Description

Weird! Wild! Wood! The most legendary B-movie director of all time, Edward D. Wood, Jr. assaulted audiences worldwide with a string of bizarre, no-budget fusions of horror, science fiction, noir and comedy. Now his oddball legacy is finally collected in one indispensable box set! Feast your eyes on his first feature, the madcap Glen or Glenda? in which Eddie himself portrays a transvestite struggling with his addiction to angora while Bela Lugosi offers inscrutable narration. Blackmail, outlaws on the run, and plastic surgery collide in the surreal crime drama Jail Bait, featuring a young Steve Reeves (Hercules), while Bela returns to create the Bride of the Monster in a heady collision of atomic experiments, a rampaging octopus and clumsy assistant Lobo (played by wrestler Tor Johnson). Wood's indisputable disasterpiece, Plan 9 from Outer Space, offers pie-plate flying saucers, incompetent alien leaders, all-seeing psychic Criswell, goth favorite Vampira and a post-mortem appearance by Lugosi himself in his last film role. Then Lobo and a phony spiritualist usher in a Night of the Ghouls at a spooky marsh filled with shuffling undead and wailing ghosts. Finally, learn all about the man himself with The Haunted World of Ed Wood, a comprehensive disc packed with interviews, film clips, TV rarities and much more! It's enough to make you scream! ... Read more

Amazon.com

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

Ab Fab creators Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders star in this highlights program of the best skits and spoofs from their fourth season. Includes send-ups of Alien, Misery, Silence of the Lambs, stuffy costume dramas, and of course the royals. ... Read more

Description

Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders take on American television, pretentious foreign films and Madonna and that's just in the first fifteen minutes of this hilarious collection from their fifth series. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

A French & Saunders MUST HAVE
All of the 4 available French & Saunders DVDs released in the U.S. so far are good, entertaining examples of fine British parodies, but "Living in a Material World" is beyond fabulous. It includes as a BONUS FEATURE the Easter Special that ran on Comedy Central as "The French & the Saunders" . . . which puts a hysterical spin on Peter Jackson's "LOTR" movies that even Ian McKellen reportedly suggested Jackson include on the bumper disc for the trilogy. Especially at amazon.com's low price, you can't afford not to own this DVD if you love F&S or LOTR!

It's to "AbFab" as "Fawlty Towers" is to "Monty Python."
Dawn French & Jennifer Saunders emerged on the British comedy scene as one of the new crop of performers who began at the "Comic Strip" club. This clan produced great TV comedy throughout the '80s & '90s, much to America's indifference: "The Young Ones (the most successful of the bunch stateside)," "The Comic Strip Presents...," "Bottom," "Filthy, Rich, & Catflap," and "French & Saunders." Then, Jennifer Saunders wrote and starred in a program based on a sketch from a "French & Saunders" show called "Absolutely Fabulous." Of course, it became an worldwide hit and put Saunders on the map. "AbFab" is unquestionably brilliant and Edina Monsoon a fantastic creation but the fact that Yanks love "AbFab" while remaining ignorant of "French & Saunders" is like having people love John Cleese's "Fawlty Towers" while never having seen his work in "Monty Python's Flying Circus." "French & Saunders," being a sketch show, covers a wider range of subjects and humor than "AbFab" and reveals Dawn French as a formidable talent on her own and a perfect compliment to Saunders. Many of the shows parody popular films and musical acts and, while some pieces may be very dry, others are rather vulgar and savage. Personally, I think these shows are greater than "AbFab" in that there is so much more in them - including the full breadth of Saunders talent (both women have an endless stream of diverse characters inside them). Grab this disc and discover what they already know overseas: that French & Saunders are the greatest comedy team of the past 20 years!

Genius parody
This may be French's and Saunders's finest work of all. Those familiar with them largely through ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS or their broader humor from the earlier French and Saunders series will be surprised at how subtle they are capable of being here. Jennifer Saunders' awesomely controlled imitation of Jane Seymour (in perhaps their most hilarious of all parodies, DR. QUIMN, MAD WOMAN) is a case in point. Who even dreamed that Jane Seymour *could* be parodied at all? (Saunders does it by looking incredibly sincerely at whomever she's speaking to and murmuring vaguely audible comforting things; when at one point she speaks, in a moment of crisis, at a normal human level, she has to turn back to murmur, "I'm sorry I raised my voice at you just now...") Dawn French makes a memorable Pamela Anderson in their BAYWATCH parody (she not only gets the hair and lipstick down perfectly but also the spaced-out look of concern), and then the production staff serves them brilliantly with a Fellini parody that is so exact--even down to the film stock used---that it must be seen to be believed.

"In Bed with French&Saunders" : Absolutely Fabulous!
Before Jennifer Saunders' mega hit, "Absolutely Fabulous", there was "French and Saunders" starring Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders.

These two women play with, and master, parody. For instance, the world owes them the hilarious "In Bed with French and Saunders" which is shown in this video. In their 1998's series they get their hands on "Braveheart" and "Baywatch", in which the not-so-thin Dawn French is playing Pamela Anderson, and I never get tired of it.

But French and Saunders are also a couple who doesn't need movies and songs to be funny. I invite you to join them in one of their living room talks or in their typically British sketches.

Along with comedy sketches, songs, and a bit of dancing,Madonna French and Madonna Jen are waiting for your visit. I do recommend as well the LIVE VIDEO which is simply irresitible.

What else could I say? Nothing! Just buy it!

