Plan 9 From Outer Space
Just as “Citizen Kane” has found a reputation as the “official” greatest film of all-time, Ed Wood’s “Plan 9 From Outer Space” is the “official” worst film of all-time. Of course, anyone with even a general knowledge of film history, let alone many years of watching “Mystery Science Theater 3000,” can tell you that Wood’s most famous film is hardly the worst movie ever made.
A big part of that is the fact that, simply, Wood’s films, and “Plan 9” in particular, are just too entertaining on a “so bad its good” level. (The exception being “Glen or Glenda?”, which is truly hideous by any standard.) Make no mistake– “Plan 9” is an inept piece of moviemaking by even the most lax standards of film critique, but Wood’s lack of ability as a filmmaker reach such absurd levels that it’s almost impossible not to enjoy watching his films.
How to describe the plot of “Plan 9?” Well, it involves a race of aliens who hope to enslave humanity by raising the dead, and turning them into an army against the living. Actually, that’s a pretty good summary of Wood’s story, which includes: a pilot and his wife, whose house is next to the graveyard where the events happen; a police force that seems as ineffectual as Stormtroppers; and a husband and wife (Bela Lugosi, who died shortly before filming began, and Vampira) who are among the first to be resurrected, along with a police inspector (Tor Johnson). I’d try to explain how all of these people and events fit into the overall puzzle, but it’s better to just see the film for yourself.
How to describe the film itself? It’s a hodgepodge of stock footage, set shooting, cheesy special effects, and sometimes-inappropriate stock music cues that, for the first 20-30 minutes, has breathless voiceover by Wood himself describing the events we’re seeing like an old newsreel like the ones Wood watched in the ’40s. The performances are all pretty bad on even the most basic level of acting, but there’s a crazy, almost surreal, disparity in tone from one actor to another that it’s impossible not to have a stupid smile on your face all the way through.
In the end, few bad movies– and yes, “Plan 9” is genuinely bad –are this entertaining. (I think “Troll 2,” another “official” non-masterpiece, might be the only one that surpasses it.) Fewer still give the viewer so many moments to justify being called “favorites.” Among mine include: the policeman who has little regard for waving his gun around; the opening scene with Lugosi smelling a flower; the aliens, in all their eccentricities; the adorable flying saucers on strings, and so many more. The fact that this film is so entertaining, even in its ineptness, is a credit to Wood himself, who probably wouldn’t have done much better even with more money and freedom, but his enthusiasm for the material drives the narrative (as slipshod as it is), and keeps us watching every step of the way. For that, I have nothing but respect for even this most infamous of filmmakers.
