the Beast of Yucca Flats

[Chopper]

my friend and i attempted to watch this turkey last night but were only able to get about 30 minutes deep. Tor Johnson (from Ed Wood fame) plays an evil commie assasin running amok in middle America, killing random people, and carrying a briefcase of deadly secrets.

i'm not quite sure why but i have a hard time getting into black and white b-movies unless if they're MSTk'ed. it must be because i'm a child of the color tv generation.

[blkrider]

Trust me, THE BEAST OF YUCCA FLATS is rough going for anyone.

[Chopper]

lol, thanks. now i know it wasn't just "me."

[Scott]

You have to love that narration. Radiation man from Russia in the American Southwest. Tor Johnson was an original.

[peter johnson]

I don't know what it is about some folks & color --
Color film has been around since 1924, but different directors have, from time to time, preferred to work in black and white because of the mood & contrast it can create.  Certainly, color film was available to Ingmar Bergman in 1956 when he shot "The Seventh Seal", but it would be a completely different film in color.  Ditto "The Innocents" . . . or "Plan 9 From Outer Space".
Watch some of the old Twilight Zone TV shows & think about how much less-forceful they would be in color.
I guess, like silent film, it's something you have to invest some time in to get used to the conventions.
peter johnson/denny crane

[Ash]

Is it pronounced "Yuck-uh" or "You-ka"?

[Chopper]

yeah now that i think about it there are a lot of black and white films i love: the 7th Seal (like you mentioned), Manhattan, Stardust Memories, the General (which was shot in color but John Boorman meant it to be viewed in black and white).

[blkrider]

I can't imagine NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD in anything but black and white.

[Dreggen]

Sadly, I was just out at Hollywood Video and saw that they do indeed carry a colorized version of NOTLD(1968).  Even worse was the fact that the B&W version was no where to be found.  This travesty pales in comparison to the horror that is colorized Stooges!  Oh B&W I mourn for thee!!!!!!

[Mr_Vindictive]

I'm with Blkrider!

A lot of films would be seriously hurt by being in color.  Take the original House On Haunted Hill for example.  It's a great cheesy old horror film.  I am quite sure that it could have been made in color at the time.  The same goes for NOTLD.  Great films, but color would detract from them.  

I am considering buying the new color DVD of NOTLD not because of it's novelty but only because it has an entire commentary track by Mike from MST3K.

[blkrider]

Though colorized NIGHT does work on a comic level....I remember the colorized version being played on television during the 80s.  

The NIGHT remake which is in color still doesn't have the same power as the original.  I just don't think "nighttime horror", fear of the dark, or what have you, plays as well in color.

[odinn7]

Picture the original Nosferatu in color if it had been available...wouldn't have been nearly as creepy.
I saw the colorized NOTLD years ago. It was a completely different movie in that it didn't evoke nearly the same feelings as the B&W version. Some things should just be left alone.

[Dreggen]

This might sound weird but sometimes  I like to turn the color on my tv down all the way to make everything B&W.  It gives movies more zip, especially horror.

[peter johnson]

I think it's "yuck-ca" -- just like the spikey plant is so named.
peter johnson/denny crane

[Chopper]

"You have to love that narration. Radiation man from Russia in the American Southwest. Tor Johnson was an original."

hahaha so true. a commie spy visiting midwest America in the 50's during the iron curtain, makes sense to me!