Abominable
"Are you sure you want to find it? Some things are better left unfound." - Buddy
release year: 2006
genre: monster horror
viewing setting: home Bluray 5/15/20 and home DVD, 11/17/06
synopsis: Various people in a remote area are menaced by a gigantic Bigfoot-type monster.
impressions: This was one of the better entries in this genre. It was fairly well-done, had a good violent monster, plenty of different characters, some humor and nods to the genre, and a twist ending. The monster is kept out of direct view for about half of the movie, then we get to see its teeth as it runs amok. Though its origins and motivations are never really explained, they don't need to be - the thing is on the rampage, and that's enough. Also different was the wheelchair-bound protagonist, who has to use his brain to find a way to survive (although I did get tired of the endless close-ups of his face when tormented by either his memories of his wife's death or the events taking place in the present.) Of note: laptop/internet that works even when the phone line is down, primitive web/email appearance of said internet, apparent discrepancies in the size of the monster, the "volume problem" on the movie/disc (main character speaks so low that you have to turn the volume way up, then sudden super loud noises/music cause blasting sound, all of which could have been fixed if subtitles existed on the disc.)
things to watch for: Various gory death scenes including: throat ripping, head-biting, torso-stomping, and a woman pulled through a tiny window (hint: she snaps in half.)
something this movie has that no other movie has: A Sasquatch stalking/watching a nubile young woman take a shower.
acting: Matt McCoy is the crippled hero and does a great job; the viewer can actually sense his frustration with the various events. Haley Joel is the one co-ed (out of five) most likely to survive. Karin Anna Cheung is the cutest of the co-eds (in fact, she's drop-dead gorgeous) although her character does little except piss off other characters and eventually reveal one's location to the monster. Lance Henriksen is a hunter who thinks he can take down the monster. Jeffrey Combs (a veteran of many horror movies) is another, weirder hunter. Paul Gleason, who you may remember as the principal in the Breakfast Club, is the skeptical police chief. Dee Wallace makes a brief appearance as the wife of a rancher whose herd has been slaughtered by the monster.
final word: Well-done monster ovie.
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