[47], An adventure game of the same name was made, in which the player must recover the film from Lugosi's double, who has stolen it. We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. The company folded, however, and it was not released until July 22, 1959, through DCA's receiver, Valiant Pictures. What is your favorite opening line from a movie? Concerned about Paula's safety, Jeff urges her to stay with her mother but she refuses. ", "Plan 9 from Outer Space (1956) – Cast and Crew. Anti-statist ideas were to become more popular in the 1960s, which is when the subject became "safe" for mainstream cinema to explore. Aliens from outer space reanimate the Earth's dead in an attempt to save the human race. (1957). The narrator starts claiming that "we" (the filmmakers) are bringing to light the full story and evidence of fateful events, based on the "secret testimony" of the survivors. The film's storyline concerns extraterrestrials who seek to stop humanity from creating a doomsday weapon that could destroy the universe. Newspaper headlines report flying-saucer sightings over Hollywood Boulevard, and three fly across Los Angeles. It also posthumously bills Bela Lugosi as a guest-star (silent footage of the actor had been shot by Wood for another, unfinished film just prior to Lugosi's death in August 1956). Chief of saucer operations Thomas Edwards says that the government has been covering up saucer attacks, and a small town has been annihilated. The film is playing on the television, and the VHS sleeve is seen as Mulder states that he has seen Plan 9 42 times. Craig finds that Plan 9 has much in common with both epic theatre ("grand melodrama on a minuscule budget") and the Theatre of the Absurd (characters acting as buffoons, nonsense, and verbosity in dialogue, dream-like and fantasy imagery, hints of allegory, and a narrative structure where continuity is consistently undermined). No home video release has featured the film's original theatrical aspect ratio. It stars Gregory Walcott, Mona McKinnon, Tor Johnson, and "Vampira" (Maila Nurmi) and is narrated by Criswell. He used it repeatedly in his newspaper and magazine columns, and probably his show as well. Realizing that their weapons are useless, they sneak up behind Clay and knock him out with a wooden club. ", Crossroad Avenger: The Adventures of the Tucson Kid, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Plan_9_from_Outer_Space&oldid=1022667477, Wikipedia articles needing page number citations from January 2015, Short description is different from Wikidata, All Wikipedia articles written in American English, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2015, Articles with unsourced statements from June 2020, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Rev. Vic Brady draws young Don Gregor into a life of crime. Such an explosion would set off an uncontrollable chain reaction, destroying the universe. View production, box office, & company info. There were also claims that the director even managed to convey some interesting ideas. The first allowed the auction winner to provide a photograph that is digitally inserted into part of the scene between the Ghoul Man and Paula Trent. One of the greatest movies ever....the trailer does it good justice. [46], In 1991, Eternity Comics released a three-issue miniseries, Plan 9 from Outer Space: Thirty Years Later!, which served as an unofficial sequel to the film. Then we got more preaching at the end about the usual how- violent-mankind-is" blah, blah, blah. It depicts Ed Wood's creation of Plan 9 from Outer Space. The theatrical cut of the film utilized every last scrap of material Wood had of Lugosi, including minor sprocket discolorations, film trims that would in a normal film be discarded as unusable. The puppets acted out the scenes along with the edited soundtrack of the original film. Really! Zahler used stock recordings of works by about a dozen composers, which was a fairly common procedure in the 1950s for scoring low-budget films and television programs. Wood also used the Lugosi footage as a means of attracting actors to the picture, gaining the interest of Gregory Walcott and Maila Nurmi, among others, by telling them he was making "Bela Lugosi's last movie". Mystery surrounds the content and nature of the lost material, described only as "wild" by a friend of Wood's, who had watched the raw footage shortly after it was shot. J. Edward Reynolds was a leader of the Southern Baptist Convention in Beverly Hills, California, and Hugh Thomas was one of his associates from the church; both play gravediggers, while Reynolds was also the executive producer of the film. Plan 9 from Outer Space is