The Abominable Snowman

Botanical scientists John Rollason (Peter Cushing) and Peter Fox (Richard Wattis) are the hosts of the kindly, but mysterious Lhama (Arnold Marle). Besides appearing to have extra-sensory perception, the Lhama chides them about their Western ways and even meddles in John's relationship with his wife Helen (Maureen Connell), when she objects to an unplanned detour in John's research. Blustering American explorer / promoter Tom Friend shows up to make a daring winter climb to a mountaintop valley, where it might be possible to observe a real Yeti, the purported Abominable Snowman. Over Helen's objections and the subtle warnings of the Lhama, John joins the Friend expedition. Once out in the deep snow, he discovers that much of what Friend has advanced is false: the expedition has brought traps and nets to capture a Yeti, and if that doesn't work, guns to kill one. Friend has already huckstered a phony wolf-child in India, and this time is sure he's on to something real. He's just decided to pass off a snow monkey as an exhibit debunking the Yeti myth, when real snowmen abruptly appear. A trap set by the reckless Ed Shelley (Robert Brown) breaks the ankle of team member McNee (Michael Brill), who goes quietly insane watching a gigantic Yeti hand reach into his tent. Shelley succeeds in shooting one of the ten-foot beasts, but thanks to Tom Friend's willingness to expose his comrades to danger, the situation quickly deteriorates. John becomes conviced that the Yeti are actually ultra-intelligent, and too late realizes that they are using telepathic powers to manipulate the minds of the surviving expedition members.