I Watch Films: Plan 9 From Outer Space

 

Plan 9 From Outer Space

A group of mourners gather around as an old man (Bela Lugosi holds a funeral for his wife. Overhead an airliner spots a strange light and a flying saucer. The wife (Vampira) returns from the dead and attacks the gravediggers.

I say this as though the film is making any sense. There’s some explanation about halfway through when some actual actors have an exposition scene, but it’s generally incoherent.

Which is not to say there’s not some fun to be had with it. It’s a notoriously bad film, some of the sets wobble, the flying saucers look atrocious. Bela Lugosi, the star, had died, and director (and friend of Lugosi in his last days) Ed Wood Jr used some footage he had of him and a stand in who covers most of his face for his scenes (after he dies and comes back to life). The cast includes non-actors who Wood recruited; this would not be so noticeable if there were not also so many competent actors struggling with the script to compare them to.

Watch This: Short, fun film whose flaws cast light on other better made films
Don’t Watch This: Quite bad