Funny Ladies
If you're a fan of AbFab or British comedy in general, check out F&S. In this particular installment, they parody Dr. Quinn, Madonna, Batman, and even Braveheart. These original creators of AbFab are hilarious in their sketches, a lot of times going out of their characters to talk in their normal voices and poke fun of the segment they're in. I highly recommend them and plan on collecting all of the videos. ... Read more

Description

Kevin Costner stars in this inside look at how the Kennedy Administration responded to the discovery of offensive Soviet weapons in Cuba, and the pressurized tug-of-war that ensued between the US and the USSR during the thirteen days of the missile crisi ... Read more

Reviews (199)

The Best Historical Film of the Year (2001)
THIRTEEN DAYS is simply outstanding! One of the best historical films I have ever seen! It is even more "History" then "Hollywood".

I think the Cuban Missile Crisis is one of the most important events in American History. However, many younger Americans know so very little about the very important events depicted in this carefully planned and conscientiously researched film.

Steven Culp's portrayal of Robert F. Kennedy was simply uncanny. It has got to be difficult to act as a person so many people know so well. I thought his performance was fabulous. Kevin Costner played the role of presidential aide Kenneth O'Donnell. His performance was very good however; his Boston accent was terrible and really does get on your nerves, especially in the beginning of the film. Bruce Greenwood plays John F. Kennedy and does this great president justice.

I highly recommend the infini film DVD version of this movie. The Beyond the Movie features are wonderful. The Historical Figures Commentary features archival audio of John F. Kennedy, Robery McNamara, P. O'Donnell, Pierre Salinger, Sergie Khrushchev, and many others. There is a 48 minute documentary entitled "Roots of the Cuban Missile Crisis" which features film footage from the era along with modern interviews covering post World War II United States and Soviet relations. There are also historical biographies of all the major figures in the movie too.

If you enjoy historical movies this one is a must see!

On The Brink
In October 1962, the world came closer to nuclear extinction than it ever had before or would again. When a U-2 spy plane photographed the installation of Soviet ballistic missiles on the island of Cuba, the United States and its president John F. Kennedy were faced with a monumental dilemma: how to force the Soviets to withdraw the missiles without touching off World War III. That is the story ingeniously told in the terribly underrated political drama THIRTEEN DAYS, one of the best films of that type since ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN.

Seen through the eyes of JFK presidential adviser Kenneth O'Donnell (Kevin Costner), THIRTEEN DAYS is a fascinating look at the machinations that went on in the highest circles of power in Washington during that traumatic time known as the Cuban Missile Crisis. Bruce Greenwood, known prior to this for playing bad guys (DOUBLE JEOPARDY; RULES OF ENGAGEMENT), gives an extremely credible portrayal of John Kennedy, who finds himself caught between a rock and a hard place. On one side are the Joint Chiefs of Staff, led by staunch Cold Warriors General Max Taylor and Dean Acheson, pushing for an invasion and surgical strike against the missiles. On the other is the president's own conscience, for he knows that anything as rash as what the Joint Chiefs are leaning hard on could mean the end of life on Earth.

Alongside Greenwood's sterling performance, Steven Culp portrays his brother Bobby Kennedy with the right tact and straight-forward believability. Costner's heavy Boston accent is not always credible, but this is only a minor flaw in his performance as Ken O'Donnell, which is otherwise quite good. A true standout performance is Michael Fairman's portrayal of UN ambassador Adlai Stevenson, a former presidential candidate and an old "political cat" who denounces the Soviet Union's stonewalling at the United Nations in front of the world--"Yes or No?! Don't bother to wait for the translation"; "I'm prepared to stay here until Hell freezes over, if that's what it takes!"

David Self's screenplay is very cagily based on White House tapes, documents, and memos from that two-week edge-of-the-seat rollercoaster ride the human race had to endure. It all comes together under the crisp, taut direction of Roger Donaldson, who directed Costner in 1987's NO WAY OUT. Even though it is a rather long film at 146 minutes, it plays like Great American theatre, the kind that Hollywood has somehow left behind in its rush for big bucks.

Like any film drama based on real events, besides the slight fictionalizations, a person's knowledge of these events might make THIRTEEN DAYS predictable. But the reason these kinds of films work is not so much the end result as to finding out how the end result was achieved. That is the real triumph of this movie, and why it ranks very close to ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN, in my book.

Boring
I saw this film in a history class I was taking and it definitely was not viewed for the sake of accuracy, more as a comparative piece to an actual historical documentary and I must say I found the documentary of still pictures & voice overs more entertaining. I struggled to stay awake during this drag of a movie.

Spell binding from beginning to end
I had seen this movie only in bits before on TV but had never seen the whole thing. I recently purchased it and within the last week have literally watched it again and again. I can only vaguely remember hearing the words "Cuban Missile Crisis" when I was 8 years old and had no idea just how close we came to WWIII. This is an excellent, attention holding film. I loved Kevin Costner in this and also "JFK - a must see also". Both Greenwood and Culp did a wonderful job of portraying the Kennedy brothers. I would highly recommend this movie. Use both this and JFK to educate your children, if you can get past the foul language somehow.

COMPARE THE CUBAN CRISIS WITH IRAN-CONTRA
"Thirteen Days" re-created the Cuban Missile Crisis, elevating the Kennedys to virtual sainthood while painting Curt LeMay as an advocate for nuclear holocaust. It was a fantastic picture, like many of them, but in it is an interesting scene in which Kenny O'Donnell, played by Kevin Costner, tells a Navy plot to lie to LeMay about being shot at, because LeMay would supposedly have ordered a strike if he had been. The film paints this lie as the right thing to do because it advocates the Kennedy's position, which was to maintain level heads and a calm demeanor. However, in 1987 Ollie North was excoriated by the Left for lying about the funding of anti-Communist guerrillas, which was Reagan's position. Funny about that.

