Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959)

User Rating:

3.6/10   

Director:

Edward D. Wood Jr.

Writer:

Edward D. Wood Jr. (writer)

Release Date:

2 kesäkuu 1995 (Sweden)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Unspeakable Horrors From Outer Space Paralyze The Living And Resurrect The Dead!

Plot:

Aliens resurrect dead humans as zombies and vampires to stop human kind from creating the Solaranite (a sort of sun-driven bomb).

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Plan | Cemetery | Outer Space | Pilot

Cast

Gregory Walcott	...	Jeff Trent
Mona McKinnon	...	Paula Trent
Duke Moore	...	Lt. John Harper
Tom Keene	...	Col. Tom Edwards
Carl Anthony	...	Patrolman Larry
Paul Marco	...	Patrolman Paul Kelton
Tor Johnson	...	Inspector Daniel Clay
Dudley Manlove	...	Eros
Joanna Lee	...	Tanna
John Breckinridge	...	The Ruler
Lyle Talbot	...	General Roberts
David De Mering	...	Co-Pilot Danny
Norma McCarty	...	Stewardess Edith
Bill Ash	...	Army Captain
Reverend Lynn Lemon	...	Minister at Insp. Clay's Funeral

Also Known As:

Grave Robbers from Outer Space (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

79 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #18451) | Australia:PG | UK:PG (video rating) | UK:X (original rating) | Finland:K-12 | Sweden:11 | Spain:T | Italy:T | West Germany:16 | Argentina:13 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG

Filming Locations:

Quality Studios, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Reynolds Pictures

Trivia:

Footage from the same shoot that produced Bela Lugosi's performance in this movie was meant to be used to make another film, "The Ghoul on the Moon". When Edward D. Wood Jr. went to retrieve the film he found it had been ruined, so the new movie was scrapped.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In the cockpit scene, the curtain separating the cockpit from the rest of the plane is rustled, and you can catch glimpses of the stewardess behind it. It's obvious she's waiting for her cue, even though she shouldn't be anywhere near the cockpit at that moment.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Criswell: Greetings, my friend. We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. And remember my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future. You are interested in the unknown... the mysterious...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Fanalysis (2002)

Soundtrack:

Uneasy Sleep

What A Hoot!

When I need an amusing diversion, nothing helps quite like watching one of those dreadful 50's sci-fi flicks: "Teenagers From Outer Space", "The Brain From Planet Arous", or my personal favorite: "The Giant Claw". Ed Wood's infamous "Plan 9 ..." is a good choice too. Criswell, in his sing-song voice, cracks me up every time I hear him intone: "Future events such as these will affect you in the future."

I can forgive "Plan 9..." for some of its, let us say ... "imperfections": anthropomorphic aliens who speak English; women aliens who wear lipstick; the hammy, sophomoric acting; the dime store special effects ... But there's really no excuse for a mickey mouse script. You get the feeling that the film was put together by a quarrelsome committee of third graders, and aimed at an audience of chimpanzees.

Criswell drones on: " ... the secret testimony of the miserable souls who survived ...". And later, a VO intones: "The ever beautiful flower she had planted with her own hands became nothing more than the lost roses of her cheeks." Evidently, Wood saw no need to hire a script editor.

And yet, specifically because of its technical crudeness, "Plan 9 ..." is fun to watch. We may not want to admit it, but the film gives us viewers a chance to feel superior to Ed Wood; we get to conjecture that even we could make a film that has more credibility than ... that.