Ed Wood believes in his monsters even when his effects give us little reason to. We find his sincerity and accidental comedy worth a look, though the speeches can make curiosity feel like work.
Fi1m perspective
In Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957), an alien invasion proceeds with solemn speeches, unconvincing saucers and scenery that will not quite stay put. Wood expects the return of the dead to frighten us, and the dialogue suggests he takes that prospect seriously. We laughed at the gap between the actors’ gravity and the saucers they were supposed to make us fear. There is pleasure in that mismatch, though the stiff talk soon begins to wear. We find enough here for a curious evening, but little to recommend to anyone seeking suspense.
His first feature, Glen or Glenda (1953), brought a personal interest in cross-dressing into his filmmaking. Jail Bait (1954) tried film noir, before Bride of the Monster (1955), with Bela Lugosi, helped establish his run of horror films. By Plan 9, aliens and resurrected bodies were sharing a plot, with Wood writing, directing and editing. Across the films, stock footage and inflated, unnatural dialogue kept recurring. Later came pulp novels and softcore films.
In Plan 9, Wood’s editing makes it harder to follow an invasion that already struggles to convince. Furniture changes between shots, and stock footage suggests a scale the surrounding scenes cannot sustain. We keep noticing the mismatches when we should be following the threat. The editing has an energy that stops the film becoming lifeless, even as it keeps distracting us from the action. These faults matter because they interrupt the basic business of a horror film, not because every prop needs to pass inspection.
Gregory Walcott helps by playing Jeff Trent straight; the accidental comedy needs that steadiness. Neither he nor the other performers seem to be congratulating themselves on the oddness of the material. The screenplay is less helpful, repeatedly giving them awkward speeches when the resurrected bodies already offer a simple threat. This is where our patience runs out: Wood keeps people talking long after the effects have supplied their brief amusement. Choose Plan 9 for an evening of curiosity, not one on which anybody needs frightening.
Biography
Edward D. Wood Jr., also known as Ed Wood, was an American filmmaker, screenwriter, producer, director and editor. He was born on 10 October 1924 in Poughkeepsie, New York, and died on 10 December 1978 in Los Angeles, California.
Wood is known for a series of low-budget genre films made in the 1950s. These include Glen or Glenda (1953), which he directed, wrote and starred in; Bride of the Monster (1955), which he directed and wrote; and Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957), on which he served as director, screenwriter, producer and editor.
After the death of actor Béla Lugosi, Wood's career declined. He later made pornographic films and wrote pulp novels. He received posthumous attention when awarded a Golden Turkey Award as Worst Director of All Time in 1980. A 1992 biography and the 1994 Tim Burton film Ed Wood contributed to renewed interest in his work.
