In the winter of 1947, oil tycoon Merriell Sunday Sr. (Corbin Bernsen) took a small team on an expedition to the Alaskan Territory. However it’s been two weeks since they missed their boat home. Merriell Sunday Jr. (Eric Nelsen), organizes a rescue party to find his father. Heading up the search party is watchdog Leander Coates (Linc Hand), a former soldier who dons a Phantom of the Opera-style porcelain mask over half his face to hide his battle scars from fighting in both the Great War and WWII. Dr. Margaret Lamb (Christina Bennett Lind), works with animals, and is the twin sister of one of those who is missing (Heather Lind). Booker Marchmont (Jim Cummings) is the team’s radio communications man, and is also a former soldier who flew on the Enola Gay in ‘45 to drop the bomb on the Japanese. Daniel ‘Dynamite’ Hewitt (Gene Gallerano) is a certified demotion expert, and Belle Parker (Elizabeth Cappuccino) is Junior’s assistant, who also enlists the help of professor Ellie Bannister (Brittany Allen), whose father, famed author and explorer Hollis Bannister (William Sadler), is among the missing. Hollis hasn’t really been a part of his daughter’s life since she was 15. After Ellie injured her leg as a child, she gave up hope of being an adventurer like her father, and instead lived out her travel fantasies through maps, becoming the best navigator west of the South. If this search party is going to have any chance of finding the missing explorers, they’re going to need Ellie’s help.
As the group is dropped off in the cold Alaskan wilderness, they soon discover why the previous team had stopped responding. There appears to be some ancient prehistoric threat lurking in the frozen forest stalking and hunting them. As dissention starts to form among the members of party, as to how to proceed with the the expedition, the creature begins to brutally kill them off one-by-one. Can they manage to find any survivors before they become victims themselves? Unlocking the truth about the previous expedition may help shed some light on the disappearances and what they are dealing with.
The Yeti has a unique and stylized look that gives it a throwback feel, like it is a product of the era in which it is set. This is an odd mix of characters, each with their own unique costume and look, giving a sense that we are following a mismatched band of misfits that has been assembled for this mission. The film opens with the original expedition, before jumping ahead to the rescue mission. There are also cutaways to wartime-like newsreel and press conference footage to help flesh out the characters and their backgrounds.
At times, the film feels a little low budget, with stark settings, often in misty white-out conditions. But this actually feels appropriate and adds to this throwback aesthetic.
Similar to classic creature films, the audience isn’t initially given a full glimpse of the Yeti. It is often showed in the shadows, or we just see the bloody aftermath of its kills. This helps to build the mystery and suspense of what it ultimately to come. Once we do see the creature and its gory attacks, the effects look realistic and are really well-done.
While I think the film does an excellent job of setting up this creepy tone and homage to classic creature films, some of the writing can be a bit lackluster at times. Things ultimately build to a larger reveal that feels a bit ridiculous. We also don’t get to know too much about these characters before they start dropping like flies. Instead, many of them end up as littl more than more generic architypes. The only really emotional storyline that gets explored is this idea of Ellie trying to find her estranged father to see if that relationship is worth trying to mend. But even that is played out a bit too cliché.
Well Go has released The Yeti on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital. We were sent the Blu-ray release for review. The release features a solid, clean picture that looks great throughout. The film has a unique visual aesthetic, with outrageous costumes and colors that really pop. The darkness and grey of the Alaskan wilderness, which is often only lit by lantern, fire or flashlight, adds a nice spooky tone to the film, especially as this is when the creature usually strikes. The audio track provides clear dialogue, and utilizes the other channels to provide immersive audio that captures the ambiance of the wilderness, as well as the sounds of the creature as it calls out and makes its gory attacks.
The Blu-ray release contains a single Blu-ray disc, which is packed in a standard HD keepcase. Our copy included a beautiful carboard slipcover with an embossed title. The release does not include a digital copy, and the only bonus material on the disc are the film’s trailer and trailers for three other Well Go releases.
What’s Included:
Film: (1:33:06)
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Blu-ray:
- 1080p / Widescreen 2.39:1
- Audio: English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, English Stereo
- Subtitles: English SDH
Extras:
- Trailer (2:09)
- Previews
Select from trailers for:- Youngblood (2:07)
- Frontier Crucible (1:46)
- Altered (2:06)
Final Thoughts:
The Yeti has both great and not so great elements. I really appreciated the tone and look of the film. It has a classic creature feature throwback feel and does a nice job of building tension and providing some gory moments. It also has an eclectic group of characters dressed in some fun costumes, and makes it clear early on that any of these characters could be killed off at any moment. That said, the final act reveals didn’t quite work for me. Well Go’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds great, but contains no bonus material. All told, the film is worth a look for fans of the cast/genre.
The Yeti Blu-ray
(as of June 1, 2026 21:19 GMT -04:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
The Yeti DVD
(as of June 1, 2026 21:19 GMT -04:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
The Yeti
(as of June 1, 2026 21:19 GMT -04:00 – More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
