Plan 9 from Outer Space (1956)
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64% of critics liked it
(33 reviews) -
45% of users liked it
(24,184 ratings)
With its incoherent plot, jaw-droppingly odd dialogue, inept acting, threadbare production design, and special effects so shoddy that they border on the surreal, Plan 9 From Outer Space has often been called the worst movie ever made. But it's an oddly endearing disaster; boasting genuine… More With its incoherent plot, jaw-droppingly odd dialogue, inept acting, threadbare production design, and special effects so shoddy that they border on the surreal, Plan 9 From Outer Space has often been called the worst movie ever made. But it's an oddly endearing disaster; boasting genuine enthusiasm and undeniable charm, it is the work of people who loved movies and loved making them, even if they displayed little visible talent. In Plan 9, alien invaders attempt to conquer the world by raising the dead, starting with an old man dressed in a Dracula costume (Bela Lugosi, in a few minutes of left-over footage grafted into this film), his much-younger and well-proportioned wife (Maila "Vampira" Nurmi), and a remarkably overweight police officer (Tor Johnson). Often funny and consistently entertaining (if almost always for the wrong reasons), Plan 9 From Outer Space is an anti-masterpiece if there ever was one, and as Criswell so brilliantly puts it, "Can you PROVE it didn't happen?!?" Its legendary director Edward D. Wood Jr. was played by Johnny Depp in Tim Burton's 1994 biopic, Ed Wood. One of the DVD releases of Plan 9 From Outer Space includes the documentary Flying Saucers Over Hollywood: The Plan 9 Companion, an exhaustive and entertaining look at the making of the film that runs a half-hour longer than the feature to which it pays tribute! ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Edward D. Wood Jr.
- Written By
- Edward D. Wood Jr.
- Genres
- Horror, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Cult Movies
- In Theaters
- Jul 2, 1959 Wide
- Studio
- Passport
Critic Reviews
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Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
J. Hoberman of the Village Voice has made a case for Wood as an unconscious avant-gardist; there's no denying that his blunders are unusually creative and oddly expressive.
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Derek Adams, Time Out
It all ends with famous psychic Criswell asking the audience, 'Can you prove it didn't happen? God help us in the future'. Prophetic.
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Jordan Cronk, Slant Magazine
A modest if satisfying Blu-ray package from Legend Films brings Ed Wood's glorious cult classic to 1080p with some fun if redundant extras-perfect for those who've never experienced this ideal-altering cinematic train wreck.
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Rob Humanick, Suite101.com
"This isn't like plans one through eight. This is plan nine, the one that worked! The worst movie ever made!"
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Ian Berriman, SFX Magazine
Some things are best watched at 3am, wrapped in the warm glow of drunkenness. Plan 9 From Outer Space is one of them.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Bela Lugosi
as The Ghoul Man
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Mona McKinnon
as Paula Trent
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Gregory Walcott
as Jeff Trent
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John Breckinridge
as The Ruler
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Criswell
as Himself
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Ben Frommer
as Man
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Tor Johnson
as Police Inspector Clay
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Tom Keene
as Col. Edwards
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Dudley Manlove
as Eros
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Paul Marco
as Patrolman Kelton
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Duke Moore
as Lt. Harper
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Lyle Talbot
as General
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Vampira (Maila Nurmi)
as Vampire Girl
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Joanna Lee
as Tanna
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Bill Ash
as Captain
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Conrad Brooks
as Policeman
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Norma McCarty
as Edith
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Carl Anthony
as Patrolman Larry
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J. Edward Reynolds
as Gravedigger

