Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959)
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Extraterrestrials implement a scheme to resurrect the dead to force humanity to listen to their warnings about a doomsday weapon.
The story
The film follows the mysterious activities of extraterrestrials who seek to prevent humanity from creating a doomsday weapon capable of destroying the universe. To achieve this, the aliens initiate "Plan 9," a scheme to resurrect the Earth's dead. By creating chaos through the reanimation of corpses, they hope to force a crisis that will compel humanity to heed their warnings. The narrative follows the interactions between humans, including a pilot who has encountered flying saucers and a woman whose safety is threatened by the undead, as the alien threat begins to manifest in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Mourners gather around an old man (Bela Lugosi) at his wife's grave site as an airliner flies toward Burbank, California. Pilot Jeff Trent and his co-pilot Danny see a flying saucer land in the cemetery, where two gravediggers are killed by a ghoul—the reanimated wife of the old man. The old man is later killed by a car, but his corpse is reanimated. Inspector Daniel Clay investigates the cemetery and is murdered by the ghoul and the old man's corpse. Jeff tells his wife, Paula, about his saucer encounter, which the Army has sworn him to secrecy. Another saucer lands, and a powerful noise knocks the Trents and the police to the ground. In Washington, D.C., the military fires missiles at saucers, while Chief Thomas Edwards reports the government is covering up attacks. At Space Station 7, Commander Eros recommends "Plan 9" to raise armies of the dead to march on Earth's capitals. The undead old man breaks into the Trents' house and chases Paula, who escapes into the woods. The zombified Inspector Clay attacks Eros, and the ruler approves the plan. Eros's ray strikes the old man, reducing him to a skeleton. Edwards and the police drive to the cemetery, where Eros and Tanna kidnap Paula to lure the humans to the saucer. Inside, Eros explains that humans will create a "solaronite" bomb that could destroy the universe. A fistfight ensues between Eros and Jeff, the saucer catches fire, and the humans escape as the saucer explodes, leaving the remaining zombies as skeletons.
- Original title
- Grave Robbers from Outer Space
- First release year
- 1957
- Runtime (minutes)
- 80
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Edward D. Wood Jr.
- Writers
- Edward D. Wood Jr. · writer
- Cast and characters
- Gregory Walcott · Jeff Trent; Mona McKinnon · Paula Trent; Duke Moore · Lieutenant John Harper; Tom Keene · Colonel Tom Edwards; Carl Anthony · Patrolman Larry; Paul Marco · Patrolman Kelton; Tor Johnson · Inspector Daniel Clay; Dudley Manlove · Eros
- Genres
- science fiction; horror
- Themes
- government conspiracy; humanity's self-destructive behavior; anti-nuclear sentiment
- Tone and mood
- anachronistic; dreamlike; melancholic
- Premise and plot tags
- alien invasion; zombies; UFO conspiracy; doomsday weapon
- Franchise connections
- Kelton Trilogy
- Reception
- The film is considered a cult classic, often cited as one of the worst films ever made due to its technical ineptitude, yet it is celebrated for its 'so-bad-it's-good' charm and ambitious scope.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 5.70/10 · scale: 10 · review count: 38; Metacritic · score: 56 · review count: 13
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Turkey Award · Worst Director Ever · posthumous · win; Golden Turkey Award · Worst Film Ever · posthumous · win
- Production trivia
- The film's title inspired the name of Bell Labs' successor to the Unix operating system.; The flying saucers were actually a recognizable plastic model kit first issued in 1952.; The film was financed under a contract with a Baptist organization, requiring cast and crew to be baptized in a pool.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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