STEVEN TRAVERS
AUTHOR OF "BARRY BONDS: BASEBALL'S SUPERMAN"
STWRITES@AOL.COM ... Read more

Amazon.com

Is this compilation of sketches from groundbreaking British comedy duo Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders' 1987 BBC series absolutely brilliant or, to quote one especially inspired performance artists sketch, "mindless, pornographic, pretentious, and total crap"? Though hit and miss as any compilation tends to be, it is mostly brilliant as our fair ladies engage in Pythonesque absurdity (an extended conversation that begins when a couch-bound Jennifer refuses to answer the door because she has no leg bones), silliness (the girls pay homage to popular dances), and savagery (two matrons who prefer their blood-splattered furs freshly killed). Some of this is inevitably dated, and there are references that will soar over the heads of non-Anglophiles, but fans who discovered these two titanically talented women from their breakthrough series, The Vicar of Dibley and Absolutely Fabulous, respectively, will enjoy seeing the roots of their comedy. --Donald Liebenson ... Read more

Reviews (36)

"not just friends ~ they're blood brothers"
This tale penned by Angela Sommer-Bodenburg, with director Ulrich Edel, starring Jonathan Lipnicki (Stuart Little~Jerry Maguire) befriends a young vampire boy whose family needs an ancient amulet to become mortal again. They're not just best friends ~ they're blood brothers ~ as together they embark on a grand adventure.

Warner Home Video, presents an inoffensive kiddie movie ~ has enough special effects, magic and cheeky humor to keep the "Big Kids" (Mom/Dad/Grandparents/Aunts/Uncles) from squirming too much in their seats.

The soundtrack ~ "The Little Vampire: Music From & Inspired by (2000 Film)" ~ inclusive are 12 tracks of fun-filled-non-stop music, sure to satisfy the most finicky blood-sucker for all the evening festivities...check out my music review ~ see "Amazon.Com/Music" and look for me ~ both reviews will give you something to sink your teeth into!

Special Features: Cast/Crew Bios ~ DVD/ROM Features ~ Filmographies ~ Theatrical Trailer ~ Interactive Games/Menus ~ Scene Access ~ Web Access

Total Time: 94 Minutes...New Line Cinema...(2000)

NOT just for kids....
Although this movie will definitely appeal to children because the hero is only eight years old and has some great adventures, it has enough wit to keep older kids and adults entertained as well.

The Thompson family (mom, dad and son, Tony) is living in Scotland while dad designs a golf course for Lord McAshton. Tony is having a hard time fitting in and making new friends and begins having really vivid bad dreams about vampires. Then one night, the dreams turn to reality when a small vampire invades Tony's room, trying to hide from a Vampire hunter, intent on ridding the countryside of all it's 'undead' inhabitants.

Fortunately, these 'undead' are not really interested in munching on the human population all that much. They are all members of the clan of Sackville-Bagg who have found that there is a way in which they can become human, if they can only locate and recover a lost medallion by the time of the full moon.

With lots of help from Tony, they try to stay one step ahead of the Vampire hunter and complete the quest for freedom from vampirism.

Without doubt, Jonathan Lipnicki is one of the most charming and natural actors around. I have loved every role of his that I have seen and "Tony" is no exception. Whether he is 'vamping it up' with fake vampire fangs and a cape or joyfully flying through the air with his new friend Rudolph, he is a treat to watch.

The younger actors, Rollo Weeks, Anna Popplewell and Dean Cook as a rebellous teenager are also excellent and likable as the vampire kids. Other favorite characters are Richard E Grant and Alice Krige as loving parents to their little brood of vampirettes and the scene when they meet Tony's parents and charm them into a trip to the bluff is hilarious.

This is a really good, wholesome family movie that will entertain all the members of the family from the youngsters all the way up to Grandma. It's not saccharin sweet and has a little bit of an edge but is gentle enough that it won't give even the little kids nightmares.

I've viewed this movie several times and still enjoy it every time! This one is a 'keeper' and earns five stars from me.

Not a children's movie
I took my little nine year old brother to see this dud. What a terrible movie.

I was expecting a light hearted children's film and instead what I got was a mean-spirited adventure in Christian bashing with scenes that have no place whatsoever in a film aimed at a young audience.

The producer's bigotry against Christians is evident right from the start in its depiction of the so-called "vampire hunter".

He is easily the most disturbing character in the film. For starters his oversized crucifix looks like it was produced at a Las Vegas neon sign factory and his vehicle is a nightmarish cross between a mac truck and a steel mill. If this was meant to be funny, believe me, it wasn't.

The worst scene that I saw is when the boy at the center of the film gets trapped in a crypt and a rather large black rat begins crawling towards him.

I am flabbergasted that someone would think of this as legitimate children's entertainment. Graves and rats! Are you kidding me?! Absolutely despicable.

Throw in more nightmarish images of flying cows and children being given dead mice as gifts and you've got yourself one horrendously bad/disturbing movie that doesn't belong anywhere near impressionable youngsters.

I took my little brother and walked out of the theater rather than subject to him to any more of this garbage.

