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Sometimes a movie achieves such legendary status that it can't quitelive up to its reputation. Plan 9 from Outer Space is not one of thesemovies. It is just as magnificently terrible as you've heard. Plan 9is the story of space aliens who try to conquer the Earth through resurrectionof the dead. Psychic Criswell narrates ("Future events such as these will affectyou in the future!") as police rush through the cemetery, occasionally clippingthe cardboard tombstones in their zeal to find the source of the mysteriousgoings-on. More than just a bad film, Plan 9 is something of a one- stop clearinghouse for poor cinematic techniques: The time shifts whimsicallyfrom midnight to afternoon sun, Tor Johnson flails desperately in an attempt torise from his coffin, and flying saucers zoom past on clearly visible strings.Fading star Bela Lugosi tragically died during filming, but such a small hurdlecould not stop writer-producer-director Ed Wood. Lugosi is ingeniously replacedwith a man who holds a cape across his face and might as well have "NOT BELALUGOSI" stamped on his forehead. Plan 9 is so sweetly well- intentioned in both its message and its execution that it's impossible not tolove it. And if you don't, well, as Eros says, "You people of Earth are idiots!"--Ali Davis ... Read more

Reviews (166)

Out of this world!
"Plan 9 From Outer Space" has been dubbed the worst film ever made. I can't disagree with that. Here are just a few of the things that qualifies it for that title.

- When the police drives from the town to the cemetary time somehow switches from night to day back to night.

- The Swedish accent of wrestler Tor Johnson, playing a police officer / walking corpse.

- The six feet tall, blonde chiropractor that replaced deceased Bela Lugosi.

- The plates-glued-together UFO's with strings completely visible.

- The cardboard tombstones that wiggle.

- The cemetery ground, obviously a piece of fabric covered with leaves.

- The plot, or rather lack thereof.

- The dialogue, hilariosly funny only because it's meant to be serious.

- The actors. Nuff said.

Still, it's also one of the best films ever made. Ed Wood Jr. was a filmmaker with a passion. He wanted to make films, so he made films. You can't help but respect that. That's why this movie deserves five stars, and "Deathstalker III: Deathstalker and the Warriors from Hell" deserves none.

Future events such as these...
Uttery obscure until the Medved brothers' 'Golden Turkey Awards' highlighted it as the 'Worst Film Ever Made', this is not so much a 'bad' film as a hysterically incompetent one. Consistently failing to triumph over the lack of money, resources and technique available, it quite neatly shows how films should not be judged in terms of 'bad' or 'good', but in terms of 'entertaining' or 'not entertaining'. Whilst 'Plan Nine' is clearly the work of bungling, but enthusiastic incompetents, it's hugely entertaining in a way that the professionally-done 'Speed 2: Cruise Control' is not. Only 'Robot Monster' comes close the the tone of insane incoherence. Where else can you see such a diverse, iconic cast (featuring the recently-deceased Bela Lugosi, a late-night-television horror movie hostess, a wrestler, and a minor celebrity hypnotist) deliver dialogue such as 'Inspector Clay's dead, murdered, and somebody's responsible'?

Note that there are two DVD releases - this one has a lengthy (longer than the film, in fact) documentary, whilst the other has a plug for Tim Burton's equally-good 'Ed Wood'. This one is slightly more expensive, but worth getting, as the documentary is excellent. Commenting on picture and sound quality seems somehow inappropriate, really.

Well it ain't the worst
In fact besides I'd go as far as to say this is perhaps the most competent Ed Wood movie around. Sure there are glaring errors such as Bela running back and forth to the grave in broad daylight ( when it's supposed to be night-time ) and his replacement is obvious ( come on, he's at least 4 inches taller I reckon ). And indeed the last 20 minutes descended into a farce that unfortunately sunk the film. Yes, it shows a degree of ineptitude on Ed's part but for most of the film there was an almost professional air to how the actors acted.

Ed thought that he'll be remembered for this film. This was his big one and he's right, it's the one we remember him most for. However I don't think he would have liked the tag it's been given but if you want to be remembered he certainly went about the right way in doing it ( even if the results were all wrong )

But if we start at the start with Bela's last real scene where he mourns his lover's death - that was a really touching scene. The emotion in that looks too real that it can't be described as fake or cardboard cut out. If anything that was the most poignant scene Ed ever captured on film. He may have been an inept film-maker but that was a stroke of genius - no kidding!

