Plan 9 from Outer Space

Plot synopsis:
PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE synopsisCriswell (the Narrator) (Criswell) introduces this story about  GRAVE ROBBERS FROM OUTER SPACE  and warns the viewer about whether you can stand the shocking truth.As narration continues we see several people gathered around a grave with a small ceremony. An old man (Bela Lugosi) grieves for his recently deceased wife. When the ceremony is over a man reading from the Bible (Clay Stone) leads the old man away and the others follow. As two grave diggers begin their job, an airplane is shown piloted by Jeff Trent (Gregory Walcott) and co-pilot Danny (David De Mering), shown talking in the cockpit. Danny speaks to the Burbank tower about landing. Suddenly a flying saucer is seen. Flight attendant Edith (Norma McCarty) comes in to see whats going on. The UFO lands in a graveyard and a strange noise is heard by the grave diggers, who decide to leave. As they do, they see a vampire woman (Maila Nurmi)(the old man's deceased wife) coming toward them. A scream is heard (off-camera).The old man leaves his home that he shared with his late wife. Stopping to pluck a flower of hers, he is overcome with emotion again. Narration tells us he left the house, never to return again. The sound of squealing brakes is heard. An ambulance rushes him to the hospital where he dies.Some of his mourners visit his above-ground crypt, remarking how he was buried above ground but his wife below ground. A man (Ben Frommer) explains that he believes it is some kind of family tradition. They are unaware that his now-resurrected wife is nearby, watching. One girl (Gloria Dea) screams as she notices the bodies of the two gravediggers. The police arrive, led by Inspector Clay (Tor Johnson). He asks Larry (Carl Anthony) who found the bodies and is told the man and girl. He turns the investigation over to Lt. Harper (Duke Moore), telling him he will look around with a flashlight. Larry asks Harper if he notices an awful smell. Harper says he cant miss it. Clay is seen looking around the foggy graveyard with a flashlight. At this point another siren is heard. Harper says it will be the morgue wagon.At a nearby house Jeff and his wife Paula (Mona McKinnon) are relaxing on their patio and hear the siren. She remarks it is the fifth one today. He tells her something is going on down at the cemetery. Asking Jeff why is so moody, he explains about the flying saucer he saw on his flight. As he tells her the army swore him to secrecy, they are both buzzed by a saucer flying by, which knocks them over. At the same time, policemen and morgue workers carrying out a body are also blown down by a saucer. Clay looks up to see one go by and land in the cemetery. As he passes by the old mans crypt, it opens up and he (Tom Mason) comes out, face covered by his cape. Clay is surrounded by the old man and his wife who close in on him. He begins shooting at both, having no effect. Hearing shots fired, the police head that way and find Clays body, dead. Harper tells Kelton (Paul Marco) to call the coroner, telling him they have another body.Reverend Lemon (Lynn Lemon) is seen saying a few words over the grave of Inspector Clay. Next we see three saucers flying over Hollywood. Newspaper headlines say  SAUCERS SEEN OVER HOLLYWOOD.  When saucers are seen over Washington D.C., the army is called in, led by Colonel Edwards (Tom Keene) who gives the order to fire missiles. The missiles have no effect. Edwards tells the Captain (Bill Ash) that there were previous visits, always covered up by the government. He tells about a small town that was destroyed by a saucer, explaining that previous radio attempts at contact failed.Meanwhile in space at a mother ship, two aliens, Eros (Dudley Manlove) and Tanna (Joanna Lee) give their report to their Ruler (John Breckinridge) who asks what plan will be used next. He is told Plan Nine, which deals with the resurrection of the dead, activated by their rays to become zombies. They converse and return to their ship.Jeff is ready to go back to work. He discusses his concerns of safety with his wife, who promises to lock the door when he leaves.Flying the plane, Jeff seems preoccupied, which draws the attention of co-pilot Danny and the stewardess Edith. She suggests he radio in a call to find out if his wife is all right. Danny tries to make a date with Edith.The old man is seen walking in the graveyard. He enters Jeffs house. The phone rings and Paula picks it up. Someone is calling to see how she is to tell Jeff. After she hangs up, she sees the old man come in her bedroom and approach. Sliding off the other side of the bed, she runs around and screams. Leaving the house, she runs through the cemetery with the old man following. We also see Clay rise from his grave and begin walking around. The vampire woman is seen wandering. When Paula is seen near the road, passed out, Farmer Calder (Karl Johnson) stops to