This classic creation from the brilliant mind of Ed Wood is about as good as it gets. A masterpiece in every sense of the word, Plan 9 from outer space is a piece of art.

A terrifying threat from outer space comes with the power to make the dead come alive. One by one, the undead are being brought back to terrorise the living. The police are sent to investigate the strange happenings in the cemetary. Will they be able to stop the body snatchers from outer space!!

Tor Johnson gives the performance of his lifetime as the inspector Dan Clay, he's totally believable and mind numbingly horrific as he is brought back from the dead. Vampira also shines in her role as - vampire girl! You may have nightmares and not be able to shake off the memories of her terrifying visage as she walks and stalks her prey.

This is also the last chance to view the mighty Bela Lugosi as he gives his final performance here. It's only a brief part as he is seen grieving his dead wife at the beginning, as he sadly died before filming finished his part was then played by a chiropractor friend of a friend of Ed Wood. Look out also for a powerful cameo by the director playing the guy holding a newspaper.

Be warned, this film is not for the faint of heart, horror fans only please for this lesson in terror is almost too much to bear!!

Ok, seriously folks, this is the best of the best of "B" grade sclock that has been produced. There are more laughs to be had here than the average Hollywood "comedy" and it's a true joy to behold the master in his top form here. Witness night turn to day then back to night in the graveyard. Marvel at Tor Johnson's mumbling as "Lobo" gets to finally speak. Watch as cardboard gravestones are knocked over by the bumbling cast. Hear the hysterics of the alien leader and above all be entertained by this wonderful movie by the king of the B grades himself - Edward D. Wood Jnr.

Enjoy and thanks for reading.


Fun, classic "worst ever" movie plus Mike Nelson humor make a great DVD.   April 27, 2006
 39 out of 39 found this review helpful

Plan 9 From Outer Space is often called the worst movie ever made, but its entertainment value elevates it above many other films, even some of better quality. The plot moves along nicely and has little to no padding in it and the dialog and special effects are hilarious even if that was not the intent of the director, Ed Wood. Everyone who loves cinema should see this movie! The wobbly flying saucers on single strings, Swedish wrestler turned actor Tor Johnson, Bela Lugosi in his last role, Vampira and more make this an unforgettable film. It's so bad it's great. Sadly, the great Bela Lugosi died during filming, so look for Bela Lugosi's replacement in some scenes. He's not hard to spot as he is taller and looks nothing like Mr. Lugosi, hence he holds a cape in front of his face in every scene in which he appears!

The original black and white (b&w) version of the film is nicely restored on this DVD and the colorized version is of good quality and interesting as well. The colorization looks better on this disc than most and appears both rich and fairly natural. Mike Nelson, former head writer and host of the HILARIOUS Mystery Science Theater 3000 (aka MST3K, also available on DVD) provides a humorous commentary track that can be heard on either the original b&w or the color version of the film. Other extras include Mike Nelson's amusing "lost alien plans 1 through 8," some brief home movies of the famous cross-dressing director, Ed Wood, commercials produced by Ed Wood, faux comedic deleted scenes, and a color version of the movie trailer.

Fans of Plan 9 will appreciate the nicely restored picture and sound and the Mike Nelson commentary is highly amusing as expected. This DVD is a movie buff's dream. Don't miss it.


be sure that you buy the better of 2 DVDs of this film   January 14, 2001
 35 out of 36 found this review helpful

Plan 9 is just as bad as everyone says it is (buy it buy it buy it!), so this review is just a reminder for you to purchase the better of the two DVDs that Amazon offers of this title.

Do NOT buy the Passport Video edition...it has horrible sound and the picture lighting throbs between dark and bright through the entire film. Passport Video also included a watermark of their logo in the bottom right hand corner of the screen that lasts throughout the film. In addition to all of this, what is advertised on the package as "Show 2: THE ED WOOD STORY" is in fact 40 mins. of cobbled together interviews with Vampira, Johnny Depp, Ed Wood's wife, and one of Tor Johnson's neighbors. Sounds okay, but they are actually mind-bogglingly uninsightful and focus mostly upon Tim Burton's Ed Wood film.

The edition of this DVD that you will want to buy is the Image Entertainment version that includes the 111 min. documentary "Flying Saucers Over Hollywood" (which is a wonderful addition). This DVD has great sound and picture quality, vastly superior to Passport Video's piddly excuse for a quality DVD.

I know that it may seem counter productive to buy a more expensive release of the worst movie of all time, but you will appreciate the horrible experience of grave robbers from outerspace much more (and Image Entertaiment's documentary is great too).


