Abominable Review Country : USA Year: 2006 Genre: Horror / Monster Format: Theatre Running Time: T/B/A Distributor: Red Circle Productions It is recieving glowing reviews and quite rightly so. Ryan Schifrin, son of legendary composer Lalo Schifrin (The Amityville Horror) sits in the directional chair for the second time with Abominable. We've got a live one here folks... Credits Written & Directed by Ryan Schifrin. Music by Lalo Schifrin. Starring Matt McCoy, Haley Joel, Lance Henriksen, Dee Wallace Stone, Jeffrey Combs, Paul Gleason. "What kind of thing could rip a thousand pound horse to pieces?" Bigfoot maybe? Abominable is full of these little back-porch country contemplations. It's also the opening set piece of the film, featuring genre great Dee Wallace Stone in a cameo adds to it's charm and allure as a scary little fun-loving cult classic thriller. "Abominable" centers on Preston (Matt McCoy) Rogers recovering from a mountain climbing accident, trapped in a remote cabin in the woods. He sees the legendary beast, and must convince someone to believe him, before the monster goes on a bloody rampage. Writer/director Ryan Schifrin sets an eerie mood by allowing the camera to examine the smoky landscape with a series of beautiful camera shots that vary from close-ups, to wide aerial angles showing us the ironic beauty of an area so deeply disturbed by a mysterious presence. To this point, our senses have been so hyper-stimulated by Schifrin's mesmerizing atmosphere, that by the time we finally see the hairy figure, an actor in a costume (thank you, no CG) could frighten us just as easily as a Spielberg-created special effect. In fact, that's exactly what we see. But although the creature is indeed a man in a costume, credit has to be given to Schifrin for over-exposing the monster's screen time. We only get glimpses of him through the brush and tree limbs at first, but about midway through when the action really kicks in, we get to see plenty, and that's a good thing. Another aspect of the film that needs to be mentioned is the appropriate soundtrack. Created masterfully by father and legendary composer Lalo Schifrin. The performances in the film are also surprisingly good for a fairly low budget film. As Stephen King once said, "without believability, there is no fear". Schifrin must have studied that closely and hand picked his actors. Lance Henriksen, Jeffrey Combs, and Dee Wallace Stone all give great cameos, making the most of their time on screen. Matt McCoy on the other hand does an excellent job and really carries the film. F/X legend Christien Tinsley plays Otis, Preston's evil caretaker, and really makes you want to smack him throughout the film. So, when he gets his (which has to be one of the coolest deaths EVER), you will be rooting for the monster. Also, Paul (The Breakfast Club) Gleason makes a cameo as the lazy sheriff, and adds some humor to the film as well. (Dig the coffee mug!!!) Tiffany Shepis gets naked and dies, and Haley Joel does a good job being scared. Although there have been a rash of "Bigfoot" films, none approached the effectiveness and allure of the Abominable. I'd even go as far as saying this film will become an instant cult classic with hardcore genre fans. Freestyle Releasing will open the horror film Abominable in limited release, starting April 14th in Seattle and April 21st in Los Angeles. It has a wide release on the SciFi channel, premiering May 20th, 2006! It is definitely required Pit viewing! OFFICIAL SITE DISCUSS ON OFFICIAL FORUM Review by John Gray, for Pitofhorror.com