I get the feeling Ed cast Vampira as Lugosi's wife mainly because if you've seen the Tim Burton movie you'll know that Lugosi thought she was " a honey " and it was certainly a nice gesture to Bela to do that. Vampira doesn't have to do much in this film. Just walk really slowly and look ominous whenever the camera is on her. Looks beautiful while doing so I have to admit. I'm almost certain that she inspired George Romero to make Night of The Living Dead by her walking alone.

Criswell makes his appearance in this film and you have to say, him, along with Vampira and Tor, got almost uncanny lookalikes in Tim Burton's biopic that it seems almost spooky.

Hats off to whoever had the idea of using saucer lids for um the use of flying saucers. Really neat and easily identified even if it was black and white. Still not too bad a job. Oh and who could forget Saturn as a ballbearing - Top Class!

The last 20 minutes are a farce as I've said before mainly because it's supposed to be a showdown between the humans and the aliens....or to be more precise 3 men with guns and a man and a woman in funny clothing that are supposed to be aliens. The acting here is horrifically poor and despite it all being passionately acted it just seems.....well a bit silly. And whatever niggling doubts you had about the film leading up to the last 20 minutes, will no doubt be exposed by the end. A shame because the film showed Ed at his most coherent. And that sadly was the pinnacle of Ed's career.

So all in all it's not the worst movie of all time and certainly not the worst you'll ever see ( unless you're a connoisseur of good taste and in that case what the hell are you reading this for ). Definitely his most enjoyable film. Now if someone could only just tell Criswell to shut up ( I wish Ed had tried, honestly try to do that ).

But for Ed, this would be his shot at greatness and while it backfired, it was about as good as he could make it. Perhaps if he were making these now and not 40 years ago he might have gotten away with it. And I'm sure Ben Affleck would have been great as the dumb pilot if it were made now. Think about it

Here's to Ed though - he may not have been the greatest but he sure knew how to entertain us

Bela Lugosi Lives! (Just not in this film)
How does one describe a movie such as this? Like "Robot Monster," it is a masterpiece, and like "Robot Monster," this is not because "Plan 9 From Outer Space" has even a shadow of an ounce of quality to it. Rather, this is an example of just how wrong everything in any creative project can go if it is in the hands of the right angora-wearing genius.

For nothing (and I mean NOTHING) came out right in this movie. Continuity? Hah! Realistic dialogue? Pish! Convincing acting? Gah! Remotely realistic special effects? Heaven forbid! No, what Ed Wood gave us with "Plan 9" is quite simply a cinematic failure that not even Orson Wells could have duplicated if he had tried. In what other movie is one of your stars dead even before the script is written or shooting begins?

No, "Plan 9" is unique, a thing that we mere mortals can only begin to try and understand. Instead we can only watch, transfixed and trembling in awe that Wood's vision was transmitted so perfectly to the silver screen. This is a movie that well deserves to be ranked among the immortal creations of motion picture history, despite or perhaps because of the fact that it completely lacks any of the features that would normally merit such an inclusion.

To think otherwise can only be the result of stupid minds. Stupid! Your stupid, stupid minds!

"You see. You see. Your stupid minds. Stupid. Stupid."
Also known as "Grave Robbers From Outer Space", Edward D. Wood's masterpiece of horrific filmmaking has been called the "worst movie ever made" by more than a few critics and movie fans. This hasn't kept this unintentially hilarious sci-fi dud from becoming a massive cult classic. And rightfully so. Ed Wood's art for making movies so bad that they're actually good has never been more apparent than it is here.

"Plan 9" revolves around a couple of space invaders in bad suits who fly around in spaceships on strings and resurrect the recently dead to haunt the inhabits of a small town where it seems to go back and forth from night to day a lot. The humans aren't having it though as a joint team of the local police, military, and an overacting airline pilot refuse to be terrorized by the undead creatures (who can't decide whether they're ghouls or vampires). But these visitors from a badly-drawn planet resembling Saturn have their own intentions. They're hear to warn us of a new solar-powered weapon that the Earth will eventually create and wipe out the universe. But our heroes aren't going down without a fight. They've got enough army movie stock footage to send them aliens back where they came from.