help her. He puts her in his car and drives off. The old man comes up and watches them go.The police, alerted of Paula's ordeal, come back to the cemetery to search. Meanwhile on the ship, Eros and Tanna open the door and admit the vampire woman and Clay. The old man also comes to the door and is let in. Inside, the electrodes are turned off before they can attack the aliens. The ship takes off, which is noticed and discussed by the officers and Harper. When one of them remembers seeing a disturbed grave, they go over and it is identified as Inspector Clays but his coffin is empty.Gen. Roberts (Lyle Talbot), meets with Col. Edwards about dealing with the saucers. A tape is played of a radio broadcast from the aliens, which has been translated by a new computer. Eros is heard telling about their mission, which is friendly in nature, but has become more violent in defensive moves. Edwards is sent out to San Fernando, where the saucers have been causing commotion.On the mother ship, Eros and Tanna bring Clay to show the Ruler. When Clay is about to attack Eros, Tannas gun fails and she is told to drop it to the floor. This breaks the jam and releases what is making him attack. Tanna is told to take him back. The Ruler tells Eros that two of his ships have been taken away for other purposes and that Eros needs to prove himself. The old man will have to be sacrificed, the Ruler tells him.The police return to San Fernando with Col. Edwards to interview Jeff and Paula about their experiences. As Kelton waits by the patrol car, the old man approaches to attack. Kelton backs away to the patio and begins firing at the old man. Harper also fires all his bullets to no effect. A ray is shown coming from the cemetery which neutralizes the old man. When Edwards pulls off the cape from the collapsed body, it is shown to be only a skeleton. They go back to the cemetery.Inside the ship Eros and Tanna prepare for the reception of living earth men. Harper, Jeff and Edwards locate the ship and when the door opens, they go in. Meeting with the aliens, they hold their guns on them. Eros tells them that the others from the car will be joining them shortly. Jeff threatens Eros, who says he will show them on a video screen. When he reaches to control it, Jeff fires a warning shot. Explaining he is only going to show them, Harper tells him to do so slowly. On the screen Clay is shown carrying Paula, who has only fainted, they are told. Eros explains about the development of bombs throughout history, including the atomic and hydrogen bombs. The next discovery will be the solorbonite, which harnesses the rays of the sun. When Eros responds to their closed minds as  stupid, stupid , Jeff strikes him.As another patrol car drives up, Kelton confesses that Clay got Mrs. Trent and knocked him out. They go through the graveyard and see Clay holding the woman. They are able to knock Clay down and Kelton revives Paula. Meanwhile on the ship a struggle ensues with Jeff fighting Eros. The others try to open the doors while Tanna tries to launch the ship. As the ship catches on fire, Edward gets the doors open and he and Harper exit, telling Jeff to come. He is the last to escape before the saucer lifts off in a flame of fire and explodes over Hollywood. Edwards speculates that there may be others in the future.Criswell concludes his narration saying  God help us in the future.

Tags: horror, cult, humor, murder

Review:
While it thoroughly deserves its reputation as a film only worth seeing so that you can enjoy its remarkably amateurish production, on the other hand it seems a bit unfair to label "Plan 9 From Outer Space" as the worst film ever made.
Those qualities put it well ahead of a great many movies that cost a lot more to make and that involved many more recognizable names than you'll find in this cast.To be sure, almost everything about it is of amazingly poor quality, from the incompetent directing and acting to the slipshod special effects to the dialogue that produces countless unintentional laughs.
Everyone who watches it has their own list of favorite examples of this film's complete ineptitude.If you have any interest in old movies, you should see this if you have the chance, as long as you can do so without paying for the privilege.
Poor production values, terrible acting, worse directing, and dialog that has to be heard to be believed, combine to create a cinematic gem.When speaking of bad movies, it is important to understand what is meant by "bad".
But it takes a hell of a lot to be almost universally considered the worst movie of all time, and here is Plan 9's true strength.
First things first - anyone who calls 'Plan 9 from Outer Space' "the worst movie ever made" needs to watch more movies!
Hell, it isn't even the most inept and bizarre movie Ed Wood ever made, that would still have to be 'Glen Or Glenda', which for some strange reason still doesn't have a tenth of the cult following 'Plan 9' does.
