While it uniquely blends qualities of Rear Window and a creature feature, Abominable doesn't succeed in doing much right. It takes forever before things begin moving into the horror territory the audience expects, and even then, the goofy grin on the monster suit fails to be terrifying. Anything leading up to that is sheer boredom.

Credit is due for building characters early, something usually glossed over and forgotten by so many low budget sci-fi flicks. At the very least, we know something about these people, though not enough to care when their faces are ripped off by the jaws of the human-like "what's-it" emerging from the forest. The cast is so small (along with the setting), it's hard to get involved.

The performances are also admirable from everyone involved, and the script offers up the right amount of sprinkled humor to keep the tone away from totally serious. Unfortunately, there's no momentum here. Plot devices involve things we've see a hundred times over (cell phone not working, power outage, no police involvement), and there's little to no tension.

The creature itself, whatever type of half-human type monster the writers wanted it to be, is at least handled through the man-in-a-suit style instead of CG. It's always a refreshing change, even if the suit isn't exactly effective (like here). Given the lack of explanation for the monster, it comes off as something that likes the taste of humans for no other reason than to pick off the cast.

For such a powerful beast, it "dies" awfully fast, too. Granted, it does take a team effort, but after the rampage it pulls off, it should be practically invincible. Of course, the film sets up for a sequel, too.

Compared to the typical Sci-Fi Channel Saturday night fare, Abominable does all right for itself. As a horror film, it fails miserably. It's hard to scare anyone when the critter has a giant toothy grin for the whole movie. It's even harder to pull off if they're no longer watching, which will likely be the case for anyone who tries to sit through this.