What makes "Plan 9" so entertainingly terrible? Where do I start? There's the overly-descriptive narration of Criswell who practically gives play-by-play for every action in the film. You've got Bela Lugosi who appears courtesy of silent footage recorded before his death and with the help of a stand-in who looks nothing like him. And who could forget those cooky cops who don't allow the discovery of their Captain's horrifying death to damper their moods any? Also there's Duke Moore's hards-as-nails detective who fearlessly uses his gun to fix his hat when necessary.From the bargain basement graveyard chalk full of cardboard headstones to the hungry young overactors spitting out silly dialouge, "Plan 9" is truly the "Citizen Kane of bad movies".

For those looking to pick this gem up on DVD, the Image edition is the only way to go. Not only is the picture the best that it's ever looked but it comes with a feature-length documentary, "Flying Saucers Over Hollywood: The Plan 9 Companion" and the trailer for the movie. Avoid the Passport version which has a company logo imprinted in the bottom corner similiar to the ones that TV networks use. ... Read more

Description

How could it be that Ed Wood, Jr., the young man who wore a woman's bra and panties at the Battle of Tarawa in World War II, went on to become the Orson Welles of low-budget films? Through film clips, still photos and extensive interviews with the bizarre cadre of actors, ministers and girlfriends who were involved in such projects as Woods' "Plan 9 from Outer Space" and "Glen or Glenda?," this feature film explores the man and the cult legend that has sprung up since his death. Wood's status as the Worst Filmmaker of All Times has brought him posthumous acclaim in both the film and art worlds--a recognition hardly imaginable to the man who died penniless and unknown in the late 1970s. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

one for the completionists
'Haunted world' was made in 1996, two years after the Tim Burton movie and consists mainly of (unbelievably staged) interviews with a select few people. Oddly enough did those who get the most airtime (Vampira, Gregory Walcott, Rev. Lynn Lemon) work with Wood on 'Plan 9' only, while the people who worked with Wood throughout his career (make-up artist Harry Thomas, actors Paul Marco and Conrad Brooks) are largely ignored. Sleaze-director Steven Apostolof with whom Wood worked for many years does not appear, and the entire 10-year decline into soft core porn is covered with a single cut from "Orgy of the Dead", never to be mentioned again.

Haunted World boldly claims that these people haven't spoken out for 20 years. Obviously this is wishful nonsense, since most of the actors appeared in the four year older Ed Wood bio-pic "Flying saucers over Hollywood", and were also interviewed by Rudolph Grey for his book. Haunted World does not mention any of these, and those of the cast who mention Tim Burton's movie do so only to complain about their own portrayal. One gets the uneasy impression that the main motivation behind "Haunted World" is to allow the actors to paint a more flattering picture of themselves than Burton did.

Haunted World never really takes off. It does not have the spontaneity of "Flying saucers" and has a strange phobia of leaving the studio. Where "Flying Saucers" took us on location, 'haunted world' has only miniatures of the exact same locations.

It must be noted that the main reason for making this movie was Crawford Thomas' initiative to release the 22-minute "Crossroads of Laredo". Co-produced with, and directed by Wood. It was never finished and the fragments were stored in Thomas' garage. Interviews with Ed Wood's friends and actors were meant to pad out the release, but quickly ballooned into a separate feature.

Haunted World covers familiar ground and is not an essential buy as such. It attempts to be a serious homage to Wood, yet lacks the structure of Grey's book and the chirpy enthusiasm of "Flying Saucers", but the Wood completionist will want this for "Crossroads of Laredo".

The Haunted World of Ed Wood -- worth watching
Anyone who has ever seen or heard of Edward D. Wood, Jr. knows what he or she is getting into before the opening credits. "The Haunted World of Ed Wood" does a credible job of portraying the man as well as his manic life. Whether it's Gregory Walcotts' condescending nastiness or a funny, insightful Vampira (who, by the way is "hotter" at 80 then she was at 25!), I appreciate the inclusion of the good as well as the bad. For Ed Wood fans, this little gem is well worth seeing.

At the end of the "Plan 9 Companion" the narrator says, "Ed Wood did his best to make an entertaining film and succeeded-if not exactly in all the ways he may have intended." I think that says it all.

