Yeti: Giant of the 20th Century (1977)

Yeti: Giant of the 20th CenturyIs it a bird? Is it a plane? No, its Yeti: Giant of the 20th Century! And he’s ready to funk your shoes off!

 

Yeti the Funky Giant of the 20th Century is a mentally retarded Italian/Canadian produced ripoff of King Kong (1976) which starts off with  some quick stock-footage of ice melting in some very cold place. A big block of ice is found in the Newfoundland’s coast of Canada with two big feet popping out. Professor Waterman is being sent by a sleazy industry tycoon for an oil company to study the giant, and he brings with him his orphan grandchildren Jane, her younger mute brother Herbie, and of course their Collie. A big happy family who will sit together on the front row and witness the first glimpse of the creature, after they melt the block with several flamethrowers. The big furry creature is then transported by a helicopter to the Canadian mainlands, with Yeti dangling unconscious in something that looks like a big phone booth. Things seem to go pretty smooth and dandy so far, but just wait. Oh, just wait…

 

As soon they descend him to the ground, surrounded by an excited audience waiving their Canadian flags who cant wait to be the first to witness this freakshow, Yeti wakes up and it’s all an epic and spectacular cinematic madhouse from here on that you have to see with your own sober eyes to believe. Yeti looks like a hairy and funky incarnation of a giant pot smoking Jesus Christ with a fluffy Tina Turner wig and enough fur to hide his giant pipeline. He’s so funky you’d expect him to show us some dance moves any time, but instead he screams like an elephant and poses to the camera with various insane goofy facial expressions. It’s truly something else. The guy in the Yeti costume, Mimmo Crau, appeared in the TV mini series Jesus of Nazareth the same year, by the way. But not as Jesus, unfortunately, that coincidence would have been too funny.

 

After Yeti releases himself, he grabs the two grandchildren of professor Waterman and wanders away to the wilderness. The stockholm syndrome hits in turbo speed and a spiritual romantic bond in some bizarre Beauty and the Beast style evolves between Yeti and Jane, as she looks and gaze at him with the most manic borderline-seducing eyeballs. But nah, don’t even think about it: The actress was only sixteen years old at the time, so there’s no kinky furry sex for your fetish fantasies here. And not that I wanted to see that either. The closest we get to a tiny hint of a love scene that never happened is when Jane touches around Yeti’s breast which erects his nipple. Groovy.

 

The best parts is when Yeti is placed on the top of a high building in Toronto, because why not, and causes absolute mayhem like Stay Puft Marshmellow Man in full psychotic saturday night fever dream where the only thing missing is some funk music to put the cherry on top. And for that we have a music video where Yeti cheerfully smashes miniature walls, having fun with an elevator stuffed with panicked people like an overstimulated five-year old playing with lego and action figures, and uses the windows to smash his feet in to climb safely down.

 

He also kills one of the bad guys by strangling him with his toes. But that’s far from all, there’s so much more, and if you’re piss-tired of monster films (especially some of the modern ones) which mainly focuses on boring human characters and treat the monster(s) like an afterthought, well, this one is made for you.

 

Most scenes with Yeti consists of close-ups of his head, feet and hands. Two separte shots are used in the purest and primitive stone age of movie magic technology, when we see him in full form to give us the illusion that’s he’s bigger than he really is. And unless you’ve been too drunk while watching this you’ve clearly seen that he shrinks and grows throughout the film. In a scene he seems as big as The Statue of Liberty and in the next not so much. The Ed wood school of filmmaking, more or less, where minor details like this doesn’t matter.

 

Yeti: Giant of the 20th Century is released on a pretty juicy Blu-ray by the German based Wicked Vision. It’s filled with bonus features which includes a poster, cards, booklet and more. It also have the original Italian theatrical version of 104 minutes and the German dubbed version, both with English subtitles.

 

Yeti: Giant of the 20th Century Yeti: Giant of the 20th Century Yeti: Giant of the 20th Century

 

 

Director: Gianfranco Parolini
Writers: Mario di Nardo, Gianfranco Parolini, Marcello Coscia
Original title: Yeti – Il gigante del 20° secolo
Also known as: Yeti – der schneemensch kommt (Germany)
Country & year: Italy, Canada, 1977
Actors: Antonella Interlenghi, Mimmo Crao, Jim Sullivan, Tony Kendall, Edoardo Faieta, John Stacy, Stelio Candelli, Loris Bazzocchi, Indio, Donald O’Brien, Aldo Canti
IMDb: www.imdb.com/title/tt0076937/

 

Tom Ghoul

 

 

 

THE TRUNK – Horror Short Film

A father and daughter find a chained up old chest hidden in the woods. They bring it home with plans to sell its contents, but quickly discover that what’s inside was locked up for a reason.

 

The Trunk is a creepy supernatural horror short with a little bit of proper gore. By the same director that also made “The Silent Lay Steady“.

THE TRUNK - Horror Short Film

 

Director: Travis Laidlaw
Writer: Travis Laidlaw
Country & year: Canada, 2022
Actors: Ashleigh Morrison, Craig Monk, Anne Shepherd
IMDb: www.imdb.com/title/tt21151200/

 

 

 

 

 

BABY BOOM – Sci-Fi Horror Short

The middle-aged alcoholic Runar believe he has scored the perfect date. Things take a strange turn when he realizes he’s impregnated with her alien eggs.

 

Baby Boom is a fun and silly sci-fi horror short! He should definitely have worn some protection..

