Plan 9 från Outer Space: More Than Just a Cult Classic?

Ah, “Plan 9 from Outer Space.” Whenever someone mentions Ed Wood, I instantly think of that one evening back in ’88 when my buddies and I watched it in a tiny apartment in Malmö. We had a couple of funky VHS tapes, and oh boy, we didn’t know what we were really in for. I mean, I swear, if Mora Träsk had made a sci-fi film, voila, it would’ve been like that!

Let’s start with the legend—Bela Lugosi. Or, should I say, what little you see of him before his unfortunate stand-in took over. It’s almost like having ABBA without Agnetha Fältskog, you know? Then you’ve got the flamboyant Vampira prancing about; she’s as surreal as a midsummer pole in a snowstorm. When you watch it, it’s really something else, I tell ya.

Now, I can’t forget about the “mastermind” behind it all, Ed Wood. There’s a certain charm in how everything feels like it was taped together with duct tape and a prayer. And the flying saucers? Ha! Like I remember, my mormor used to have those paper plates at summer picnics. Yet, there’s a uniqueness, almost like a smörgåsbord of errors that somehow gives it a soul.

It’s baffling, really, how a film can be so bad it’s good. You’ve got wooden gravestones wobbling and night turning into day like a fickle Swedish summer. Yet amidst all the chaos, there’s a warm feeling. Maybe the film speaks to the underdog in all of us, our ambition even when the world is against us. Or maybe it’s just the goofy joy of it all.

Grab some friends, some popcorn, and have a laugh. Sometimes, the best cinema is the one you don’t take too seriously. 🍿

Check the trailer below