Welcome To Ed Wood's Wacky World
It's clear that Brett Thompson's documentary about Ed Wood was thoroughly researched and well made. Ed Wood comes across as a director with limited talent but unlimited enthusiasm, who had a real love for making movies. Most people remembered Ed fondly, but a few did not have kind things to say about him. Bela Lugosi, Jr. called Ed a user and a loser, who put his famous father in his movies just to capitalize on Lugosi's celebrity status. What he fails to mention is that, by the time Ed Wood met him, Bela Lugosi was a has been that nobody else would even hire. Gregory Walcott, who played the pilot Jeff Trent in "Plan 9 From Outer Space," likened the movie's production to a grade school play. I give Brett Thompson credit for including those interviews, to balance the documentary with those who only praised Ed's efforts. The biggest complaint I have about this documentary is the fact that it doesn't include Ed Wood's work in soft-core pornographic movies, acting in "Pretty Models All In A Row" and directing "Necromania," his final film. While it's sad to see what depths Ed had sunk to in his later years, it was an important part of his life that is entirely omitted. The highest praise I have is for one of the DVD's many bonus features. They managed to find and restore "Crossroads Of Laredo," Ed Wood's very first directorial effort. That alone is worth the price of this DVD.

Can your mind stand the shocking truth?
Crafted with great respect, director Brett Thompson has fashioned a smart, sentimental journey back into the mind and movies of one Edward D. Wood, Jr.. He's done it rather well. Ed Wood and Orson Welles used their own money and private resources to finance the original "Independent Movies" of the 1950's and 1960's. Welles you've heard of. And today, we also remember Ed Wood. He directed the still humorous classic "Plan 9 From Outer Space". Ed Wood was so broke he couldn't pay the lab to develop the film on his last movie. "We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives". Those were his words. This is his life. A complete work of love, "The Haunted World of Ed Wood" reviews his first 5 movies, his amusing Hollywood antics, and his own personal decline. Bulging with special features, easter eggs, interviews, premieres, and memorials, "The Haunted World of Ed Wood" chronicles the now famous B-picture director and casts bright lights on a 1950's Hollywood we can no longer find. From Vampira to Bela Lugosi(including rare 1932 interviews), actors living and dead are interviewed(where possible) for this tribute to the sexually ambiguous Wood. This brand new DVD enhances the original 1995 documentary and includes the first complete release of Wood's 22-minute western, "Crossroads of Laredo(featuring director Wood acting in 3 small parts)". Somewhere in another dimension, in a place known as B-picture heaven, the fog is starting to lift. The lights have flickered on. The camera box is dirty. There's dust on the lens. The actors flub their lines. The cardboard set shakes a little. Somebody mutters about getting paid. Ed Wood is making a movie.

Touching bio
A very touching film about a very nice man,who happened to be a lousy director..but he had heart,and he was a decent fellow,it seems.I have laughed myself silly watching his movies,and maybe I shouldn't have..but he was so awful,I couldn't help myself. That's not to say his films aren't entertaining.They most certainly are,and I think this film is a nice tribute to the man who never gave up,despite the cold-shoulder he got from mainstream Hollywood .
It's too bad he is famous world-wide now,and he isn't here to know it.Maybe he is up there,dressed in his angora wings,sitting on a satin pillow,smiling down on those of us who have come to love his weird little films. ... Read more

Reviews (166)

Out of this world!
"Plan 9 From Outer Space" has been dubbed the worst film ever made. I can't disagree with that. Here are just a few of the things that qualifies it for that title.

- When the police drives from the town to the cemetary time somehow switches from night to day back to night.

- The Swedish accent of wrestler Tor Johnson, playing a police officer / walking corpse.

- The six feet tall, blonde chiropractor that replaced deceased Bela Lugosi.

- The plates-glued-together UFO's with strings completely visible.

- The cardboard tombstones that wiggle.

- The cemetery ground, obviously a piece of fabric covered with leaves.

- The plot, or rather lack thereof.

- The dialogue, hilariosly funny only because it's meant to be serious.

- The actors. Nuff said.

Still, it's also one of the best films ever made. Ed Wood Jr. was a filmmaker with a passion. He wanted to make films, so he made films. You can't help but respect that. That's why this movie deserves five stars, and "Deathstalker III: Deathstalker and the Warriors from Hell" deserves none.

Future events such as these...
Uttery obscure until the Medved brothers' 'Golden Turkey Awards' highlighted it as the 'Worst Film Ever Made', this is not so much a 'bad' film as a hysterically incompetent one. Consistently failing to triumph over the lack of money, resources and technique available, it quite neatly shows how films should not be judged in terms of 'bad' or 'good', but in terms of 'entertaining' or 'not entertaining'. Whilst 'Plan Nine' is clearly the work of bungling, but enthusiastic incompetents, it's hugely entertaining in a way that the professionally-done 'Speed 2: Cruise Control' is not. Only 'Robot Monster' comes close the the tone of insane incoherence. Where else can you see such a diverse, iconic cast (featuring the recently-deceased Bela Lugosi, a late-night-television horror movie hostess, a wrestler, and a minor celebrity hypnotist) deliver dialogue such as 'Inspector Clay's dead, murdered, and somebody's responsible'?