a 1959 American black-and-white science fiction horror film written, produced, directed and edited by Ed Wood that was to change the world irrevocably, resurrect Bela Lugosi 's ailing film career and be known forever as the greatest motion picture of all time. Another remake was released by Darkstone Entertainment, written and directed by John Johnson. This notion was clearly influenced by the emergence and increased popularity of a UFO conspiracy theory. On the other hand, Gothic fiction had enjoyed the height of its film popularity during the 1930s and 1940s. We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. They reportedly considered the direct reference to grave robbing to be sacrilegious, so Wood changed the title to "Plan 9". Well, at least I finally this "famous" movie. At the time of the film's creation, David De Mering was the personal secretary and alleged lover of fellow cast member Bunny Breckinridge; his inclusion in the cast was probably a result of this association. Can you prove it didn't happen"? Lieutenant Harper states: "But one thing's sure. This is Ed Wood's cult classic fully restored and colorized! Evil aliens attack Earth and set their terrible "Plan 9" into action. Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. This is the one that worked, the worst movie ever made!"[45]. Hailed as the worst film of all time, Ed Woods cult classic Plan 9 From Outer Space is one of the most hilariously entertaining movies you will ever see. [7], Another line asserts that the audience is interested in "the unknown, the mysterious, the unexplainable," probably assuming that the film's audience will have a fascination with the paranormal. Plan 9 from Bell Labs was developed over several years starting in the mid-1980s and released to the general public in 1995. TCM Classic Film Festival: ‘Plan 9 From Outer Space’ Table Read on Tap. For easy comparisons, the … 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. (This line appears in the narration for the General Motors' "Futurama" ride and its accompanying film, To New Horizons, that were part of the 1939 New York World's Fair—years before Criswell's own television program. High quality Plan 9 From Outer Space gifts and merchandise. This isn't plans 1 through 8 from outer space. In Washington, D.C., the military fires missiles at more saucers. This pilot figure was not used, however. You don't understand. As the aliens resurrect the dead of the Earth, the lives of the living are in danger. The second allowed the winner to have his or her name placed on a gravestone during a scene with Wood regular Tor Johnson. Lynn Lemon as Minister at Clay's funeral, Hugh Thomas, Jr. as Gravedigger (also associate producer), Sloan, Will. The aliens return to their Space Station 7, and Commander Eros tells the alien ruler that he has been unsuccessful in contacting Earth's governments. DVD Starring: Michael J. Nelson , Kevin Murphy , Bill Corbett , et al. Narration from Criswell was also employed in an attempt to better link the Lugosi footage to the rest of Plan 9. The film's multiple flying saucers were painted all-over metallic silver, including the domes. Tickets are $12, or $10 for Denver Film Society … [43] The Off World production was also performed at the 2017 Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Now you can watch it in color for the first time! The table read of Ed Wood’s Plan 9 from Outer Space is part of TCM’s Classic Film Festival weekend, which runs through May 9. The third alteration is at a point where Eros gets punched and his skin briefly turns green. All orders are custom made and most ship worldwide within 24 hours. [7] Like many independent films of the period, Plan 9 was distributed under a states' rights basis. ", This page was last edited on 11 May 2021, at 20:13. Use the HTML below. What's the deal with the "Criswell Predicts" segment at the start? The beginningof an invasion! [29] Legend Films' restored colorized and original black-and-white versions have been released on both DVD and Blu-ray[30] in the US, and DVD in various other territories. 