The Worst Movie Ever

Poster for Ed Wood's cult film Plan 9 from Outer Space

Historical Context

Imagine: a movie so bad, so awful, that it has become a cult classic for many film fans. You might have a few of your own to rattle off, but they're unlikely to be as bad as the comical science fiction film Plan 9 from Outer Space, directed by Ed Wood and released in 1959.

The plot itself is comical: extraterrestrials are hoping to prevent humanity from creating a doomsday device that could destroy the universe. Plan 9 refers to the alien's attempts to resurrect Earth's dead and cause chaos, thereby hoping to make humanity listen to them.

Even for its time, the special effects used in the movie were considered horrendous, and the movie also contained several technical mistakes (including the visibility of the boom microphone in one shot and an actor clearly reading from a script on his lap.) Critics and fans alike have savaged the movie's bad dialogue and plot. Bela Lugosi even appears in the movie despite the fact that his footage was shot for a different movie shortly before he passed away.

Many critics consider the movie 'so bad it's good'. Rotten Tomatoes' consensus says: "The epitome of so-bad-it's-good cinema, Plan 9 from Outer Space is an unintentionally hilarious sci-fi 'thriller' from anti-genius Ed Wood that is justly celebrated for its staggering ineptitude".