Shame on the people who made this.

the little vampire
I like the little vampire because i like Tony that plays the little vampire just because he hot,cute and i wan't to move to hallwood when i get older and i hope tony goes out with me.

adorable movie!
Yes, it is about vampires and adorable!
There are some cute scenes and phrases that adults appreciate, too.
My kids love it and so do I. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The comedy duo of Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders return in fullsplendor! Each has gained greater fame individually (in The Vicar ofDibley and Absolutely Fabulous, respectively), but delightfullyridiculous things happen when they combine their powers--crazed andsurreal humor they could never fit into any other forum. In one sketchthey play Renaissance stylists, sullenly assisting Boticelli with thecostume and hair design for his classic painting of Venus; in another,they're a pair of retired Englishwomen in Florida, ecstatic to the pointof madness over the abundance of American food. Rather than simply mockingCold Mountain, they mock the movie and Nicole Kidman's vapidaudio commentary on the DVD. Weaving in and out of the comic routines is ameta-sketch about the creation of the entire special, in which the pairdepict themselves as lazy, fatuous, arrogant narcissists whose onlyredeeming feature is that their producer is even more ignorant andincompetent than they are. French and Saunders skewer female excess likeno one else--in a holiday special included as a bonus, French does adevastating version of Catherine Zeta-Jones giddily reveling in hersuccess, giving a Christmas speech as the Queen of Wales. The loopiness ofthe best bits defies description; their rapport and timing are simplyexquisite. It's a pleasure to be in their company again. --BretFetzer ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Are You Ready To Laugh?
First of all, only purchase this DVD if you're prepared to laugh until it hurts! This duo compliment one another so well and each scene is acted with such ease. This fun, fake behind-the-scenes look at the making of their show will is a new style for the pair. There are also numerous other skits along with this. Of those I've picked the top 3 (drum roll please!):
1. The Cold Turky skit (a play on 'Cold Mountain')
2. The Two Retirees In Florida skit
3. The Visit To The Doctor's Office
Like I said, this is an excellent DVD, worthy of every penny!!!

One of Their Best
F&S seem to appeal to a specific audience. There's some British comedy that just doesn't translate well for Americans. A lot of this has to do with the fact that we in America just aren't aware of many of the things they're parodying. That French & Saunders manage to make these things funny anyway is rather amazing.

I must disagree that this series isn't as good as the previous ones. Frankly, I thought their earlier series were absolutely unfunny and I couldn't fathom how one could find them so. This and On the Rocks are hilarious and I would recommend them over all their other series. Especially worth watching would be the Titanic parody (Saunders's AbFab co-star Joanna Lumley guests on that) in On the Rocks, and the Cold Mountain "DVD commentary" in Back With a Vengeance. Oh, and Dawn French's Catherine Zeta-Jones impression is wickedly funny.

French and Saunders are some of the funniest women in Britain! Watch their shows!

Well, they USED to be funny
These two used to be funny.What happened?

I picked up On the Rocks, and Back With a Vengeance, and watched them back to back.Now, I wish I hadn't.The girls simply aren't funny anymore.It was painful watching them try to relive their glory years.Sorry, they've passed.

There is only one funny moment on the whole dvd, and that doesn't happen until the "bonus features" (naturally, the bonus is longer than the feature), and it's not worth the retail price of this.

Even hard-core F&S addicts (raising hand) will regret these lame dvds.

Stick with the Vic or AbFab dvds instead.

great comeback!
i've been a long-time french and saunders fan and think that at they're best they're amazing. i'd heard that their latest series for the BBC, 6 episodes which ran last year i believe, got tepid to bad reviews, so i wasn't sure what to expect for this. fortunately, i found this release to be as enjoyable as any of their other released DVDs. the duo, noticeably older than their appearances on previous compilations, still have tons of energy and an uncanny knack for comedy that isn't ever mean-spirited and is oftentimes surrealistically funny. the movie parodies are actually the least funny parts (mostly just including parodies of cold mountain and troy and nods to kill bill and the matrix). the highlights include french and saunders on their way to work at the BBC; the familiar but always wacky conversations in jennifer's all-white living room; two incredibly funny scenes where coldplay's lead singer's mother calls him; and a parody of a british tv show called rosemary and thyme and reworked as "sausages and mash" which, like their house of idiot parody, is extremely funny even if you're not familiar w/ the source. great stuff. ... Read more

Description

ALL THE GORE THATS UNFIT TO WATCH. . . Is this a horror movie or REAL LIFE drama? Carmilla, Queen of the Lesbian Vampires, hungers for the hot blood and body of sweet, young Lilith. In her secluded castle, Carmilla shows her new guests the pleasures of girl on girl love and the wicked delights of demonic lust with the depraved vampires of Carmilla's coven.Loaded with eroticism, horror an a touch of humor tha only Mr Creepo can bring to the screen, here is a private look at the world of vampires tha features our own ladies of the night who are now ready to come out of the closet as well as their coffins.PLUS travel with Mr Creepo to the cemetary to bring back the spirit of Ed Wood, thus providing solutions of the problems facing our demented Goth scream queens. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Worst movie I've ever seen
I don't know hy I bought this movie. I wish I didn't. I guess I was hoping to see beatiful lesbian vampires. Well, none of them are beautiful. The erotic scenes suck. There is no horror at all.
Stay away from this movie.

Biting the Big Bloody Apple
"Barely Legal Lesbian Vampires--The Curse of Ed Wood" pays affectionate homage to Ed Wood, the legendary filmmaker whose reputation for making truly bad movies began in the 1950s with such science-fiction turkeys as "Plan Nine From Outer Space." Johnny Depp was widely hailed for his performance as the heterosexual but cross-dressing Wood in the bio-pic that bears the late director's name.

But despite the references to Wood made in both the title and even some of the graveyard scenes in "Barely Legal Lesbian Vampires," the film perhaps owes more to the Andy Warhol/Velvet Underground mindset of the 60s and 70s. As we watch the New York City street scenes that open the movie, we almost expect to hear Lou Reed singing "Take A Walk On The Wild Side" as we slowly begin to confront the evil we know is lurking in the darkness just ahead.

