Thanks for the memories!

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

A scientist transforms into a beast after a nuclear explosion goes off in Yucca Flats. He then terrorises those who step in his way. Tor Johnson is a famous face in the b-movie world, starring in the supposedly worst movie of all time 'Plan 9 From Outer Space'. This was his final starring role as Joseph Javorsky/The Beast, a Russian scientist who knows secrets about the moon landing and is affected by the world's 'progress'.Coleman Francis creates an unintentionally hilarious b-movie which to just say it is incompetent is an understatement. From the non-threatening presence of 'The Beast' to the narration ranging from stating the obvious to just being flat out bizarre, this has all you need for a b-movie of this kind.There's a lot of scenes where you notice it's low budget production such as the guns not having any firing effect and in the nuclear explosion scene there's a shot of a suitcase on fire with Tor's non-flaming hand in shot. But it's not just that- there's this murder scene at the beginning which has no connection to the film whatsoever. Apparently, it's in there because Francis wanted a nude scene- go figure.

If you like to laugh at "bad" movies and have not seen a film produced and directed by Coleman Francis, you should see "The Beast of Yucca Flats." Coleman Francis is arguably the worst filmmaker of all time, much worse than Ed Wood, and "The Beast of Yucca Flats" is definitely the worst movie he ever made. (His best was "The Skydivers.") Like many bad movies, "Beast" can be watched repeatedly and the more you watch it, the funnier it gets.The plot is not simply incomprehensible; it consists of series of only loosely connected events that are extremely bizarre, each in different ways, and are clearly the products of a demented mind.To fully appreciate this masterpiece, you need to have a dark sense of humor.

Sometimes, I can't help but wonder what goes into a film such as this. Did anybody involved think that this would be fun or entertaining? Did anybody THINK at all? Or did they charge ahead dutifully? Did the filmmakers have a shooting schedule? Or did they just wing it from Day One? Here was the first attempt by Coleman Francis, potentially THE worst director ever. And THE BEAST OF YUCCA FLATS has found a place in cult classic history. Clocking in at just over an hour, TBOYF features Tor Johnson (from the monumentally enjoyable bad epic PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE) as an escaping Russian scientist. In New Mexico, two guys in suits (Feds, I guess) get into a car chase and shoot out with two guys in hats (KGB spies, I guess). They're attempting to kill the scientist and steal his briefcase filled with sensitive information. But wouldn't ya know it, the area just happens to be a place where the Army's testing a new atom bomb. Wandering out into the desert, the Russian scientist gets horribly scarred, his clothes in tatters, and goes around waving a walking stick. Some other characters come along, doing nonsensical stuff. Tor chases them away, bellowing. And eventually, he dies. Maybe. While a cute little rabbit nibbles at his fingers. Scary, huh? Rumor has it that they had no audio equipment on-set and so they resorted to having stuff recorded in post-production. Hence the odd, slightly disturbing, voice-over musings by Coleman Francis himself. In a weird sort of way, it almost works as an art film. It's certainly got no plot, or coherent story structure. But, even at an hour, it's difficult to watch and sit through. Bravo MST3K, you've got yourselves a winner. To you, I give 8 Mewling Tors out of 10!

This low-budget movie was released in 1961 and featured no actors you've ever heard of. Well maybe one - Tor Johnson, who was a regular in Ed Wood's cheapie sci-fi flicks. He was the "guest star," which also tells you how bad this was. Most of the dialog is in the form of narration and it is so corny it makes you wince. The "score" is ultra dramatic throughout the film and gets to be laughable after awhile.Some IMDb reviewers called it the longest hour of film ever. Many said it was "the worst film ever made." Ha ha. I don't know about that, but it was terrible - some of the worst production values ever. The actors must have been so bad that they - get this - they never showed them speaking. Their backs were always turned. This dawned on me about 45 minutes in, so I doubt the voices were even those of the actors. Since it was filmed outdoors, they probably didn't have the money to have it miked outdoors.The "beast" is just a huge fat guy (Johnson) with some goo pasted to his face. He throws some rocks and waves a stick and tries to chase some kids but can't movie very well. That's about it. Oh.....I forgot: he strangles people, too. The strangulations are the funniest (and worst acting) parts of the film. You actually will scoff and laugh!However, despite a gazillion holes in this story start-to-finish, I found it so bad it was somewhat entertaining.... so it has some (very little) value!