Plan 9 From Outer Space

Brilliance, thy name is Plan 9 From Outer Space.

If there were a university class about b-movies, Plan 9 From Outer Space would be the exemplary screening. What would Bottom of the Barrel be without a review of Plan 9? It is the quintessential b-movie! It is a truly great bad movie. If you looked up ‘so bad it’s good’ in the dictionary, you’d see a picture of Plan 9 next to it, along with a picture of director Ed Wood

Ahh, Ed Wood, what a hero to b-movies he turned into. He is THE legendary auteur of the b-movie genre, who made some of the greatest bad movies ever made. But nothing compared to Plan 9, his signature film, his swan song, his baby! The biopic ‘Ed Wood’ beautifully captured the director making the film, who really had no idea what he was doing but still loved what he did. He truly thought he was a genius, which makes the film that much more entertaining. The result is pure brilliance… in all the wrong ways!

What else needs to be said about Plan 9? It is one of the greatest b-movies ever made! It showed us how great a b-movie can be, at the same time showing us how not to make a movie. Bad acting, piss poor sets and props, a dumb story, all kinds of errors in continuity and composition, horrendous direction on all levels; Plan 9 From Outer Space has it all! What more is there to say that you don’t already know? Surely you know all about this movie if you are reading this review. Even people who don’t watch b-movies know all about Plan 9 and its status of ‘Worst Movie Ever Made!’

However, I do have to question that ‘Worst Movie Ever Made!’ status. It is definitely one of the worst movies ever made, but THE worst? As time goes on, I feel Plan 9 is a little less deserving of that title nowadays. Don’t get me wrong; it is a horrible movie, so horrible it’s wonderful. But it’s not that bad. To me, it doesn’t feel that bad anymore. There are worse films than this, and eventually people will see that and may not deem it as the worst, which unfortunately could result in a loss of interest towards the film, though it will always be one of the worst.

Plan 9 From Outer Space will probably not be known as the worst film ever made forever, but it is an incredibly entertaining bad movie, so bad it’s good, that will remain as one of the worst films ever made. But I’m not going call Plan 9 From Outer Space one of the worst movies ever made; I am going to call it one of the greatest b-movies ever made! That is a more fitting title. It will forever be known as a classic, the definition, of b-movies. Thank you, Ed Wood, for giving us pure, horribly insalubrious gold!

Final Mark: 4.5/5



EXTRA CRAP
The Good: There’s so much bad-it’s-good moments in this movie, it’s hard to pick just one. Probably the best is when the police show up at the graveyard during the day, and then suddenly they are walking in the graveyard at night; if you didn’t realize it then, you know by this scene that you’re in for a treat.

The Bad: It’s too bad Bela Lugosi passed away during this film. Replacing him with the producer’s wife’s chiropractor, who keeps his face covered throughout, does not do him justice.

The Ugly: Vampira. Did anyone actually find her sexy?

In A Nutshell: As time passes, Plan 9 may be a little less deserving of its ‘Worst Movie Ever’ status, but it will forever be a true b-movie classic. A must-see for any film studies class!

Useless Trivia: A local Baptist church funded the film. As part of the agreement to fund it, several cast members has to be baptized. So, with that being said, is God responsible for this beautiful piece of shit… all signs point to yes!

Favourite Quote(s):

• Eros: You see? You see? You’re stupid minds! Stupid! STUPID!!
• Jeff Trent: Modern women. They’ve been like that all down through the ages.
  Especially in a spot like this.
• Colonel Tom Edwards: This is the most fantastic story I’ve ever heard.
  Jeff Trent: And every word of it’s true, too.
  Colonel tom Edwards: That’s the fantastic part of it!
• Air Force Captain: Visits? That would indicate visitors!