The film, made by the well-known producing, writing and directing team of Timothy Swartz and Timothy Green Beckley (whose alter ego is that of Mr. Creepo, and who always does a cameo in his own movies, a la Hitchcock), begins in the bedroom of two gay female lovers. While the lesbian eroticism may offend some sensibilities, it should be pointed out that the sex throughout the movie is basically soft core and is even less explicit, say, than the lesbian love scenes in David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive."

Lilith, the heroine of the story (played by scream queen honey Stephanie Bloode), broaches the subject of commitment on the morning after, and is rebuffed by her lover (played by Theda Baire). Feeling hurt, Lilith leaves and begins walking the streets in a disappointed daze. As she sits and rests on a park bench, she is approached by Carmilla, Queen of the Lesbian Vampires (played by the lovely, raven-haired Lolita Langsuir), who convinces Lilith to accompany her to her secret lair in the aforementioned graveyard.

There follows a bizarre seduction scene in which Carmilla begins the nightmarish process of converting Lilith to vampirism, with the Queen's fellow ghouls looking on from the shadows. Again, the combination of standard horror elements with kinky sex conjures just the right sense of eerie, frightening abandon.

Meanwhile, a character named "Muffy the Vampire Slayer," in an obviously tongue-in-cheek bow to the similarly named television program, appears and enlists the aid of Lilith's lover in a quest to bring the heroine back from the grip of the undead. At a party thrown by Carmilla to show off Lilith as her new acquisition, Muffy (played by an actress named simply Circe) storms in and declares that everyone in attendance is under arrest.

"You have the right to remain silent," she announces, as she threatens the demonic revelers with a large bottle of holy water. "Anything you say can and will be used against you in the afterlife."

Such flashes of humor are common in films made by the Mr. Creepo team, but this particular joke lightly touches on the almost profound.

There are a couple more surprise plot twists on the way to the film's half-terrifying, half-comic ending, but it wouldn't be fair to give them away.

"Barely Legal Lesbian Vampires" mines the same dark, hidden parts of the human psyche that all horror movies explore and exploit, using sex and violence and gallons of blood to tell its story. That it works as well as it does, given the extremely low-budget constraints endured by its makers, is a testament to the creative abilities of Beckely and Swartz and the entire Mr. Creepo crew. You may not know whether to scream or laugh from one moment to the next, but that's the kind of double-edged blade that makes "Barely Legal Lesbian Vampires" such a kick.

Ed Wood would have been proud.

Great Bloody, Sexy Fun!
A lot of horror DVD's promise pretty girls, sex and blood. Few actually deliver. Well I just want to say that Barely Legal Lesbian Vampires DOES deliver in their promise of a bloody good time.

This DVD has it all. Great girl on girl action, bloody vampires and a little fetish fun thrown into the fray. You can tell the cast and crew had fun making this film as it is an energetic mix of traditional vampires and big city goth. The lead vampire, Carmilla, is especially sexy and looks so good as she slowly licks the blood off of the stomach of one of her naked victims.

Also, the lesbian blood shower is not to be missed! After watching this DVD I am now buying the other Mr. Creepo DVD's and want to know how I can be in the Mr. Creepo videos myself!

Pure Junk-0 Stars
Just what you want for cheap seedy soft core porn that has nothing at all to do with Ed Wood, Jr. except exploiting his name to rip off Ed Wood fans.

Do Not Buy This Crap
This is nothing but soft porn for striaght guys. You wouldn't believe how badly this is put together. Looks like a bad home movie!I didn't make it past the first 2 minutes. What a waste of time and money!!!!! YUK! YUK! YUK! I'm surprised Borders and/or Amazon would even offer this to the general public!!! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Still Funny But Topical
I have to say I enjoy the earlier DVDs better. It's not that F&S aren't funny anymore, they still are VERY funny and clever. It's just that I'm not up on current films and videos, so some of this went past me, I didn't quite know what they were mocking. The Titanic parody was great, but what I really loved was the Cher And Her Wigs spoof. I hope to see more from these two. I sure miss Ab Fab...

A New Round of French & Saunders DVDs!
I have always been a fan of Jennifer Saunders and Dawn French; they are the funniest actresses in the world, bar none. And after four DVDs were released of some of their best sketches, I was sure that this was all that was going to be shown in America. But, I have been proven wrong, for here is the first of two new DVDs being released by BBC - DVD! Clearly, you can see that this DVD will include the hilarious special for "Titanic" but it will also include the spoof on "Making-of" documentaries that is hosted by Jennifer Saunders co-star Joanna Lumley from "Absolutely Fabulous"! At this moment there isn't much information on what else will be included, but in a recent BBC America cataloge it stated that this DVD will have 4 1/2 hours of F&S which is quite a lot more than the other DVDs, which usually run for not even two hours! So, it seems we might be getting closer to having nearly every moment from the long-running series avalible here in America! Mark your calender, because French and Saunders : On the Rocks and Back with a Vengance will be released on March 1st! Also, on a side note, if you want a copy of BBC's hit soap opera "EastEnders" (which will be released publicly on March 1st as well), you can find a copy on the BBC America Shop website for sale...right now! It has been on sale there for almost a month already, so if you want this copy you can get it on bbcamericashop.com before most! If only they would do it with these DVDs..... ... Read more

