The Beast of Yucca Flats
Encyclopedia
The Beast of Yucca Flats is a B
horror film
released in 1961. The film stars Swedish former wrestler Tor Johnson
and was both written and directed by Coleman Francis
. Some critics have characterized it as one of the worst science fiction films made, and one of the all-time worst, even suggesting that it may be worse than Ed Wood's Plan 9 from Outer Space
.
), a noted Soviet
scientist
, arrives in Yucca Flat
in the United States
after defecting
. Javorsky is carrying a briefcase with various military secrets; the film's narrator alludes to information about a Soviet moon landing
.
As Javorsky disembarks from his plane, he and his American contacts are attacked by a pair of KGB
assassins (Anthony Cardoza
and John Morrison). While the Americans stay to fight off the KGB agents, Javorsky flees into the desert, walking for a great distance, and removing much of his clothing. Wandering in range of an American nuclear test, radiation
transforms Javorsky into a mindless beast. He proceeds to kill a couple in their car on a nearby road, prompting pursuit from two police officers named Jim Archer (Bing Stafford) and Joe Dobson (Larry Aten).
Meanwhile, a vacationing family ventures along the same road. After stopping at a service station, the family's two young sons (Ronald and Alan Francis) wander off into the surrounding desert where they eventually encounter and escape from Javorsky. Their father (Douglas Mellor) searches for them, but is mistaken for the killer by one of the police officers, who is searching for the murderer from the air in a small plane. The officer opens fire with a high-powered rifle on the innocent man, who manages to escape.
Eventually the family is reunited and the police shoot and kill Javorsky. A wild rabbit appears and nuzzles his lifeless body.
The film opens with the strangling murder of a woman (Mary Victoria Torres) who has just stepped out of the shower; it is implied that the killer molests her corpse
. The identity of the murderer is never revealed and the murder is never discussed after that scene. The murderer is dressed like Javorsky after the blast, but the murder is never mentioned during the actual film, nor is there any apparent place in the narrative where it could be said to occur. According to an interview by film historian Tom Weaver with the film's producer Anthony Cardoza, the scene was added after the film was complete because director Coleman Francis liked nude scenes. Some prints (such as the one used for the Mystery Science Theatre 3000 episode and the print on YouTube) are edited to show the woman clothed for the duration of the scene (running 00:01:21), with the only nudity being a brief flash of breast as she towels herself in front of a mirror. The 2003 AlphaVideo DVD print has a slightly longer version of the scene (running 00:01:33), where the woman is shown naked as she puts on a pair of underwear, with both breasts visible several times before shown walking out of the room.
During scenes of gunplay, many characters appear at first to have suffered life-threatening bullet
wounds, only to appear in later scenes fully recovered with no visible signs of having been wounded.
B-movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
released in 1961. The film stars Swedish former wrestler Tor Johnson
Tor Johnson
Tor Johansson , better known by the stage name Tor Johnson, was a Swedish professional wrestler and actor....
and was both written and directed by Coleman Francis
Coleman Francis
Coleman C. Francis was an American actor, writer, producer, and director perhaps best-known for his film trilogy consisting of The Beast of Yucca Flats , The Skydivers , Red Zone Cuba , all three of which were filmed in the general Yucca Mountain, Nevada area and used preoccupation with light...
. Some critics have characterized it as one of the worst science fiction films made, and one of the all-time worst, even suggesting that it may be worse than Ed Wood's Plan 9 from Outer Space
Plan 9 from Outer Space
Plan 9 from Outer Space is a 1959 science fiction film written and directed by Edward D. Wood, Jr. The film features Gregory Walcott, Mona McKinnon, Tor Johnson and Maila "Vampira" Nurmi...
.
Synopsis
In the pre-credits sequence, an unnamed woman is strangled by an unidentified man after finishing a shower. Following the credits, Joseph Javorsky (Tor JohnsonTor Johnson
Tor Johansson , better known by the stage name Tor Johnson, was a Swedish professional wrestler and actor....
