Greetings from Mars on this ghoulish Monday afternoon. A late one today because as usual, Monday is hellishly awful - filled with work, caffeine, naps and meetings out the wazoo.
But today's film is a doozy and one I love deeply. Enjoy the worst film of all time tonight and thanks for playing!
Plan 9 From Outer Space (1959): Directed by Edward D. Wood, Jr. Starring Tor Johnson, Mailia Numi, John "Bunny" Breckinridge, Tom Keene and Bela Lugosi.
The Skinny: Voted the worst movie ever made by the worst director ever, "Plan 9" is a campy romp into the mind of a maniac with a love of filmmaking. The plot - what there is of it - centers on an impending invasion from outer space that includes resurrecting the bodies of the recently dead as a means to take over the planet. There are some cops, some weird space people, and a rocket ship. And a guy that looks like a vampire. And Vampira.
What's Good: Oy vey, what a loaded question! Seriously, there isn't much "good" about the film. Director Ed Wood - the centerpiece of the Tim Burton film of the same name - was infamous for casting shitty actors, using shitty sets with shitty lighting and using shitty first takes without even bothering with a second take. So, I mean when you roll like that, your results wind up ... well, shitty. But there is the proverbial gold in them thar turds, folks. You have to tough it out if you want to reap the rewards - such as Bunny Breckenridge's saucy alien overlord, or the inane dialogue rendered unintelligible by the monstrous Tor Johnson - but it is seriously worth it. Don't expect to be scared, no sir - the graves are cardboard and the "monster" isn't exactly monstrous. It's camp - pure yucks the whole way through. Wood would be proud.
What's Bad: Shit, see above. And add the fact that since Lugosi died before the actual filming began, his part was mostly performed by the director's chiropractor who hid his utter unlikeness of Lugosi behind a cape the entire film. Lugosi's part was filmed without the benefit of sound some months before he died as a reel of "test footage" with no real project in mind.
Why We Like It: See all of the above, we LOVE shitty campy movies! And Woods' version of camp is particularly delicious!
Memorable Stuff: Hm, I wouldn't exactly call it "memorable," but the flying saucers over Washington DC that are actually hub caps and paper plates glued together is just audacious and astounding and awful and wonderful all at the same fucking time. I love this flick. I love it good.
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