Amazon.com

Natalie Wood and Gene Kelly make a cute (if not exactly convincing)couple in this Hollywood soap-opera version of Herman Wouk's coming-of-ageromance. French/Russian Natalie Wood is decidedly non-ethnic as MarjorieMorgenstern, the starry-eyed Jewish college girl who falls in love with summerresort small-timer Gene Kelly (who never quite sells himself as a show-bizdreamer with limited talent). A stolid mix of modern, clear-eyed romance andold-fashioned melodrama, it nonetheless manages to slip in some frank (for 1958)discussions of sex and the single girl and sketch out an intriguing portrait ofJewish life in New York's upper crust between the romantic complications.Everett Sloane and Claire Trevor are excellent as Marjorie's success-obsessedparents, pre-Adam 12 Martin (Marty) Milner offers his boy-next-door charmas the former flunky turned Broadway success, and Ed Wynn is delightful as hereccentric uncle. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Description

The comic duo behind Ab Fab bring their unique sense of humor to movies, music, magazines, and mid-morning television in this collection of classic spoofs. Includes Rock Stars and Their Toilets, Opera Divas, Womanly World, and the original Ab Fab sketch. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

Sweetie Dahling
I recently purchased this fabulous DVD of "Gentlemen Prefer French & Saunders." The reason I say "Sweetie Dahling" is because this one contains the original skit of "Absolutely Fabulous". Warning: don't expect big laughs from this skit on AbFab. You'll be disappointed. J. Saunders is dressed in some funky bohemian outfit as D. French is wearing a very dorky schoolgirl frock, in which the real Saffy wears. It's safe to say that the AbFab episodes have toned down their characters and aren't as haphazardly animated. They've refined it in the AbFab tapes if you can believe that.
Despite the disappointing AbFab skit, the rest of the skits are brilliant. I nearly died laughing when Jennifer and Dawn play two back-up singers for a cheesy recording of Kylie Minogue's "I should be so lucky". They join the real opera diva, Sarah Walker.
There is a hilarious spoof on "The Exorcist". Dawn French plays little Reagan, who sticks her lizard like tongue out at Jennifer during a medical examination.

The best part about this DVD is that it has newer F&S skits that you can't find anywhere else. Don't bother looking for them on their own seperate DVD or VHS. You can however find the skits shown on BBCAmerica from time to time.

Belly-Laughs Galore Parodies of Well-Known Hollywood Scenes!
Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders have no equal in their hilarious way of making fun of Hollywood. Watch them "impersonate" bombshells Marilyn Monroe & Jane Russel, playing "Two Little Girls From Little Rock", or see their version of "Whatever Happened To Baby Jane" (the infamous -lunch is served!- routine we rememebr so well), and many other great comedy skits.

During one particular scene, I actually had to leave to get a drink of water, or else I may have passed out from exhaustion, that's how hard I had to laugh! While Jennifer Saunders (in the role of an entertainment executive) rambled on about new ideas, Dawn French (who at first paced the office, listening to the babble) suddenly grabbing her throat saying in a whisper "...this is all so trivial, it doesn't seem to matter at all... our whole lives are nothing but rubbish!" Quickly Saunders interjects "No, no, no, darling, it does matter, everything we say an do is of utmost importance!" - Instantly French regains her composure, and the two continue the senseless babble about new ideas.--This scene could have ended in the ER for me!

These two British Comedy Wonders are the funniest thing to come across the ocean since Monty Python and Benny Hill! This particular DVD is on the very top of my list of favorites. You will never laugh harder than at French & Saunders' Comedy routines!

F&S - Better than S&M!
"Gentlemen Prefer French and Saunders" is truly the best of the 4 F&S DVD's. I bought the "Set", and what a bargain! I watched the first three DVD's today, and laughed for hours. If you are looking for some silly, yet witty entertainment I suggest these DVD's. I have begun to refer to F&S as "Monty-Pyfemme. A wonderful addition to my growing BBC DVD library! Make sure to watch the bonus sections - usually they are the best parts.

If You Are a Fan
You can't live without this DVD!! Hilarious!! If you need your humour wet, enough to soak you with a super soaker...or shall I say, if that kind of thing amuses, you won't like this....but if your sense of humour is dry as the desert and you can understand heavy BRIT...you'll love THIS!!! Run and buy it!!

These Two Women Are Chameleons
I rate these folks fairly highly because I understand British idiom and humo(u)r. If you are an American, trust that your mileage may vary on how well this tickles your funny bone. It is a good bit more sedate than "Monty Python", that's for sure.

No doubt about it - Saunders and French are chameleons. I suspect a big award goes to the wardrobe and makeup crew who work with them, but we have a somewhat convincing 250 pound Jane Russell (French) doing schtick with a middle-aged Marilyn Monroe (Saunders).

The DVD has sketches, not one running story. In this one, they lampoon opera divas, publishers of utterly worthless "stocking stuffer" books (I am resisting spoiling it and will not post the title of the dreadful book,but it is funny.), boring chat shows (one has the two women chatting earnestly about what the Queen had for "elevenses"), two rustic housewifes bragging about fleecing the yuppies ("She offered me 100 quid for the loo!"), and (my favorite) a couple of dour and indestructible old women in Wellies with two large dogs under the table.

The sketches I did not like were the "Gone With The Wind Sketch" ( Too many "Fiddle-dee-dees" for my taste) and the visit to the friend in jail sketch (I got bored, so sue me.).