), a noted Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
, arrives in Yucca Flat
Yucca Flat
Yucca Flat is a closed desert drainage basin, one of four major nuclear test regions within the Nevada Test Site , and is divided into nine test sections: Areas 1 through 4 and 6 through 10. Yucca Flat is located at the eastern edge of NTS, about ten miles north of Frenchman Flat, and from Las...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
after defecting
Defection
In politics, a defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one state or political entity in exchange for allegiance to another. More broadly, it involves abandoning a person, cause or doctrine to whom or to which one is bound by some tie, as of allegiance or duty.This term is also applied,...
. Javorsky is carrying a briefcase with various military secrets; the film's narrator alludes to information about a Soviet moon landing
Moon landing
A moon landing is the arrival of a spacecraft on the surface of the Moon. This includes both manned and unmanned missions. The first human-made object to reach the surface of the Moon was the Soviet Union's Luna 2 mission on 13 September 1959. The United States's Apollo 11 was the first manned...
.
As Javorsky disembarks from his plane, he and his American contacts are attacked by a pair of KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
assassins (Anthony Cardoza
Anthony Cardoza
Anthony "Tony" Cardoza is an American actor and film producer. He has worked on over a dozen films, but is perhaps best known for his three collaborations with Coleman Francis in the 1960s: The Beast of Yucca Flats, The Skydivers, and Night Train To Mundo Fine...
and John Morrison). While the Americans stay to fight off the KGB agents, Javorsky flees into the desert, walking for a great distance, and removing much of his clothing. Wandering in range of an American nuclear test, radiation
Radiation
In physics, radiation is a process in which energetic particles or energetic waves travel through a medium or space. There are two distinct types of radiation; ionizing and non-ionizing...
transforms Javorsky into a mindless beast. He proceeds to kill a couple in their car on a nearby road, prompting pursuit from two police officers named Jim Archer (Bing Stafford) and Joe Dobson (Larry Aten).
Meanwhile, a vacationing family ventures along the same road. After stopping at a service station, the family's two young sons (Ronald and Alan Francis) wander off into the surrounding desert where they eventually encounter and escape from Javorsky. Their father (Douglas Mellor) searches for them, but is mistaken for the killer by one of the police officers, who is searching for the murderer from the air in a small plane. The officer opens fire with a high-powered rifle on the innocent man, who manages to escape.
Eventually the family is reunited and the police shoot and kill Javorsky. A wild rabbit appears and nuzzles his lifeless body.
Production notes
The movie was filmed without a soundtrack. Narration, voiceovers, and some sound effects were added in post production. To avoid having to synchronize the audio to the picture, characters only speak when their faces are either off-screen or not clearly visible due to darkness or distance. Likewise, during scenes in which firearms are used, the muzzles of the guns are usually out-of-shot when the weapons are fired. Extensive narration is used in lieu of plot points being conveyed through dialogue.The film opens with the strangling murder of a woman (Mary Victoria Torres) who has just stepped out of the shower; it is implied that the killer molests her corpse
Necrophilia
Necrophilia, also called thanatophilia or necrolagnia, is the sexual attraction to corpses,It is classified as a paraphilia by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association. The word is artificially derived from the ancient Greek words: νεκρός and φιλία...
. The identity of the murderer is never revealed and the murder is never discussed after that scene. The murderer is dressed like Javorsky after the blast, but the murder is never mentioned during the actual film, nor is there any apparent place in the narrative where it could be said to occur. According to an interview by film historian Tom Weaver with the film's producer Anthony Cardoza, the scene was added after the film was complete because director Coleman Francis liked nude scenes. Some prints (such as the one used for the Mystery Science Theatre 3000 episode and the print on YouTube) are edited to show the woman clothed for the duration of the scene (running 00:01:21), with the only nudity being a brief flash of breast as she towels herself in front of a mirror. The 2003 AlphaVideo DVD print has a slightly longer version of the scene (running 00:01:33), where the woman is shown naked as she puts on a pair of underwear, with both breasts visible several times before shown walking out of the room.
During scenes of gunplay, many characters appear at first to have suffered life-threatening bullet
Bullet
A bullet is a projectile propelled by a firearm, sling, or air gun. Bullets do not normally contain explosives, but damage the intended target by impact and penetration...
wounds, only to appear in later scenes fully recovered with no visible signs of having been wounded.