Speaking of cult, in some ways 'Plan 9' is almost THE definitive cult movie if you consider that it virtually vanished without a trace when it was first released and it still lives on because it was subsequently rediscovered by thousands of enthusiastic movie nuts, collectors, journalists, cartoonists, rock musicians (e.g. The Damned), and other film makers (Joe Dante, Sam Raimi, Tim Burton).
As much as I love Bela Lugosi I think the three main reasons this movie is truly unforgettable (apart from the obvious -  silly aliens, laughably bad dialogue and "those" flying saucers,etc.etc.) are Criswell, Vampira, and especially Tor Johnson.
Ed Wood gives new meaning to the word "schlock." The cinematic legacy he has left to enjoy should be called "pop-schlock." If the point of the film is to ultimately entertain, this is one of the best films of all time, not the worst..
listening to the amazingly inept dialogue, worthy of George Lucas' "Episode II" (maybe it's a bit better ;), watching Bela Lugosi freeze for a couple of frames, then being replaced by someone else...No, it's not the worst film ever made.
As in "if I made a movie, I'd surely make one as bad / good / unintentionally funny as this one".Yep. Ed Wood is one of us.
Often considered the worst movie of all time, Plan 9 From Outer Space does boast tombstones that are made of cardboard and tip over during the movie, it does feature one shot of Bella Legosi that is reused over and over and over, it does show a cop scratching an itch on his head with his gun, and stars a Swedish wrestler as a California cop, but it is not the worst movie of all time because the story is not that awful.
Did he imagine his role in Plan 9 would lead to greater things?Although Ed Wood has been voted by the US film industry as the worst director in history, he lives on as a kind of cult anti-hero.
It's the ultimate corny, silly 50's sci-fi/laughable horror movie.I watched this film after seeing Tim Burton's biographical film Ed Wood, who wrote, directed and produced Plan 9 from Outer Space.
Having "seen" the hilarious making of Plan 9 while watching Ed Wood meant watching the real Plan 9 was immensely enjoyable, as you could pick up on all the arcane humour from Tim Burton's great film.Be sure to watch the documentary "Flying Saucers over Hollywood: The Plan 9 Companion" which is on the Plan 9 DVD.
I've rarely had more fun while watching a movie as I had with Ed Wood's Plan 9 from Outer Space.
Ed Wood was a good film maker, because he made movies because he loves doing it, not because he wanted to make money.
Previously, I settled for enjoying the Tim Burton "Ed Wood" film, which is very good and tells the story of the making of this movie.Well, I agree "Plan 9" is bad and, yes, perhaps, "the worst movie of all time" as many label it, but I'm sure there are worse ones out there.
I thought, "Wow, this was a bad (meaning good) as advertised," but then I found the film starting to lag at the 35-40-minute mark and recovered a little bit in the end, but not enough to make me want to watch this again.
They should have just kept it as sci-fi/horror flick without all the heavy-handed preaching.Highlights included Tor Johnson's face, the many lines of ridiculous dialog, Vampira's zombie walk with her outstretched hand, and Criswell's incredible speeches and the beginning and end of the movie!
Wood Jr., a.k.a. Ed Wood, a man without talent that loved cinema."Plan 9 from Outer Space" is totally lame: the screenplay is messy, with characters that do not have any development; the lines are awfully silly and stupid; there is an absolute lack of continuity, and sometimes the shot begins in the night, the next scene is in the sunlight and then it is night again.
Another example is the footages of Bela Lugosi, who was drug-addicted, forgotten and poor in 1956, and died three days after the beginning of the filming of "Plan 9 from Outer Space".
Being listed there is a hard thing to reach as well as being listed in the worst 100 where "Plan 9" surely belongs ."Ed Wood" is all about a young wannabe-producer/director who is so fascinated and driven by the idea of producing movies that he does everything,sets every wheel in motion to make his dreams become reality,doing movies with a least-cost budget simply because he couldn't afford anything else,but he gave his whole heart to that movies and dedicated his whole life to them .O. K.
It doesn't matter any more how bad it is, how amateurishly made, how laughable or even how lacking in substance...it IS Ed Wood's PLAN NINE FROM OUTER SPACE, and flying hubcaps or not, MORE people know of this film than of HELL IN THE PACIFIC or even LIMELIGHT.