Oh, yeah, this DVD also has the sketch that spawned the entire "Absolutely Fabulous". ... 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

Diabolical! Fiendish! Horrorific! Legendary horror icon Bela Lugosi (Dracula) stars as Dr. Eric Vornoff, who with Lobo (Tor Johnson), a crazed man-beast servant, is conducting flesh-burning radiation experiments in an attempt to create a legion of atomic supermen. Co-written, produced and directed by cult filmmaker Ed Wood, Jr., "Bride of the Monster" includes Ed's infamous stable of players: Dolores Fuller (Glen or Glenda?, Jailbait), Tor Johnson and Paul Marco (Plan 9 From Outer Space). This was Bela Lugosi's last screen performance and one of Ed Wood's best efforts. ... Read more

Reviews (38)

The Ed Wood film with Bela Lugosi and the rubber octopus
"Bride of the Monster," also known as "Bride of the Atom," is the 1956 Ed Wood film where Bela Lugosi wrestles with a giant fake octopus (oh, THAT Ed Wood film). The argument here is not that this is a good movie, because we are talking Ed Wood here, which means a whole different criteria for evaluating a film and your enjoyment in viewing same. Yes, this is a bad film, but there is such an earnestness to Wood's efforts that he is obviously oblivious to it all, which makes the film equally endearing and depressing. The man got his movies made, so I just do not see this as sad as those people who finally get the opportunity to make a film and make some dreadful splatter flick. So, now, Ed Wood is not in the lowest circle of the cinematic inferno. This is not a four-star film, just a four-star experience. Big difference.

Lugosi is the evil mad scientist Dr. Eric Vornoff, who uses his dumb assistant, Lobo (Tor Johnson) to capture the locals so he can use atomic energy to transform them into supermen back as his laboratory in an abandoned house in the middle of a swamp where the pet rubber octopus out back is used to dispose of the mistakes. Intrepid girl reporter Janet Lawton (Loretta King) investigates the disappearances, although her fiance, Detective Lt. Dick Craig (Tony McCoy) tries to warn her off. Janet is captured by Lobo and (horrors) forced to wear a wedding dress (thereby justifying if not explaining the title). Can Dick and the other cops rescue her in time?

"Plan 9 From Outer Space" remains the apex of bad Ed Wood films, but all things considered "Bride of the Monster" probably comes in second. The acting is probably worse, but so is the script, so I do not find as many memorably lines that force you to howl in laughter. Much is made of Lugosi's participation in these Ed Wood flicks and this is the one where the old actor has the most to do as he goes tampering with God's domain. He gives it his all despite the problems with the script and the fact there is no budget for making this movie. "Night of the Ghouls" is considered a sequel to this film because Tor Johnson again plays "Lobo," but do not expect any more continuity between the two than that if you bother to track it down, but then there is not reason for you to do so. After "Plan 9 From Outer Space" this is the Ed Wood film to check out, and if you really want to find out more about Ed then "Glen or Glenda." But beyond those three, you are on your own.

The Ed Wood film with Bela Lugosi and the rubber octopus
"Bride of the Monster," also known as "Bride of the Atom," is the 1956 Ed Wood film where Bela Lugosi wrestles with a giant fake octopus (oh, THAT Ed Wood film). The argument here is not that this is a good movie, but we are talking Ed Wood, which means a whole different criteria for evaluating a film and your enjoyment in viewing same. Yes, this is a bad film, but there is such an earnestness to Wood's efforts that he is obviously oblivious to it all, which makes the film equally endearing and depressing. The man got his movies made, so I just do not see this as sad as those people who finally get the opportunity to make a film and make some dreadful splatter flick. So, now, Ed Wood is not in the lowest circle of the cinematic inferno. This is not a four-star film, just a four-star experience. Big difference.

Lugosi is the evil mad scientist Dr. Eric Vornoff, who uses his dumb assistant, Lobo (Tor Johnson) to capture the locals so he can use atomic energy to transform them into supermen back as his laboratory in an abandoned house in the middle of a swamp where the pet rubber octopus out back is used to dispose of the mistakes. Intrepid girl reporter Janet Lawton (Loretta King) investigates the disappearances, although her fiance, Detective Lt. Dick Craig (Tony McCoy) tries to warn her off. Janet is captured by Lobo and (horrors) forced to wear a wedding dress (thereby justifying if not explaining the title). Can Dick and the other cops rescue her in time?

"Plan 9 From Outer Space" remains the apex of bad Ed Wood films, but all things considered "Bride of the Monster" probably comes in second. The acting is probably worse, but so is the script, so I do not find as many memorably lines that force you to howl in laughter. Much is made of Lugosi's participation in these Ed Wood flicks and this is the one where the old actor has the most to do as he goes tampering with God's domain. He gives it his all despite the problems with the script and the fact there is no budget for making this movie. "Night of the Ghouls" is considered a sequel to this film because Tor Johnson again plays "Lobo," but do not expect any more continuity between the two than that if you bother to track it down, but then there is not reason for you to do so. After "Plan 9 From Outer Space" this is the Ed Wood film to check out, and if you really want to find out more about Ed then "Glen or Glenda." But beyond those three, you are on your own.

It's not too bad but yes it is rubbish
Basically this a sci-fi flick with an interesting story. The actors were not as atrocious as in Glen or Glenda. Sure they were wooden, but they weren't as cardboard cut out as Dolores was in that or many of the actors that were in that. In some ways though sympathies have to go to Bela Lugosi. He tries his damnedest to do his best in every film and is only let down by nearly all of those around him. His assistant Lobo ( or Tor ) isn't so bad himself. He plays the silent part well and knows how to carry out his job perfectly. It's just a pity he had to be in this film. Everybody else just is a bit too hammy in their acting to be really believable and well when it comes to inanimate objects that are pretending to be snakes or giant octopusses, the less said the better! Well actually, I might as well divulge them anyway......basically see them scream and squirm and toss and turn when the thing does absolutely nothing is hilarious.