Note that there are two DVD releases - this one has a lengthy (longer than the film, in fact) documentary, whilst the other has a plug for Tim Burton's equally-good 'Ed Wood'. This one is slightly more expensive, but worth getting, as the documentary is excellent. Commenting on picture and sound quality seems somehow inappropriate, really.

Well it ain't the worst
In fact besides I'd go as far as to say this is perhaps the most competent Ed Wood movie around. Sure there are glaring errors such as Bela running back and forth to the grave in broad daylight ( when it's supposed to be night-time ) and his replacement is obvious ( come on, he's at least 4 inches taller I reckon ). And indeed the last 20 minutes descended into a farce that unfortunately sunk the film. Yes, it shows a degree of ineptitude on Ed's part but for most of the film there was an almost professional air to how the actors acted.

Ed thought that he'll be remembered for this film. This was his big one and he's right, it's the one we remember him most for. However I don't think he would have liked the tag it's been given but if you want to be remembered he certainly went about the right way in doing it ( even if the results were all wrong )

But if we start at the start with Bela's last real scene where he mourns his lover's death - that was a really touching scene. The emotion in that looks too real that it can't be described as fake or cardboard cut out. If anything that was the most poignant scene Ed ever captured on film. He may have been an inept film-maker but that was a stroke of genius - no kidding!

I get the feeling Ed cast Vampira as Lugosi's wife mainly because if you've seen the Tim Burton movie you'll know that Lugosi thought she was " a honey " and it was certainly a nice gesture to Bela to do that. Vampira doesn't have to do much in this film. Just walk really slowly and look ominous whenever the camera is on her. Looks beautiful while doing so I have to admit. I'm almost certain that she inspired George Romero to make Night of The Living Dead by her walking alone.

Criswell makes his appearance in this film and you have to say, him, along with Vampira and Tor, got almost uncanny lookalikes in Tim Burton's biopic that it seems almost spooky.

Hats off to whoever had the idea of using saucer lids for um the use of flying saucers. Really neat and easily identified even if it was black and white. Still not too bad a job. Oh and who could forget Saturn as a ballbearing - Top Class!

The last 20 minutes are a farce as I've said before mainly because it's supposed to be a showdown between the humans and the aliens....or to be more precise 3 men with guns and a man and a woman in funny clothing that are supposed to be aliens. The acting here is horrifically poor and despite it all being passionately acted it just seems.....well a bit silly. And whatever niggling doubts you had about the film leading up to the last 20 minutes, will no doubt be exposed by the end. A shame because the film showed Ed at his most coherent. And that sadly was the pinnacle of Ed's career.

So all in all it's not the worst movie of all time and certainly not the worst you'll ever see ( unless you're a connoisseur of good taste and in that case what the hell are you reading this for ). Definitely his most enjoyable film. Now if someone could only just tell Criswell to shut up ( I wish Ed had tried, honestly try to do that ).

But for Ed, this would be his shot at greatness and while it backfired, it was about as good as he could make it. Perhaps if he were making these now and not 40 years ago he might have gotten away with it. And I'm sure Ben Affleck would have been great as the dumb pilot if it were made now. Think about it

Here's to Ed though - he may not have been the greatest but he sure knew how to entertain us

Bela Lugosi Lives! (Just not in this film)
How does one describe a movie such as this? Like "Robot Monster," it is a masterpiece, and like "Robot Monster," this is not because "Plan 9 From Outer Space" has even a shadow of an ounce of quality to it. Rather, this is an example of just how wrong everything in any creative project can go if it is in the hands of the right angora-wearing genius.

For nothing (and I mean NOTHING) came out right in this movie. Continuity? Hah! Realistic dialogue? Pish! Convincing acting? Gah! Remotely realistic special effects? Heaven forbid! No, what Ed Wood gave us with "Plan 9" is quite simply a cinematic failure that not even Orson Wells could have duplicated if he had tried. In what other movie is one of your stars dead even before the script is written or shooting begins?