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! In 2016, an article titled Planet Nine from Outer Space about the hypothesized planet in the outer region of the Solar System was published in Scientific American. That Ed Wood made it with minimal financial resources underscores one of the qualities of his work: His ideas tended to be too expensive to film, yet he tried to film them anyway. Though Wood's actions were driven in part by the desire to give his film a "star name" and attract horror fans, he meant the Lugosi cameo as a loving farewell and tribute to the actor, who had become a close friend. The idea was that humanity's self-destructive behavior was the real threat, not any external source of danger. [42] A stage adaptation was also performed in Glasgow by Off World Productions in 2015, again based on Wood's script. The implications concerning the public's distrust of the government, however, were atypical for a 1950s American film. [7], Footage of Los Angeles is used to ground the otherworldly events to a realistic setting. Under the kit dome was a little green alien pilot. In connection with the Planet Nine hypothesis, the film title recently found its way into academic discourse. The film contains a cautionary message from the aliens. He approves Eros's Plan 9 to raise zombie armies to march on Earth's capitals. This recollection might be inaccurate, since the undead of this film are generally mute. 1 The movie 1.1 Notes 2 Riffed versions 3 See also The titular Plan 9 refers to a plot by alien beings to conquer the Earth by re-animating the recently deceased, starting in the Los Angeles area. Their intention is not to conquer Earth but to stop mankind from developing the powerful bomb "Solaranite" that would threaten the universe. [7], The Pentagon office depicted includes a map of the United States with the sign of the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad. Directed by: Edward D. Wood Plan 9 from Outer Space. Cuts of Plan 9 on VHS during the '80s and '90s, the majority of which were unauthorized bootleg dupes, varied drastically in both quality and the amount of Lugosi footage retained. which again sounds like a preacher addressing his congregation. It took me a long time but so many people have said "it was so bad that it was good" I finally gave it a shot. Mourners at the old man's funeral discover the dead gravediggers' bodies. However, the space soldier Eros and his mate Tanna use an electric device to resurrect them both and the strong Inspector Clay who was murdered by the couple. Title: ), a warning ("Many scientists believe that another world is watching us this moment"), and concluding wish ("God help us...in the future".)[9]. In 1996 the film received a salute by the author of the Cult Flicks and Trash Pics edition of VideoHound, in which it is stated: "The film has become so famous for its own badness that it's now beyond criticism". 4.6 out of 5 stars 52. By causing chaos, the aliens hope the crisis will force humanity to listen to them; otherwise the aliens will destroy mankind with armies of the undead. She contributed to the film a "regal presence" and theatrical mannerisms. Eros recommends "Plan 9", the resurrection of recently-deceased humans. Seeing its glow in the distance, Trent and the police head toward it. Two slightly modified versions of the Lindberg kit are used in Plan 9's UFO scenes. Clay attacks Eros, nearly killing him. [48], The film was included in live performances at the SF Sketchfest by The Film Crew, composed of former Mystery Science Theater 3000 cast members Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett. ", "Alternate versions for 'Plan 9 from Outer Space' (1959). [24][25][26], In 1992 Plan 9 from Outer Space was the subject of a documentary called Flying Saucers Over Hollywood: The Plan 9 Companion, which is included on Image Entertainment's DVD edition of Plan 9. Plan 9 from Outer Space is a 1959 independently made American black-and-white science fiction-horror film, produced, written, directed, and edited by Ed Wood. [citation needed], Autographed pre-release copies of the DVD were made available in 2005, and the colorized version was also given special theatrical screenings at various theaters throughout the United States, including the Castro Theatre. ", "Plan 9 from Outer Space Soundtrack (Retrosonic). As the aliens resurrect the dead of the Earth, the lives of the living are in danger. Eros says that Clay's controlling ray has been shut off, which released Paula. By 1950s standards, the combination of dated and modern elements gives the film a rather anachronistic quality. Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. As a part of the promotion sets of the autographed Michael J. Nelson DVD were given away as prizes. Flying saucers were seen circling Hollywood Blvd. A group of scientists try to capture the animal and bring it back to civilization for study. The original title is mentioned at the end of Criswell's opening narration when he asks the audience, "Can your heart stand the shocking facts about grave robbers from outer space?" Craig suggests that Criswell's public persona was based on the style of a charismatic preacher, perhaps influenced by early televangelists. 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