died, you can not help but laugh….OK! maybe that bit wasn’t supposed to be funny but how can you not giggle when they call the Mountain Suicide Rock?

I also loved the “Ass Monkey” line and the scene where the girl asks Rodgers a question and he replies so deadpan “How the fuck do I know?”……

Abominable is one of the best bigfoot movies I have ever seen.  Its so gloriously dumb that the time just flew by and aimed purposely for those who just want to switch off their brain cells for an hour and so!

Yes, there may not be enough blood to appease the gore hounds and perhaps the new generation will turn their nose up to what is on offer here, but for the old brigade like myself, its a reminder of horror before the remakes, gore-porn and endless found footage flooded the market.

With an ending that clearly screams “You fxxxxd now!” Abominable is a rightly rich cult film and if films like the recent dumb franchise Sharkando can somehow have these crazy star ratings…..then I am going to follow suit……because Abominable is not a great film, but its all the better for it!

A guilty pleasure.