No, "Plan 9" is unique, a thing that we mere mortals can only begin to try and understand. Instead we can only watch, transfixed and trembling in awe that Wood's vision was transmitted so perfectly to the silver screen. This is a movie that well deserves to be ranked among the immortal creations of motion picture history, despite or perhaps because of the fact that it completely lacks any of the features that would normally merit such an inclusion.

To think otherwise can only be the result of stupid minds. Stupid! Your stupid, stupid minds!

"You see. You see. Your stupid minds. Stupid. Stupid."
Also known as "Grave Robbers From Outer Space", Edward D. Wood's masterpiece of horrific filmmaking has been called the "worst movie ever made" by more than a few critics and movie fans. This hasn't kept this unintentially hilarious sci-fi dud from becoming a massive cult classic. And rightfully so. Ed Wood's art for making movies so bad that they're actually good has never been more apparent than it is here.

"Plan 9" revolves around a couple of space invaders in bad suits who fly around in spaceships on strings and resurrect the recently dead to haunt the inhabits of a small town where it seems to go back and forth from night to day a lot. The humans aren't having it though as a joint team of the local police, military, and an overacting airline pilot refuse to be terrorized by the undead creatures (who can't decide whether they're ghouls or vampires). But these visitors from a badly-drawn planet resembling Saturn have their own intentions. They're hear to warn us of a new solar-powered weapon that the Earth will eventually create and wipe out the universe. But our heroes aren't going down without a fight. They've got enough army movie stock footage to send them aliens back where they came from.

What makes "Plan 9" so entertainingly terrible? Where do I start? There's the overly-descriptive narration of Criswell who practically gives play-by-play for every action in the film. You've got Bela Lugosi who appears courtesy of silent footage recorded before his death and with the help of a stand-in who looks nothing like him. And who could forget those cooky cops who don't allow the discovery of their Captain's horrifying death to damper their moods any? Also there's Duke Moore's hards-as-nails detective who fearlessly uses his gun to fix his hat when necessary.From the bargain basement graveyard chalk full of cardboard headstones to the hungry young overactors spitting out silly dialouge, "Plan 9" is truly the "Citizen Kane of bad movies".

For those looking to pick this gem up on DVD, the Image edition is the only way to go. Not only is the picture the best that it's ever looked but it comes with a feature-length documentary, "Flying Saucers Over Hollywood: The Plan 9 Companion" and the trailer for the movie. Avoid the Passport version which has a company logo imprinted in the bottom corner similiar to the ones that TV networks use. ... Read more

Description

The wild no-holds barred independent American filmmakers of the ‘50sand ‘60s tell their own story in this critically acclaimed survey of exploitation andsexploitation filmmaking. Features the last major interviews conducted with legendaryproducer Sam Arkhoff, and "Queen of thew Nudies" Doris Wishman plus PeterBogdanovich, Roger Corman, Vampira, and many more ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Comprehensive and Terrific
What a fun, cool, interesting and humorous movie! It takes exploitation films and presents them in a way that increases their significance and makes them accessible to everybody, not just the hardcore fans. The interviews are fascinating (yay Vampira!), and the many, many clips blow the mind. There are dozens of rare exploitation movie posters displayed, which is also cool because the poster art itself communicates a lot about what's scarey and great about exploitation. And the DVD extras are PRICELESS, especially the hilarious Harry Novak short and David Friedman's carny book pitch segment. But howcome no more Vampira?

The main contibution this film has to make is that it very carefully positions the exploitation film in a wide social context as an index of American culture in the 50s and 60s, and it does so by TAKING THE FILMS SERIOUSLY which almost nobody who loves these movies ever does. Cult movie geeks being what they are, almost everybody who watches "SCHLOCK!" will have a desire to see something else represented (I always think Allied Artists films like "Not of This Earth" get the shaft in these movies -- nobody seems to remember the main competitor to AIP). But I think that's a sign of the success of this picture, because it engages you in the history and lore of the exploitation "golden era," so much so that, despite a ton of material, you end up wanting more.

ballyhoo babylon
Trying to encapsulate the entire history of "shlock" cinema (and what's with that misspelled title?) within a 90-minute documentary is a fool's errand at best but this ambitious effort, while biting off far more than it can chew, earns points for even taking a stab.

