Writer of Pop Culture

1959: The Worst Movie Ever Made?

Long before the Razzies was thing, Ed Wood’s infamous Plan 9 from Outer Space was dubbed “the worst movie ever made” by many critics. The “thriller”, which was released on this day in 1959, starred Gregory Walcott, Mona McKinnon, Tor Johnson and Maila “Vampira” Nurmi and Bela “Dracula” Lugosi.

The plot of Plan 9 features alien beings who seek to stop humans from creating a doomsday weapon that would destroy the universe. They do this by implementing “Plan 9” and resurrecting dead bodies on earth. Why this would work is never explained.

Lugosi actually died before the film was finished. Wood repurposed silent footage of Lugosi in “Tomb of the Vampire” and occasionally had a crew member dress up like the man for other scenes. The film is riddled with mistakes in dialogue, continuity and props, but worse yet, it’s terribly dull.