As someone wrote, having seen Tim Burton's rather rose-colored biog ED WOOD, it would be churlish, even downright cowardly to savage this film, one that is unable to defend itself.PLAN NINE FROM OUTER SPACE is like a lovable and worn out Teddy Bear - you don't toss it and buy a new one.
I suppose what really made this film famous was Bela Lugosi's death during the production and the poor attempt to replace him with a screen double (poor Ed Wood couldn't re-shoot the scenes, he was already over budget!).
Plan 9 From outer Space redefines al your perspective regarding bad movies.
There are people who say "Plan 9 From Outer Space is the worst movie ever made.".
Yet it is fun to watch so I do recommend this movie for sheer the novelty of it and because it is Bela Lugosi's last film before his untimely death on August 16, 1956.6/10.
Weird and Fun. Aliens resurrect dead humans as zombies and vampires to stop humanity from creating the Solaranite (a sort of sun-driven bomb).This is one of those "worst films of all time", though it is one of the least deserving of that title.
Like several of you, I saw the 1994 movie about Ed Wood, and then decided to go back and take another look at Plan 9.I have a theory.
I think Ed Wood made exactly the movie he wanted to make.It's true this movie is so bad, a group of seventh graders could write, direct, and act in a better one.
And even a seventh grader would realize that if an actor kicks over a cardboard tombstone in a fake cemetery, you shoot the scene again.Wood must have known exactly what he was doing, and as he also edited the film into its final form, he could not have missed all the incredibly obvious continuity fluffs.I originally rated it five out of ten, but raised my score to a seven because as a deliberately bad movie, it's very good.Try watching it again with the thought that maybe it's a send up and Wood made the movie he was trying to make.
Everything about it is stock b-movie material, but the fact that Ed Wood was SUCH a bad filmmaker means he let so much slip in to the film that shouldn't have happened.
After a year of trying to find this I finally found it with the prequel Bride of the Monster for $14, it was pricey but worth it, the film is a riot for the full 77 minutes.The first one may not be great but this one is so ridiculously bad that it cant help but get a smile from everyone who watches it, and thus proving, movies don't have to written, directed or acted well to be entertaining, this being the best example by far.Now, all movie lovers now Ed Wood, he was truly a service to all film makers, and he has reached his goal in life, to become a writer and not many people can even say that whether his movies are bad or not.
This movie has become one of my favourites of all time with its horrible special effects, cardboard props and the visibility of strings that make this movie so worth watching.Overall, if you can find this film get it, I would not recommend the first in the series "Bride Of the Monster" but I would recommend this and the 3rd in the series "Night of the Ghouls" I have not seen the 4th yet..
Though Plan 9 From Outer Space is said to be the worse movie ever, its very enjoyable and fun to watch.Aliens invade the Earth and bring the dead back to life as zombies so they can rule the World.
They call this operation "Plan 9".This movie is noted for its ultra cheap props which include cardboard headstones and what look like paper plates for the flying saucers.The cast includes Bela Lugosi in his final movie and he died before filing was complete and a double replaced him.
Directed of course by Ed Wood.Plan 9 From Outer Space is compulsory viewing for all movie fans.
I don't believe that the "Worst film ever"-label really applies to Plan 9 because this film is SO bad, so phenomenally inept that it's a total hoot from start to finish - in fact, it's probably one of the most entertaining movies you're likely to see (even if not for the reasons intended).
As bad as PLAN 9 is, there is one thing that I found interesting: that the aliens make mention of God. Though I am an atheist, I think it raises a good matter of discussion about whether beings from other planets know of Him and what do they call Him. However, I think this was added by Wood in order to get the funding from the Baptist church.
I mean, of course I will not give 10 in a movie like this one, but I laughed a lot with some situations, like the gravestone falling, and the guy that is in Bela Lugosi's place, with his arms covering his face all the time to not show this obvious fact.I agree with a guy who said that this movie is not the worst of all.
and didn't let the fact that he had no talent get in the way.This movie is also famous for featuring the final appearance of the legendary Bela Lugosi, who died before Wood had properly started shooting.
It was terrifying enough to give me nightmares and have me demand that my mother check under my bed for the monsters.PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE (P9FOS, for short) is one of those unique movies that's so bad that it's actually good (well, sort of).
That's a killer!) So - Is PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE (the cheapie of all cheapies) the worst movie of all time?