Another problem is the ending which happens a little too quick. I know some might just turn off the DVD when they think it's all just crap but it seems Ed spent ages on how to plot the suspense and leaves you short changed on the ending. Just a simple few words " He messed with..." blah blah blah and kaboosh show's over folks. It's not so much of a happy ending as more of a botched job of an ending. Still there's a dramatic improvement in this film and Glen or Glenda

But Ed tried, honestly he tried

Tampering in God's Domain.
Ed Wood films cannot be described without resorting to pejoratives. "So bad, it's funny" doesn't capture the essence of this movie. That speaks volumes, considering the many examples of schlock cinema that is out there in cheesy movie land. Bela Lugosi, regardless of the serious merits of his actor's work record, has the dubious distinction of starring in some of the lowest of the low budget turkeys of all time. As Varnoff, the crazed scientist, he seeks to create a master race of atomic giants. Bela's lab/dungeon displays a flat wall that is painted to suggest rock. Note the prominent sink, cabinets, and refrigerator that look as if they emerged from a Good Housekeeping ad of 1955. Surpassing the absurdities of the set are the platform shoes (suggesting atomic height) worn by Bela's double during the climactic battle with Lobo (Tor Johnson). The inanimate rubber octopus is the stuff of low budget legend. The metal cap with wires attached worn by the victim strapped to the table compliment the ersatz Frankenstein aura of the electrodes and the other hardware. The angora effect is evident. The moderately priced DVD edition has a sharp image, but dark tones abound. The audio is inferior. Considering the silly dialogue, that isn't all bad news. Collectors of vintage cheesy horror flicks need this movie in their library regardless of the challenges. Bela Lugosi fans still ponder his professional decline. From the original Universal Studios Dracula to Ed Wood was a downward spiral of just over 20 years. Proceed at your peril. ;-)

A terrible film that is still compelling to watch!
This is a terrible film, no doubt about it...,but it's an absolute delight to watch. It is probably Ed Wood's best film from a directoral point of view... "Plan 9" is actually not up to this film technically, but of course, that is not saying much.

A MUST for your collection if you loved the movie "Ed Wood", because this is the actual film where some scenes in "Wood" were re-created. The best part of this film is the speech made by Bela Lugosi about "having no home"... though poorly written, Lugosi delivers the lines with such conviction and emotion, HOW he says it is far more important than what he is actually saying .... he was wonderful in this film.

The transfer on this DVD is clear and sharp and sound is superb. I love this odd movie but I know I will enjoy it again and again. I recommend this one highly for the camp and unintentional comedy it contains, but also for being one of the purest examples of truly bad 50s horror. ... Read more

Description

He loved women so much, he dared to dress like one! Ed Wood strikes again. The true story of a man whose lust for women drove him to be as close to a woman as he could by trying to become one. The first film based on the strange tastes of legendary filmmaker Ed Wood, Jr., and a sordid plea for acceptance in the world of bondage and the sexually confused, decades before "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" and TV's "Ellen." "Glen or Glenda?" stars famous horror icon Bela Lugosi as the "puppet master" and Ed himself in the role of Glen/Glenda. It also marks the screen debut of Wood's main squeeze at the time, Dolores Fuller, who went on to become one of Elvis's star songwriters. An important film document about the early career of a man years ahead of his time. Wildly entertaining! ... Read more

Reviews (48)

Open your eyes and mind
Ed Wood's continuing reign as the so-called 'worst director of all time' has earned him many fans, but it has also done his work a disservice: few reviewers dare to go against the tide and write constructively about his movies, preferring instead to hop in the so-bad-it's-good bandwagon. This is unfortunate, because his most interesting films are worthy of critical scrutiny - especially his first project, 'Glen or Glenda' (1953). Whereas most of his other films tackle a specific genre, this movie creates its own: an unlikely but personal blend of documentary and fiction, horror, romance, police procedural, and more. There isn't a single storyline throughout but rather a set of imbricated tales that feed off of each other. The bulk of the narrative is devoted to a couple of case histories which are recounted by a psychiatrist to an inspector, but the film is frequently punctuated by Lugosi's enigmatic character. His 'Scientist' name, much like an early scene in which he prepares a potion, is a nod to his past roles: he is a Demiurge-like figure whose utterances often have anthropogonic connotations and can affect people's lives. Lugosi's performance in this film is quite underrated, and arguably one of his most effective. (He was not quite as memorable in Wood's subsequent 'Bride of the Monster' [1955].) To further complicate the narrative, one of the two case histories related by the psychiatrist - that of Wood himself - features an elaborate dream sequence whose images are suitably bizarre and full of strange symbols. The film always operates on multiple levels at once, since Wood constantly shifts between characters while using a proliferation of contrasting techniques (voice-over, documentary, fiction, stock footage, image juxtapositions, etc.). Some have deemed this cinematic cacophony confusing and/or confused, but I find it fascinating, and sometimes even mesmerizing - this is automatic, stream of consciousness filmmaking that remains stubbornly indifferent to conventions. I strongly recommend this film to adventurous cinephiles.

It's rubbish but entertainingly so
Normally I'd give films 1 or 2 for something that was terrible and that I didn't like. Ed Wood however is an exception. His films are bad but so bad they're good. Basically I could tell you all of what the other reviewers have said here. But I won't other than to say that I got this DVD really cheap in Tower Records ( €6 ) and I can say that this really was cheap entertainment. Lugosi's role in this is somewhat silly given that the film doesn't know whether it wants to be a genuine film or a shockumentary! And in some ways that's part of it's charm while it harms the whole process. It gives Lugosi the chance to spew wannabe crypto mumbo jumbo. In a way, he doesn't really " pull ze strin