Which is surprising, given the nature of schlock purveyor Jerry Warrens' subsequent output. This entry in the yeti genre of the 1950s may be silly at times and not 100% convincing, but it's also pretty atmospheric, even spooky. Granted, the appearances of the monster were laugh inducing for this viewer, but the effects certainly could have been worse. The acting isn't as abominable as one might expect, and the protagonists aren't unlikable people. In addition, there's a delicious revelation from our primary antagonist.Working from a screenplay by B. Arthur Cassidy, Warren tells the tale of young and headstrong Connie Hayward (Asa Maynor), who launches an expedition into the Himalayas in search of her missing brother Jim, in the company of worrywart friend Trevor Hudson (Lloyd Nelson). They meet up with others in the area including Steve Cameron (Tom Maruzzi) and Dr. Erickson (George Wells Lewis), and come to learn that local stories about beast-men aren't as crazy as they might think. What's more, their guide, Varga (George Skaff), seems to have a hidden agenda.This viewer admits that he had a pretty good time with this one, although it helps if one is partial to monster movies and horror features set in mountainous or snowy environments. Another good thing is that Warren ensured that the running time remained very brief; there are versions running both 63 minutes and 67 minutes. Only the resolution really fell short of being satisfying.Incidentally, Maruzzi is actually billed twice, once under his own name and once under the phony matinée idol pseudonym Rock Madison given to him by Warren. The pretty Maynor can also be seen in "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes", and co-stars Skaff and Nelson had pretty extensive careers afterwards; Skaff did other genre films such as "Frogs", "Exorcist II: The Heretic", and John Carpenters' 'Someone's Watching Me!', and Nelson became a frequent script supervisor and bit player in Clint Eastwood vehicles.A decent watch overall.Seven out of 10.

Jerry Warren's take on the abominable snowman is most likely his finest work as well as an exciting adventure starring George Skaff and cute Virginia 'Asa' Maynor.Virginia travels up to the Himalayas to search for her missing brother. Along the way, she and her party encounter the big yeti and get an unexpected surprise. Jerry Warren did a good job of directing; this film was probably the second yeti movie ever made after W. Lee Wilder's 'The Snow Creature' (1954).Recommended as a companion piece to Wilder's film or next to one of Warren's other movies, such as 'The Incredible Petrified World' (1958).

Man Beast (1956) ** (out of 4) One of many "Yeti" movies to be made during the 1950s, this one here from Jerry Warren who is best known for being one of the worst director's in the history of movies. Just check out Teenage Zombies or Frankenstein Island for more proof. This film here falls into the "so bad it's good" range because while it contains some dumbness it remains entertaining. A group of scientists head into the mountains where there have been countless reports of people running into the Yeti. Once on the mountain the Yeti certainly attacks but the scientists have a plan of their own. If you're a fan of bad movies and can laugh at them then this one here should keep you entertained because some of the performances are among the worst I've ever seen. They're bad enough to where you should be laughing even when the scene is trying to be dramatic. The attack sequenced are even better as apparently Yeti's like to beat people over the head with sticks. Seeing this might leave tears in your eyes so be sure to have something nearby to wipe your eyes.

Made in the wake of the crummy "Snow Creature" and the insipid "Half Human," this fright flick rates as a substantial step up in quality in the 50's yeti movie cycle. What makes the sound quality of this one so remarkable is the fact that Jerry Warren, the notorious Grade Z schlockmeister responsible for such dreck as "Teenage Zombies," "The Incredible Petrified World," and "Frankenstein's Island," both produced and directed it, showing a most atypical adroitness and sense of consistent focus that's not evident in his other pictures.The story once again centers on an ill-advised expedition that encounters a tribe of vicious yetis while poking around the treacherous Himilayan mountains. But this time the admittedly trite premise is compensated for by a tight execution. B. Arthur Kennedy's efficiently compact and straightforward script adds a few tasty twisted twists to the proceedings; having one of the expedition members turn out to be the mutant spawn of the Abominable Snowman and having the yetis abduct young ladies for vile breeding purposes are terrifically perverse touches. Moreover, the reasonable complicated characters are realistically drawn and believable. The performances are solid and spirited, with especially commendable turns by Rock Madison as the duplicitous half-man, half-yeti hybrid dude and Virginia Maynor as the endearingly spunky heroine. Victor Fisher's able, moody, starkly lit nighttime photography imbues the rocky landscape with a splendidly creepy gloom-doom atmosphere. The yeti monsters are fantastic: they're mean, skull-faced, broad-shouldered beastmen who possess a genuinely fearsome and intimidating presence. The attack scenes are presented with real snap and vigor. Much like its high altitude setting, "Man Beast" transcends the cruddy yeti movie norm and stands tall as a superior 50's creature feature.