Man Beast

Connie Hayward and her boyfriend, Trevor "Hud" Hudson, arrive at a remote outpost high in the Himalayan Mountains in search of Connie's brother James, a scientist researching the existence of the Yeti, half-man, half-beast creatures rumored to make their home in the Himalayas. At the outpost, they meet guide Steve Cameron who informs them that Jim left ten days ago, accompanied by his guide Varga, to set up camp for his colleague, Dr. Eric Erickson. When Steve mentions that Erickson left yesterday to meet Jim, Connie insists on following him. Steve tries to dissuade her until Connie asserts that she needs to reach Jim to save his life. Steve then agrees to lead them to Erickson, and the three head out, using ropes to go up the dangerous, sheer rock cliffs. Exhausted, Hud suggests they turn back, thus incurring Connie's ire. The next day, Steve surveys the horizon through his binoculars and spots Erickson and his guides. Steve signals them with gunfire and, hearing the shots, Erickson stops and waits for them to catch up. When Hud expresses incredulity that a man as educated as Erickson would believe in the Yeti, the doctor explains that the creature may be man's missing link. As they approach Yeti country, Hud balks, sensing that the creatures are near. Connie becomes suspicious of the sinister guide Kheon, and when Steve asks the man if he has ever seen a Yeti, he cryptically replies "If see Yeti, die." When they finally reach Jim's camp, they find that it has been ripped apart, the tent lines snapped like flimsy string. There is no sign of Jim, however, and after their guides take off, Steve and Erickson leave to look for Jim. Suspecting that Jim has been killed, Erickson eulogizes his colleague's dedication and vows to find the creatures. Upon returning to camp, they find Varga there. When Varga states that Jim left the camp without him, Erickson wonders if he could have been the victim of the Yeti. Varga discredits the existence of the Yeti, but admits that the legend is good for business. At daylight, the group splits up to look for Jim. As Erickson leaves with Varga and Hud, Connie and Steve head out on their own. Their progress is observed by a hulking figure of a Yeti. When Steve suggests they turn back, Connie reveals that unless she finds Jim in time, he will die of altitude poisoning due to an injection he received before leaving on his trip. Although Hud, Steve and Connie decide to return to camp, Erickson and Varga continue searching the area. Along the way, Varga, who has guided previous scientific expeditions in search of the Yeti, points out the spots in which the creatures had been sighted by scientists, all of whom disappeared shortly afterward. Upon returning to camp, Varga and Erickson learn that Hud has gone to look for them. The four then head out to find Hud and see him hailing them in the distance. Hud leads them to some tracks in the snow, and as night falls, they light their way with torches. As they near the cave in which the Yeti dwell, Varga signals the creatures to hide. When a yeti suddenly appears, Steve aims his gun at it, and Varga, unseen by the others in the expedition, clubs Steve unconscious. The creature then attacks Hud, who stumbles backward over the cliff and falls to his death. Erickson, Varga and Connie then carry Steve back to camp, and when he regains consciousness, he tells Connie and Erickson that he thinks Varga is behind the disappearances of the scientists. Erickson, obsessed with finding the Yeti, discounts Steve's suspicions. When Varga offers to lead them back to the cave, Steve instructs Connie to leave the camp and meet him at a rest stop below. As Varga guides Erickson and Steve to the cave, he sets off an avalanche that envelops Steve. With Steve eliminated, Varga takes command and orders Erickson into the cave where Varga rips open his shirt, revealing that he is part Yeti. Varga explains that the Yeti have been kidnapping women for breeding purposes, and that Connie is to be their next victim. When Erickson reacts in horror, Varga shoots him. Soon after, Varga arrives at the rest stop where Connie is waiting for Steve and lies that Erickson has been hurt and wants to see her. Alarmed, Connie calls for Steve, who suddenly appears in the distance, having escaped the avalanche. The two men fight, and after Steve knocks out Varga, he and Connie head down the mountain. Upon regaining consciousness, Varga hammers a stake into the cliff and begins to go down after them, but as Varga lowers himself onto the rope, the stake fails, sending him plunging to his death.