The Beast of Yucca Flats (1961)

11% of users liked it
(1,738 ratings)

This groaner from profoundly untalented "auteur" Coleman Francis involves the scenario (one couldn't exactly call it a 'story') of a tubby Soviet scientist (Tor Johnson -- who else?) who is pursued by nefarious agents into a nuclear testing area, whereupon an A-bomb blast infuses him with enough… More This groaner from profoundly untalented "auteur" Coleman Francis involves the scenario (one couldn't exactly call it a 'story') of a tubby Soviet scientist (Tor Johnson -- who else?) who is pursued by nefarious agents into a nuclear testing area, whereupon an A-bomb blast infuses him with enough radiation to power a small Midwestern town. Supposedly transformed into a rampaging monster, Tor looks exactly the same, albeit with tattered clothing and a constipated expression. In the fine tradition of The Creeping Terror and Coleman Francis's own Red Zone Cuba (starring the director himself, who resembles Tor's scrappy older brother), this is shot with virtually no dialogue and overlaid with hilariously pretentious and obtuse narration... the phrase "a flag on the moon" pops up so often it could be used in a drinking game. The most enjoyable aspect of this movie is its remarkably short running time. ~ Cavett Binion, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 53 min.
Directed By: Coleman Francis
Written By: Coleman Francis
Genres: Horror, Classics, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Cult Movies

In Theaters: May 2, 1961 Limited
On DVD: Sep 5, 2000

Critic Reviews

Scott Weinberg, eFilmCritic.com
Beware of any Z-grade schlock that contains the phrase "yuck" in the title.

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Featured Audience Ratings

AJ V

Glad I saw the MST3K version of this movie, it's so awful I wouldn't have been able to sit through the whole thing without their funny commentary. The story is boring, stupid, pointless, and goes nowhere in the end. The acting is a joke, Tor Johnson is the only real star,… More
Glad I saw the MST3K version of this movie, it's so awful I wouldn't have been able to sit through the whole thing without their funny commentary. The story is boring, stupid, pointless, and goes nowhere in the end. The acting is a joke, Tor Johnson is the only real star, and he doesn't even have any lines! The editing and cinematography are horrendous. Don't watch this movie.
Greg S

A nuclear explosion turns noted Russian scientist Tor Johnson into a strangling beast. Yes, it's one of the worst movies ever made, but it's still worth seeing for the extremely patient for the strange, dreamlike scenes full of delightfully nonsensical but dramatically… More
A nuclear explosion turns noted Russian scientist Tor Johnson into a strangling beast. Yes, it's one of the worst movies ever made, but it's still worth seeing for the extremely patient for the strange, dreamlike scenes full of delightfully nonsensical but dramatically delivered narration ("flag on the moon -- how did it get there?")
Christopher B

Progress. The wheels of justice. Joe and Jim. Dr. Joseph Javorsky. The greatest narrator of all time. The wife on the road. Some of the best accidently gay photography of all time. And did I mention... Progress? B-movie brilliance.

Cast

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The Beast of Yucca Flats (1961)

Critic Reviews

Featured Audience Ratings

AJ V

Greg S

Christopher B

Cast

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