![]() ![]() Plan 9 From Outer Space is a ludicrous film but it’s also a surprisingly ambitious one and it’s got an anti-war, anti-military message so all of you folks who have hopped down the progressive rabbit hole over the past few years should have a new appreciation for this film. The least we can do is cut the tragic figure some slack. One thing that is often forgotten by those who mock Ed Wood is that he drank himself to death and died living in squalor. ![]() ![]() Ed Wood had his problems but he also had a lot of ambition and a lot of determination and, eventually, a lot of addictions. To attack Ed Wood for making a bad film is to let every other bad filmmaker off the hook. If I have to watch a bad movie, I’ll always go for the low budget, independent feature as opposed to the big studio production. For one thing, the film is way too low-budget to be fairly judged against other big budget fiascoes. Speaking of tradition, this 1959 sci-fi/horror flick is traditionally cited as the worst film ever made but I don’t quite agree. And since today is the 97th anniversary of the birth of Ed Wood, Jr., it just seems appropriate to watch his best-known film. Viewing Plan 9 From Outer Space during October is a bit of a tradition around these parts and here at the Shattered Lens, we’re all about tradition. If judged solely against other movies directed by Ed Wood, this is actually one of the best films ever made. Appearing in his last speaking role, Lugosi actually gives a pretty good performance, bringing a wounded dignity to the role of Vornoff. That’s actually a huge part of the film’s appeal.īride of the Monster is regularly described as being one of the worst films ever made but I think that’s rather unfair. The plot has a make-it-up-as-you-go-along feel to it. Vornoff and his hulking henchman Lobo (Tor Johnson) have been kidnapping men and using nuclear power to try to create a race of super soldiers. The film itself doesn’t feature a bride but it does feature a monster, a giant octopus who guards the mansion of the mysterious Dr. (Much like Plan 9 From Outer Space, around here, it is a tradition to watch Bride of the Monster in October.) Since yesterday was the great man’s birthday, it seems appropriate that today’s horror film on the lens is Edward D. This portrait of Tor in the heavens was rendered for the back cover of the 2012 reprint of Drew Friedman's first book, Any Similarity to Persons Living or Dead is Purely Coincidental.Bride of The Monster (1955, dir by Ed Wood) Actress Valda Hansen, who co-starred with Johnson in Revenge of the Dead (1959), described Tor as "like a big sugar bun." Wrestler George "The Animal" Steele portrayed Tor in Tim Burton's Ed Wood biopic. No matter, his cult status was secured by Plan 9 and his immortality burnished by recurring posthumous appearances in the early comics of Drew Friedman.ĭespite his brutish on-screen persona, Johnson garnered affection for his cooperative, gentlemanly off-screen demeanor: Tor often went for drinks with his wrestling opponents, and he and his wife Greta were renowned for hosting lavish Swedish dinners. Prior to Plan 9, Johnson had worked in 29 films since 1934 (including the Crosby-Hope classic Road to Rio), but after his legendary star turn for Wood's cameras, he appeared in just one more released film. #Tor johnson comics proTor Johnson (1903-1971) was a pro wrestler ("The Super Swedish Angel") immortalized by his role as police inspector-cum-zombie Daniel Clay in Ed Wood, Jr.'s bizarre 1959 film Plan 9 From Outer Space. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |