Hammer studios made a variety of films for many years before they struck gold with horror movies. One of their first steps in that direction was ‘The Quatermass Xperiment’, directed by Val Guest and written by Nigel Kneale who adapted his own highly successful TV production. A couple of years later Guest and Kneale did the same again with ‘Quatermass 2’. Both were science fiction with some horror, and both were very, very good. Guest and Kneale had an uneasy relationship (“relationship” is probably not even the right word, Guest said he only ever met Kneale a few times), but they collaborated once again on ‘The Abominable Snowman’. Despite the title it isn’t a monster movie, it’s more of an adventure tale with some mysticism and philosophical touches. It was successful commercially, but coming out just before the one-two punch of ‘Curse Of Frankenstein’ and ‘Dracula’ (the two movies that really put Hammer on the map) has meant it has all but been forgotten today. When people list the best of Hammer you rarely if ever see ‘The Abominable Snowman’ mentioned, which is a shame. It’s consistently interesting, well acted, stylish and suspenseful. Sadly I haven’t seen Kneale’s original TV version (‘The Creature’) so I can’t compare the two, but I really enjoyed this movie, especially the performance from Peter Cushing, soon to become a Hammer legend. Forrest Tucker is best known to people of my generation for his comic role in the popular 1960s sitcom ‘F Troop’. Pairing him with Cushing might seem an odd choice at first but it really works. Their contrasting styles play off each other, and Tucker is perfect for the role of the ambitious Tom Friend. There’s also a good supporting performance from Robert Brown, who later appeared as a caveman in Hammer’s ‘One Million Years BC’. Later still in the 1980s he played M in several Bond movies. The more Hammer movies I watch the more I am impressed by this legendary studio. “Hammer House Of Horror” yes, but also so much more. ‘The Abominable Snowman’ is a great example of their originality and versatility.
