The Beast of Yucca Flats

Poster tagline: THE BOMB CHANGED HIM AND HE WANTED TO KILL!!! Ever since I read about the making of this legendary film and then watched it, I feel that Coleman Francis really wanted with all his heart to make a proper adventure flick where a man mutated into a beast by an atomic bomb runs around the countryside killing, with government agents searching for a mysterious briefcase, trained killers with sniper rifles firing at a poor victim from a plane, and two little boys lost in the countryside and in mortal danger!!! Huh. The ambition is commendable, but the result, thanks to Francis's total lack of filmmaking talent and skill, is exemplarily inept, a massive 50-minute piece of chaos. Scenes don't follow each other, the camera work is terrible, often taking in the sunlight with actors out of the picture, so it's not clear what they are doing. Tor Johnson runs confusedly around the landscape for the whole film, and everyone is confused, so many times it is obvious that they don't even know what they're supposed to be playing, and Francis uses his own voiceover to explain what's happening on screen (!). Yet the premise is beautifully B-movie, if a more capable filmmaker had taken it on, it could have been a classy flick (I can imagine a version by Robert Rodriguez, it would have been awesome!). I’m not giving it a Boo! rating out of pity, out of my innate sympathy for the outsiders who wanted so much and so badly, but it just wasn't meant to be – like Coleman Francis. (09/17/2013)

Almost EdWoodian level of artlessness. Almost. At least it's pleasantly short. (12/30/2022)

Basically, I could give this film either 0% or 100% depending on my blood alcohol level when I happen to watch it. On the one hand, this is an incredibly bad monstrosity, but on the other hand, outrageous fun during which you can often laugh out loud. In short, this is another pearl in the treasury of the worst films in world cinema, whose extreme failure and creative inability on all levels makes it extremely funny. Definitely intended for a specific audience. An absolute blast. It’s similar to Plan 9, Turkish Star Wars or Robot Monster, but only at your own risk. (09/09/2016)

A Hollywood sci-fi gem in the mold of Plan 9 from Outer Space and Robot Monster. This film is similar to the latter in its subject matter and locations, but it’s music is unfortunately not as dramatic as Elmer Bernstein’s score and its twists and shocking point are not as refined. On the other hand, there’s a reference to Alfred Hitchcock (running in the desert vs. an airplane) and, mainly, the unforgettable lines of the director himself serving as the narrator, who instructively introduces us to the individual characters and comments on their actions in an almost documentarian style. For my part, I give this gem the Shit Award for the worst acting, directing and editing in the history of cinema, and I don’t believe anything will ever surpass those aspects in their shittiness. P.S.: Of course it’s tremendously funny! (07/23/2004)