BABY BOOM - Sci-Fi Horror Short

 

Director: Thomas Lunde
Writer: Espen Aukan, Thomas Lunde, Martin Ødegaarden
Country & year: Norway, 2022
Actors: Oddrun Valestrand, Egil Birkeland, Jesper Malm, Espen Petrus Andersen Lervaag, Tina Schei, Anja Maria Svenkerud, Henrik Horge, Anne Cecilie Ukkelberg
IMDb: www.imdb.com/title/tt12451802/

 

 

 

 

SOUND FROM THE DEEP – Horror Short

An international research group is searching natural resources from the Arctic Ocean. They pick up a strange underwater sound from far north, and start to follow it to the uncharted waters. Inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft.

 

Sound from the Deep is a nice Lovecraftian horror short!

SOUND FROM THE DEEP - Horror Short

 

Director: Joonas Allonen, Antti Laakso
Writer: Joonas Allonen, Antti Laakso, H.P. Lovecraft
Country & year: Finland, 2017
Actors: Eero Ojala, Lasse Fagerström, Anastasia Trizna, Mikael Andersson, Fabian Silén, Kristofer Gummerus, Gabriela Rodriguez-Aflecht
IMDb: www.imdb.com/title/tt7213856/

 

 

 

 

THE END OF THE SQUIRREL – Horror Short

The End of the Squirrel is an irreverent indie apocalypse film about two siblings stranded in an antique shop waiting for the impending zombie horde to break in and end their lives. A surrealist sequence provides a visual reflection on their time in the barn, scored by an original song played on a weathered piano uncovered among the mountains of ancient treasures.

 

The End of the Squirrel is an emotional zombie horror short about two people awaiting their deaths as a horde of zombies are about to break into their little shelter.

THE END OF THE SQUIRREL - Horror Short

 

Director: Michael Christensen
Writer: Michael Christensen
Country & year: USA, 2022
Actors: Katherine Olson, Jeremy Appel
IMDb: www.imdb.com/title/tt19356128/

 

 

 

 

PIGGY – Horror Short

Overweight teen Sara lives in the shadow of a clique of cool girls holidaying in her village. Not even her childhood friend Claudia defends her when she’s bullied at the local pool in front of an unknown man. Finally, her clothes are stolen and she must get home wearing only her bikini. Her long walk home will mark the rest of her life.

 

Piggy aka Cerdita is a horror short where you actually root for a serial killer. The director Carlota Pereda also made a full-length movie based on this short, which was released in 2022.

PIGGY - Horror Short

 

Director: Carlota Pereda
Writer: Carlota Pereda
Country & year: Spain, 2018
Actors: Laura Galán, Elisabet Casanovas, Paco Hidalgo, Mireia Vilapuig, Sara Barroso, Jorge Elorza, Alejandro Chaparro, Pascual Laborda
IMDb: www.imdb.com/title/tt8286974/

 

 

 

 

THE DOOR – Zombie Horror Short

After a zombie attack, the sole surviving police officer of the rescue team recalls his painful memories during an interrogation. But the truth becomes more elusive as more conflicting evidence comes to light.

 

The Door is a fun Chinese horror short about a zombie outbreak and police officers struggling to make the right choices..

THE DOOR - Zombie Horror Short

 

Director: Hetong Zhang
Writer: Hetong Zhang
Country & year: China, 2021
Actors: Nilie An, Jiliang Li, Ping Sang, Shilin Sun, Nibuaki Takahashi
IMDb: www.imdb.com/title/tt23023600/

 

 

 

 

CATCH YOUR BREATH -Horror Short

A shy teenager (Andrew) is peer pressured by his older brother (Mike) into playing a game that is said to summon the ghost of the town legend, ‘The Lady Beneath’. To disprove his brother and impress a girl at school he reluctantly agrees. The rules of the game are simple, as long as Andrew holds his breath, he is safe from The Lady Beneath. But how long can Andrew hold his breath?

 

Catch Your Breath is a creepy little horror short by Matt Sears, who also made Charlie Boy.

CATCH YOUR BREATH -Horror Short

 

Director: Matt Sears
Writer: Matt Sears
Country & year: USA, 2022
Actors: Samson Oliver, Toby Oliver
IMDb: www.imdb.com/title/tt22854234/

 

 

 

 

WINNIE THE POOH – Horror Short

Winnie the Pooh has a rumbly in his tummy…

 

Winnie the Pooh is a light-hearted horror short about Christopher Robin and his mother, his hungry teddy bear, and a bottle of honey..

WINNIE THE POOH - Horror Short

 

Director: Alex Magaña
Writer: Jed Brian, Alex Magaña
Country & year: USA, 2023
Actors: Ranen Navat, Brent Perrott Ashley Elsa White
IMDb: www.imdb.com/title/tt27096379/

 

 

 

 

IN THE DARK – Horror Short Film

Annie buys a seemingly innocuous chair at the thrift store, but soon comes to regret it when she realizes something else came home with her.

 

In the Dark is a creepy horror short about a murder, a cursed chair, and the woman who buys it and unwittingly brings more than the chair into her home..

IN THE DARK - Horror Short Film

 

Director: Spencer Keller
Writer: Spencer Keller
Country & year: USA, 2023
Actors: Adara Toop, Jackie Maya, Bill Read Jr., Elizabeth Rhoades
IMDb: www.imdb.com/title/tt26853126/