The Beast of Yucca Flats (1961) on Netflix
Soviet scientist Joseph Javorsky defects and carries military secrets to Nevada, where KGB assassins come after him. A nuclear test in the desert turns him into a mindless beast driven to kill.
- Netflix2.2/5
- IMDb2.0/1010,312 votes
- Rotten TomatoesNot available
Trailer
Plot summary
Joseph Javorsky, a Soviet scientist, defects and reaches Nevada with a briefcase holding military secrets, among them details of a Soviet Moon landing. KGB assassins strike at the desert airport, killing the American contacts and bodyguards around him. Javorsky escapes into the desert on foot, walking a great distance in the searing heat until he discards much of his clothing. A nearby nuclear weapons test drenches him in radiation, and the bewildered man becomes a mindless beast driven to kill. Police officers Jim Archer and Joe Dobson are also looking for him, and a vacationing family travels the same highway.
Cast
- Douglas Melloras Hank Radcliffe
- Barbara Francisas Lois Radcliffe
- Bing Staffordas Jim Archer
- Alan Francisas Art Radcliffe
- Ronald Francisas Randy Radcliffe
- Anthony Cardozaas KGB Driver / Helpful Neighbor (as Tony Cardoza)
- John Morrisonas KGB Passenger
- Jim Milesas Javorsky's Driver
- Jim Oliphantas Husband on Vacation
Show all 20 cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about The Beast of Yucca Flats (1961)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
SPOILER
The closing shot of The Beast of Yucca Flats, in which Tor Johnson's character embraces a jackrabbit, was unplanned: a wild rabbit wandered into frame while the camera was rolling and Johnson improvised the gesture, according to producer Anthony Cardoza.- To avoid having to synchronize the audio to the picture, characters in the film speak only when their faces are off-screen or hidden by darkness or distance; the movie was shot without a soundtrack, with narration and sound effects added in post-production.
- Producer Anthony Cardoza said the film's opening shower murder scene was added after the film was already complete because director Coleman Francis liked nude scenes.
- The film's Yucca Flats setting is based on the real Yucca Flat nuclear test site; in 1970, nine years after the film was made, 86 workers there were exposed to radiation in the Baneberry Test, which Time in 2009 called one of the world's worst nuclear disasters.
- In 1995 the comedy series Mystery Science Theater 3000 featured The Beast of Yucca Flats in episode #621, helping the film develop a cult status.
