Film #3 — 2/2 Bela Lugosi Films; 3/9 Decades
By C. Ramsay
“God help us in the future.”
Widely, though unfairly, considered to be the worst movie ever made, Ed Wood’s indie sci-fi horror project was pieced together in full sincerity around a multitude of obstacles, resulting in an unintentionally campy feature-length work which has since gained the reputation of being one of the ultimate cult classic titles. Opening with a talking head of The Amazing Criswell—a popular but wildly inaccurate American psychic active in the mid-20th century—who also provides ongoing melodramatic narration throughout the film, Plan 9 indicates its atmosphere from the moment it begins, regardless of this atmosphere being inadvertent.
Financed with the help of a Baptist organization under the conditions that the cast and crew be baptized if not already, that the title be changed from Grave Robbers from Outer Space, and that the organization maintain some degree of creative veto power over other elements found to be blasphemous, Wood’s team completed the film on a measly budget. With an amusingly outlandish score, flat line delivery from many of the actors, and the use of existing military stock footage for some of the more elaborate shots, which stick out compared to the quality of the rest of the film, the low production value is obvious but not without charm. Production faced difficulties that included an overall lack of time, the plot still being written as filming was taking place, and attempting to center pre-existing, unrelated silent footage that Wood had shot of Bela Lugosi before the latter’s death into the story to be able to market Plan 9 as Lugosi’s final film. This footage was limited and its use had to be stretched, as did the military stock footage, which led to multiple shots being used more than once. The film is a little slow-paced for its runtime and may have unfolded a bit more smoothly if duplicate shots were removed or some of the walking shots weren’t left to run for quite as long, though in the case of Lugosi’s footage this would have resulted in a much lesser part or even simply the inability to use it. Possibly due to the rushed writing, characters sometimes narrate every internal thought they have as if doing so is a regular form of conversation, adding a sort of stream-of-consciousness flow to the movie that contributes to keeping it lighthearted. On the whole, the film is stitched together and choppy to an extent that can’t go unacknowledged, yet the earnestness that went into finalizing the project and getting it to work as cohesively as it does is what stands out the most.
Relying on bare-bones practical effects, the use of good lighting, makeup, and facial acting to achieve certain visuals, and small sets mostly constructed on a soundstage, Ed Wood was able to find meaningful ways to exhaust the resources available to him. A lot of scientific jargon is used given the subject matter, yet it never feels gratuitous or out of place. Considering how many sci-fi concepts are assumed to be immersive for their audience based on surface-level appeal alone, leading to visual or audible gibberish that lacks in any sort of realistic basis, Plan 9 is successful in its storytelling because the jargon is rooted in practical, and therefore relatable, conversation, and because the details of the sci-fi elements are explored rather than shied away from. The audience does not need to understand the specifics of the science because our focus is instead on how it relates to the type of practicality that is already recognizable to us.
The narrative exposition in the film is extensive, likely another component that has come off as a failing to those already critical, but its presence doubles as a means of stressing the shortcomings of bureaucracy, the humour that sometimes goes hand-in-hand with sci-fi concepts, and, above all, the deadendedness of American politics. Movies like The Rocky Horror Picture Show and Bugonia (and relatedly 지구를 지켜라! (Save the Green Planet!)) are in conversation with Plan 9 from Outer Space in theme and style, focusing essentially on how American exceptionalism, while prolonging an individualistic status quo, will eventually, to varying degrees, be the downfall of all. Plan 9 itself is an unserious movie with a surprisingly serious message, a balance that seems to have been lost in the translation of its execution.
Star rating (/5): ★★★
Recommend?: Yes