Film #10 — 1/1 Extra Credit Film
By C. Ramsay
When a group of anthropology students travel to a remote location to do research with their professor, an aggressive Yeti begins hunting them down one by one. This is a baffling film that’s best described as having the feel of an unacquired, R-rated Scooby-Doo spec script. Even with distinguished exploitation filmmaker Roberta Findlay helming the cinematography, the working budget was extremely small and the project faced some other production issues—notably from director-editor Michael Findlay, of whom Roberta was estranged—resulting in low production value. Many scenes are expanded by using filler shots that run too long, that were already used, or that focus too often on capturing a facial expression that’s unnecessary in contributing to the mood of the scene, usually instead detracting from it. There are some creative workarounds used to portray some conceptually difficult scenes in spite of the budget, but these also aren’t executed very well and the film consequently leaves a tumultuous legacy without much else.
Full of mysticism and racial stereotypes, Shriek of the Mutilated is perhaps a tamer entry into the exploitation genre, but one fitting of the classification just the same. Although there are some really funny moments, it’s difficult to tell if they’re meant to be serious or not, and some of the scenes are inexplicably shot and edited in a style that resembles low-budget adventuring movies from the ’30s. There is essentially no consistent atmosphere cultivated for the movie aside from its own brand of inconsistency.
Every actor impressively gives their all to the film’s absurd script, bringing an unexpected earnestness to their work. Tawm Ellis is excellent as Dr. Karl Werner, a dedicated academic who, along with Dr. Prell, his friend and the students’ professor, is intent on learning more about the Yeti in the woods. Ellis performs the part in a way that’s like if David Hyde Pierce in Wet Hot American Summer was given a subplot about getting a leading role in a bottom-tier movie, that is to say passionate, eager, and slightly aloof, all of which are meant to be taken complimentarily. While the actors are for the most part decent, the way they’re directed in conjunction with the script quality results in a similar level of performance to a high school play. Where everyone seems to falter the most is in having the enthusiasm to go big in the scenes where it makes sense to, but lacking the skill to temper it when doing so would be more effective.
Almost none of the music used feels like it suits the film, except for the “Dies Irae” melody (most commonly associated with The Shining), which better builds out the atmosphere in a couple of the attack scenes. The Yeti sounds are also quite effective, but otherwise almost every piece of the score feels tacked onto a scene the events of which only have a vague sense of the same emotionality that the music conveys. In keeping with this disjointedness, part of the plot becomes evident long before it seems like it’s expected to be, which already makes the movie drag, but on top of that the climax is steeped in exposition, killing any momentum the film does manage to generate. The plot has some interesting ideas, but virtually no idea how to present them in a constructive way.
Star rating (/5): ★½
Recommend?: No