The Beast of Yucca Flats

[Dr. Freex]

Ah, the astounding Coleman Francis.  I'd wish he'd made more movies, but since they all seem to run three hours or more, even though they hardly push the 80 minute mark, that's probably a *good* thing.

Incidentally, I'd be almost willing to bet that in the WTF beginning... that *ain't* Tor.  Oh, sure, they'd like us to believe it is, but I'm not buying it.

[Dr. Maniac]

   Could 56 minutes really be this long?  Yes!  Tor Johnson was 58 when he played this, his last feature film role.  As if the thought of Tor playing a rocket scientist isn't enough to get you honking your horn at the drive-in screen!
He has defected to America to explain how a flag was planted on the Moon, a plot divice that is forgotten some 10 minutes into the picture!
  You have to love the scenes where the KGB agents chase Tor into the desert.  These 2 guys run and run and run but cannot catch the 400 lb ex-wrestler.  They also shoot at him from all of 30 yards away and miss!  After Tor is changed into The Beast he is able to sneak up on several people who evidently cannot hear him walking up behind them.
This is one time wherte you really have to keep repeating "It's only a movie . . .only a movie . . .only a movie . . ."
  Will someone tell me why all the signs on the atomic testing grounds seem to face the wrong direction?  People seem to come and go on the restricted area as they please.
And what is up with those guys in the copter shooting at the first man they spot?
  The first time you see this movie you will want to watch it straight but after that, wait until 3 in the morning and knock back a pint of Scotch before you watch it again.  Trust me, you will enjoy it more.

[Joe Blowe]

STOP THE PAIN!!!!!

[Kamrat X]

This is probably one of the worst films ever made. Everything reeks of "I don´t care" The actors aren´t even mouthing their lines for gods sake... The cutting is erratic and inept. Not to mention the hilariously pretentious narration by the director himself. All things considered, it´s a pretty surrealistic 56 minutes. I love it! :-)

[firebird]

It seemed they were alwats giving TOR JOHNSON was always given B-Mivie parts case in point PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE and THE AMAZING COLOSSAL MAN as well as BRIDE OF THE MONSTER

[Henry Le Corno]

This is one of those movies that proves that any old hack with a movie camera can make a movie. Just go ahead and give jr. a camera and he might come back with something similar if not better.

[snooky]

Two of the most profound lines in film history:
Narrator-
A man presses a button, something happens;a scientist becomes a beast.
The beast-
ooaaarrrgghhhaaaaaa! oooooeeeooouuurrgghhhh!
Deep man....deep.

[chuck]

Was watching the movie again last nite--got it for a buck at Wal Mart.  May have figured out why the kids never responded to anyone's calls when lost.  Mom was calling 'Randy and Art' while Dad was calling 'Mike and Randy'.  That would have confused me.  Wonder what happened to all those bodies left lying around?

[the great lardini]

     Tor Johnson is my idol.  What an actah!!!!!

[Dameon]

OK...This has to be the worst movie ever made!

Trying to figure out why Tor, our beloved beast, can climb up to a plateau that noone else could. And the treacherous climb by Jim and Joe. They got kinda close on that trip! How come they had a hard time and Tor, the BIG man, could climb up there and carrying a women too?!

No what was wrong with Hank. Jimbo shoots at him. Is he hit or what? Bang...down goes Hank. Slides down the hill...lays for awhile. Maybe he was dreaming of his lovely wife and stupid kids. Then gets up holding his arm...no wait...his stomach...ooppsss possibly his leg. He limps for a few steps then is running. HMMMMMMMMMM

I give this movie 2 fingers up!

[JBails]

This movie is mind-blowingly bad. Some of the worst acting in film history, and also the lamest "beast" there is. This is an enjoyable movie, mainly because it is so bad and takes itself so incredibly seriously. The uber-dramatic narrator alone is enough for a few big laughs. It is humerously bad, but at some points just gets boring. So it is far from a good movie, but lacks consistent hilarity as well.

[The Man]

 
WHERE IS THE BEAST IN THIS MOVIE? I THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE A MONSTER OR SOMTHING LIKE THAT BUT ALL YOU GET IS A BIG BALD GUY WITH A TORN SHIRT TRYING TO BE A MONSTER. LOAD OF RUBBISH

[the master]

I've gotten this nagging notion that this film could be the most complex film of all time. There are so many subtle yet overflowing layers to this film inter-weaved articulately yet not interfering with one another, only bolstering around the present story of a man changed and monster-like. There is a tip of the iceberg on social commentary to this film, the man in the helicopter shooting the other man tells us the danger of technology, how it dehumanizes situations without feeling, only augmented in the fact that the shooter was in the armed forces, just a slave to orders, the machine-like orders of life. And very deep philosophical elements to humanity such as the continuous mention of the word "progress" especially on the boys who enjoy life and aren't caught up in the world of working. As well current events to the film of the Cold War situtation at its hottest point in '61 with the cuban missile crisis which Coleman would later flesh out even further in Red Zone Cuba and the spiralling dangers of the heating conflict matched to the dangerous escaping spree of the convicts (but that's another analysis for the other film), "flag on the moon" and the peering question of how it appeared, only through progress and conflict between other people could it happen. The very last scene with the man succumbing and a rabbit appearing has multiple dimensions to it. The only non-human thing doesn't fear the "monster" which was created by humans themselves and feared by them, only acceptable by nature and how technology continues to do more harm than good on humanity overriding the one factor that makes humans, humans, they are able to feel not only learn like cold-calculating machines. There's countless Freudian elements like the mother's hopeless search for her sons and Platoic and Lockian ones too on the message of the capitalistic governmment of ours run by as shown sheriffs brought up as the holders of it though their war and transformed home version of the sheriff upholding their view with force oblivious to the darker aspects of their sociology.

[Fred LeTed]

Is this the film where you hear the director call out "Look out for the snakes!"?

[Rev. Powell]

Is this the film where you hear the director call out "Look out for the snakes!"?

No, that would be EEGAH (1962).