That said, SCHLOCK will probably disappoint its target audience (hardcore shlock buffs) whose initial fascination will ultimately turn to frustration as entire sub-genres (mondo flicks, blaxploitation, Ed Wood, Albert Zugsmith's big-studio B-unit) are either ignored or given the once-over-lightly treatment. More than a primer than a definite work, SCHLOCK should nevertheless satisfy newbies to the scene.

B-movie czar Roger Corman inadvertantly puts his finger on one of this docu's big problems early on, when, in the course of an on-camera interview, he points out the difficulty of even defining what an exploitation picture is. (Later, nudist-camp auteur Doris Wishman further muddies the water when she argues that ANY movie that's advertised is exploitation fodder.)

But a far bigger hurdle facing the producers of this frugally-financed opus was apparently limited access to a wider range of film clips. While still fun to watch, excerpts from old public domain titles like REEFER MADNESS and MOM AND DAD (as well as 1950's civil defense featurettes) have been over-exposed on cable and in other documentaries. As a result, the financially-strapped producers were forced to creatively pad, making liberal use of old newsreels and commercials (which, though interesting, have no real bearing on the subject at hand) while misleading viewers into believing that unidentified sequences from PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE is actually archival material from old Vampira (Maila Nurmi) kinescopes. Meanwhile, Russ Meyer's immeasurable contributions to the genre are dismissed with a few laudatory sentences (but no clips), while endless samples from Wishman's ouevre present practically suggest that nudist camp flicks were the backbone of the exploitation industry. In a similar vein, Corman's A BUCKET OF BLOOD rates a lengthy segment thats recaps highlights from entire film, presumably for no other reason than that rights were available.

Pic's puzzling pacing may also be the result of budget strait-jacket. Instead of getting the show off to a bang with, say, a montage of explo highlights (think of the dynamite teaser leads to SOMETHING WEIRD's video catalog), SCHLOCK begins with plodding footage of a painfully campy new stage musical based on REEFER MADNESS (!)--certainly an odd way to open a film celebrating "bad" movies, particularly when samples of that far-ranging genre are under-represented onscreen.

Insightful interviews with exploitation stalwarts Dick Miller and David J. Friedman (as well as Corman, Wishman and the elfin Nurmi, the latter two particularly delightful) help pick up the slack.

But the real scene-stealer of this piece? The kid who pops out of Mom's womb during the jaw-dropping birth-of-a-baby reel. A star is born, indeed!

The greasy underbelly of Hollywood
In Schlock! The Secret History Of American Movies, Ray Greene brings us up close and personal with the seamier side of film presenting, in great detail, the history of the exploitation film genre that thrived on the fringes of Hollywood.

From road shows presenting 'educational' films, nudie cuties, grind house fair, roughies, and most any kind of exploitation genre you can name, we get up close and personal with the people involved in making and starring in these films. Greene talks to such notable figures as Roger Corman, David F. Friedman, Dick Miller, Samual Z. Zarkoff, Forry J. Ackerman, Harry H. Novak, Doris Wishmen, Vampira, and many more.

We learn how these films came about, how they evolved in reference to society, and how mainstream Hollywood eventually co-opted the format. We also learn interesting details about financing of the films, the film makers experiences with censorship, and how these small, low or no budget films actually outpaced Hollywood releases at times in drawing attendees. What I found really interesting was how, these directors and producers really zeroed in on what the public wanted, what the public wasn't getting from mainstream movies, and made heaping mounds of money doing it. Once the mainstream industry saw the kind of money being made, they would begin to incorporate the material presented in these seedy, little movies, forcing the exploitioneers to find even more shocking and enticing material to release on an unsuspecting public.

At a running time of about 90 minutes, this documentary certainly doesn't cover everything, but what it does cover, it does very well, between the interviews and rare film clips, and provides a fascinating glimpse into a world few get to see. It's not always a pretty journey, but I was entertained and even learned a few things.

Special features include a nuclear propaganda short titled "The Atom and Eve", behind the scenes footage with some of the directors listed above, an art gallery of exploitation promotional materials, and an audio commentary with the director Greene and a co-producer.

You gotta love it...
You gotta love a film that starts off with scenes from Reefer Madness: the Musical and that's just how this fantastic new documentary Schlock! The Secret History of American Movies begins. Directed by film maker and journalist Ray Greene this is a very thorough look at exploitation films and filmmakers between the forties to the early seventies starting with the road show days and ending with mainstream acceptance of exploitation. It's full of rare film clips, interviews and artwork.