Wonderful in its own right   October 10, 2004
 25 out of 30 found this review helpful

You've heard about it from friends. You've heard about it in the print media. You've heard about it on television. You've wondered whether the hype is true or not. Now, the time has come for you to discover the truth about (insert drum roll here) Ed Wood's "Plan 9 From Outer Space." You know you need to watch this film if for no other reason than to finally learn whether Wood's magnum opus is indeed the worst film ever made. Now, gather in closely and I'll whisper to you a little secret about this science fiction extravaganza: "Plan 9 From Outer Space" most definitely is NOT the worst film ever put on celluloid, and I can with utmost confidence assist you in discovering dozens of other films far inferior to this one if you so wish. For instance, "Invasion of the Blood Farmers" is a movie much worse than "Plan 9." "Superman IV" is a worse film than "Plan 9." But "Gigli," despite what you might think, is better than "Plan 9" even though many of us wish it were worse. I could name many, many more films that make Wood's movie look like "Citizen Kane" by comparison. I think this film gets its reputation because critics need one shining example upon which to pin their fears and hatreds, one example which provides a common touchstone that transcends cultures and languages.

The plot is simplicity itself. Humanity's quest to build bigger and better bombs has put an alien race in a tizzy. Advanced far beyond our levels of technology, these extraterrestrials decided some time ago to stop us from developing any more weapons. They tried, in fact, to create eight plans aimed at preventing us from destroying the planet and the entire solar system. All of them failed, so the next plan--the titular Plan 9--is a real doozy. Relying on the electron beams and pineal glands (cackles), the aliens resurrect three dead people to scare us into submission. One of these reanimated corpses is a recently deceased woman who looks like a vampire (played by "Vampira"). Her distraught husband soon follows her into the grave and back again. He's referred to in the credits as Ghoul Man, but he's really the legendary Bela Lugosi in a few scenes. The weird events at the cemetery bring in the police, specifically Inspector Dan Clay (Tor Johnson), who also perishes only to return from the dead as last member of the alien's shock troops. Of course, you can't have zombies shambling around a cemetery for long without the local population asking a lot of pesky questions.

Enter into the picture a married couple living next to the graveyard, Jeff and Paula Trent (Gregory Walcott and Mona McKinnon respectively). Jeff's a pilot for a civilian firm who witnessed a UFO at the beginning of the film, but he has little idea how this sighting will eventually change his life. Then there are the military types who know all about the visiting UFOs and are taking several laughable steps to deal with the menace. How much danger does the world face from these beings? Not much, apparently. Wood treats us to numerous shots of the saucers zipping about the planet, saucers that look exactly like paper plates hanging from strings swinging back and forth against a phony stock footage backdrop. When we finally meet the aliens responsible for this impending catastrophe, we can't help but wonder how exactly we should define the word "advanced." Eros (Dudley Manlove) and his curvy female assistant Tanna (Joanna Lee) land their craft in the graveyard in order to better control the execution of Plan 9. Eventually, after much hilarious exposition, military officers and Jeff Trent penetrate the spacecraft to learn from the arrogant Eros that earth is about to invent a bomb that will explode sunlight! A struggle ensues resulting in the destruction of Plan 9, and all is well with the world.

All will not be well with viewers forced to sit through this monstrosity. "Plan 9" is a great movie because its so bad in every element of its execution. The acting, pace, special effects, cinematography, dialogue, and lighting are so mediocre as to boggle the imagination. Take, for instance, Bela Lugosi. He died shortly after filming the first few scenes we see him in, so Wood brought in another guy to play his part. Every time we see Ghoul Man, he's holding his cape over his face so we won't know that the character isn't Lugosi. Oh my. Then there's the sudden changes from night to day and back again all in the space of one scene, the paper plate flying saucers, the heavy use of stock footage, and tombstones obviously made from cardboard. My favorite "Oh brother!" moment? Noticing that the advanced alien spacecraft contains high technology powered by vacuum tubes. Wow! These guys are light years ahead of us without having to rely on transistors! The lame dialogue--too many examples exist to cite here--achieves such heights of banality that you will need to replay the scenes in order to make sure you heard it right the first time.

I liked this DVD version. The extras included interviews with many of the principals involved in the recent "Ed Wood" film along with surviving cast members from "Plan 9" as well as recollections from a film historian about Wood's oeuvre. Trailers from nearly every extant Wood film, as well as an interview with Bela Lugosi conducted at the time of his release from an alcohol treatment facility, found space on this disc. There isn't much to say about "Plan 9" that hasn't already been said countless other times in the thousands of reviews and articles dissecting this triumph of schlock cinema. Go see this film as soon as possible; it's an experience you won't forget.