Overlooked Classic: Plan 9 From Outer Space

Ah, pity poor misunderstood Ed Wood Jr. He was a man with a dream, a love of pink angora, and a movie camera. No matter that he barely scraped a storyboard together: in his head IT ALL MADE SENSE.

Let’s ignore his dreadful nudie cutie film nonsense and zoom in on his masterwork,

For there can be only one. The plot, such as it is, focuses on aliens arriving in a flying saucer, hellbent on destroying Planet Earth. All archetypes are present and correct (baffled scientists, curious cops and a vampire, portrayed by Bela Lugosi, in his final role) and the hand-printed props and scenery wobble. Gregory Walcott is the leading man, and Tor Johnson and Maila Nurmi, AKA Morticia type TV pin-up Vampira, are in supporting roles.

It won two Golden Turkeys, but over time, became adored as a cult classic. We never see it or its like on TV anymore though. I wonder why. It’s brilliant, in its own fumbling way. Who needs plots anyway?