While we can certainly pick out the weakness in acting, plot, filming et al, this movie STILL is heads above anything made by the SciFi channel (will a million-dollar budget).It's good family entertainment without one single exploding body with gallons of spurting blood; no stupid teenagers (actually 30 year-olds) who even more stupidly enter a deadly situation; no over the top CGI that has Pirhanna or alligators the size of Texas.We have aliens with tacky costumes (one spouting insults); stupid cops who use their loaded guns to push up their hats, and lots of cardboard tombs and tombstones.I've seen Academy Award winning movies with worse acting.At least this one makes me smile and brings up memories of all Cult movies from the 50's.
Yes,this movie is considered the worst movie of all time,but believe it or not,it is a lot better and far more entertaining than say,Red Zone Cuba or Beast of Yucca Flats made by Coleman Francis.Coleman Francis is a lot worse a director/filmmaker than Ed Wood ever was!!
There, for this movie Plan 9 From Outer Space, came up the name Edward Wood Jr as the producer, director and writer.
Plan 9 From Outer Space is one of those movies Ed Wood made!
It would have been much more meaningful for me to have seen Plan 9 From Outer Space before seeing the movie Ed Wood.
Plan 9 From Outer Space captures the true cheesiness, the desperation and results of shoe string budgets, the lack of movie making skills and how those things all contributed to the basis of the plot upon which the movie Ed Wood was based.
I think you will actually enjoy the movie Plan 9 From Outer Space.
IS it a great movie by virtue of its being so bad, but so seriously filmed, that it just keeps people coming back to find out whether it has meaning?
Most other bad movies are too slow and boring to hold your interest, but Ed Wood's artistic vision was too keen to allow that to happen to this, his magnum opus.Leonard Maltin describes Plan 9 as "mesmerizingly awful."  That's exactly right -- you get almost hypnotized watching it.
This is only scratching the surface.The most amazing thing about Plan 9 from Outer Space is not Ed Wood's ambivalence to detail but the fact that this ambivalence never detracts from the film's overall enjoyment.
Credited as Bela Lugosi's last film, "Plan 9" has all the makings of a terrible movie.
But, when there is little to do and an escape from the real world is needed, "Plan 9 From Outer Space" is the perfect movie to watch and laugh at.
anyway, i really think this film needs more liking insted of all these nasty reveiws from people who says "this film is a stupid movie", well sure some of the special effects in this film are dumb, but hey ed wood tryed to do his best and i think we should have more respect for him and his films and that goes FOR ALL THOSE REVEIWERS WITH NASTY REVIEWS.
The fact that to Ed Wood the concept of day or night in filming scenes weren't important and his major actor (Lyle Talbot Excluded) died before making the picture and was replaced by a taller chiropractor/"actor" detracted from the overall skill in which the movie was made.
And in closing, if you want just a tid bit of an idea of what to expect from Plan 9 from Outer Space, I'll say this- Bela Lugosi is in one scene in the beginning of the picture (the laugh out loud exit from the house when he holds the flower) and then for the rest of the movie he is substituted (he died minutes after filming the scene) by another, taller actor in a cape covering his face!
How does one grade "Plan 9 From Outer Space?"  If we say that director/writer/producer/editor Ed Wood Jr. was trying to film a serious, scary movie, well then "Plan 9" is a terrible, terrible movie.
It's the only movie I know that's famous for being bad and it's been that way for nearly 50 years.Aliens are not planning on taking over mankind this time.
Great SF Fun. As far as 1950 SF films are concerned, Plan 9 from Outer Space is a real gem.
Bela Lugosi, Vampira, Tor Johnson - all so weird and bizarre that their presence in this movie makes "Plan 9 from Outer Space" such a unique hair-raiser.
Plan 9 from Outer Space one of My favorite film of all time!
This classic film with errors and a low budget is arguably Ed Wood's best film I love the story, the acting, knowing that Bela Lugosi, Tor Johnson, and Vampira are in the same film, the special effects, and every else that the film has to offer!
If you love low budget films that are extremely bad but are hilarious, and want to see a spookyish flick that is good to watch around Halloween time and any time if you want to laugh for a hour and a half then I strongly recommend that you buy this masterpiece Plan 9 from Outer Space!
And I consider PLAN 9 one of the greatest bad movies.The many flaws of this movie are: the acting, full of corny dialogue and overacting (especially by Tor Johnson and Vampira); the sets and the special effects may be poor and cheap (I laughed a lot when I saw the pie plates used as UFOs); and lots and lots of stock footage.