The film tracks the many phases of exploitation films spawned through the years from early roots of drug, sex, hygiene and birthing road shows to nudist and nudie cutie films, the Roughies, Gore films of H.G. Lewis, AIP films to the end of the golden age of exploitation when Hollywood started to make the same kind of films with bigger budgets. It's all covered in way to enlighten the viewer rather than ridicule the films for any perceived shortcomings.

Besides the wealth of information to be garnered from the films collection of movie clips it also features a multitude of insightful interviews with many of the key figures of the exploitation film era including sexploitation king Harry Novak, the late Doris Wishman (one of America's most prolific female directors) Sam Z Arkoff of AIP (who sadly has passed away) Roger Corman one of the most successful men in Hollywood, and David Friedman who started with road shows and is still hawking films to this day. These interviews paint an interesting picture of a time when filmmakers made films to please a core audience and make their own mark rather than please the whole world.

The only disappointment for me was the lack of coverage of blaxploitation, zombie (and cannibal) and Ilsa films. Other than that it's a great film for those with an interest in exploitation films or a good introduction for those unfamiliar with the subject matter. ... Read more

Description

Plan Nine From Outer Space (Grave Robbers From Outer Space) (1956-USA). With BELA LUGOSI, VAMPIRA. Directed by ED WOOD. You are interested in the unknown, the mysterious, the unexplainable. That is why you are here. Now, for the first time, we are bringing to you the full story of what happened on that fateful day. We are giving you all the evidence, based only on the secret testimony of the miserable souls who survived this terrifying ordeal. The incidents, the places-we cannot keep this a secret any longer. Let us punish the guilty, let us reward the innocent. Can your heart stand the shocking facts about grave robbers from outer space? Can your head stand the idea of aliens invading the earth by raising the dead to get them to attack the living? If so, this is the horror thriller for you! This was Bela Lugosi's last movie. He died shortly before shooting of the film was completed, possibly from embarrassment! It was a typical finish to Lugosi's career. He had of late taken to giving interviews while resting in a coffin, and once attended a premier with a gorilla as his date! Vampira and Lugosi are the victims in this film, brought back to life by the aliens from their flying saucers. We've come a long way in the job of special effects since "Plan 9." And, while its difficult to take the menace seriously, the story does allow us to see the "Vampira" school of horror films from the mid-50s and a final look at an old master, Bela Lugosi. What do you suppose the first eight plans were about? 78 minutes. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Good for a few laughs
Detective:
"It looks like the tombstone has fallen into the grave"
Patrolman (in over-pronounced diction):
"I guess that's why you've got the Detective badge"

You can't deny it's bad. You can't deny that Ed makes you laugh with the ineptitude of the entire production. Vampira had dialog in the original script but it was so bad she asked to do it mute, so she has no speaking parts!

A gloriously bad movie. Can you prove it DIDN'T happen?
Ed Wood's "Plan 9 From Outer Space" is a legendary film, not because it is great cinema but because watching it is an unforgettable experience. In that respect it is more comparable to a midnight showing of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" than anything else within the realm of contemporary cinematic experience. I am perfectly comfortable with the oxymoronic notion that the film is so gloriously bad that it becomes transcendent in a way "Reefer Madness" and other notable "bad" films are not. I have shown "Plan 9 From Outer Space" to many an unsuspecting audience and all of them have enjoyed the experience. There is such an audacity to Wood's film that you have to smile if just to keep your jaw from dropping all the way to the ground. The only other explanation is, as the head alien says in the film, "Because you earth people are all idiots!" I am comfortable with either one of these explanations.

Just count all the things Ed Wood gets wrong in this film. After eight disastrous attempts to take over the planet, the aliens invoke "Plan 9" wherein they raise the dead as foot soldiers. Vampira and wrestler Tor Johnson become zombies. You have a flying saucer that look a lot like a Cadillac hubcap held up by string. You have a star, Bela Lugosi, who died before filming started but who appears from beyond the grave, not to mention his stand-in, the chiropractor of the producer's wife. You have cops who scratch their noses with loaded guns, Dudley Manlove as the unforgettable leader of the aliens, sets that are about to tip over, plus a chilling introduction and postscript from the Amazing Criswell!

Is this the worst film of all time? What difference does it make? Do you really want to keep looking after you have experienced the two-time Golden Turkey Award-winning "Plan 9 From Outer Space?" You owe it to yourself to watch this movie at least once. It is part of our cultural legacy. ... Read more