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Ed Wood’s classic clunker Plan 9 from Outer Space dares to ask that question:  If two easily-defeated, more-mindless-than-usual zombies attacked a few townsfolk, would it be enough to conquer the world?  Also, couldn’t space aliens who look like ordinary people be the ones to re-animate these few hostile, deceased assailants?  Do we ask or address these questions out of boredom or inspiration?  Either way, this movie exists.  

This is a movie that tries to land with a crash but is more of a dull thud, yet it’s still likable somehow. In fact, hit’s primarily enjoyable because of all the horror themes scattered throughout.  Characters visit the graveyard so often that there might as well be a cemetery bus. I also love how everyone knows something is up, yet no one’s well-written enough to truly convey a sense of mystery or wonder, and the actors seem lethargic, only conveying excitement or interest by occasionally raising their speaking volumes.

Plan 9 from Outer Space:  A silly and tragic tale?

As many horror fans already know, Plan 9 from Outer Space was the final film for legendary actor Bela Lugosi.  Though certainly not his finest film, this fact surely shapes our impressions of this film, perhaps even softening some of its rough edges.  Bela himself plays a rather sad character, especially during the moments the character is alive.  Basically, we know him as a mourner of his recently deceased wife who — perhaps in a stupor, perhaps even in suicide mode — wanders into oncoming traffic and seals his own fate (the moment is offscreen, so we don’t entirely know how gross his death is).  

Interestingly, the Bela character seems to retain more intelligence than the other reanimated dead.  He seems to be at least vaguely more self-aware, cloaking his face behind a cape.  It’s certainly an ode to Lugosi’s character of Dracula, even though the old mourner is no vampire, warlock, or anything like that. More realistically, it was also to conceal the fact that, during most of the old man’s scenes in Plan 9 from Outer Space, he’s actually played by Tom Mason, who was Ed Wood’s wife’s chiropractor at the time.

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Plan 9’s wacky moments

In terms of addressing the film’s wackiness, where does one begin?  One place might be with the film’s cops.  No, these police officers aren’t quite baton-wielding brutes in suits, but they often wave their guns around or use them to scratch their foreheads, and usually with their fingers on the trigger.  In other words, if you’re around this police department, you’ll probably want to have body armor.

Also, during numerous scenes, the interiors of airplanes look incredibly unconvincing.  Basically, it looks like one of these planes would rattle apart the very second they take off!  You also have headstones that wobble in the graveyard scenes (extra funny considering so many scenes take place in or near the graveyard).  Basically, watching “Plan 9 from Outer Space” can be like combing through wreckage to find out what went wrong, like a forensics investigation.  Still, even if some of these things are accidental, they are what Bob Ross might have called “happy accidents.”  

Scariest moments?  

Unless someone’s out of their minds or very easily frightened, they probably won’t be scared by Plan 9 from Outer Space, even a little bit.  Still, the question of “What’s the scariest moment” is a fun kind of challenge.  Personally, I would say it’s when Vampire Girl (Maila Nurmi) attacks and kills the gravediggers (J. Edward Reynolds and associate producer Hugh Thomas, Jr.).  Though also comical, her fixed, horrified expression is at least borderline scary, and those gravediggers seemed like hapless everymen who certainly don’t deserve their offscreen fate.

Then again, one supposes many would choose Inspector Clay’s corpse (Tor Johnson), who also comes equipped with a horrible grimace.  As an added bonus, Plan 9 from Outer Space is still more watchable than The Beast of Yucca Flats, where Tor Johnson plays someone changed into a mindless menace after getting bombed, rather than being destroyed by the bomb blast.
That movie is somehow considerably worse!  

The legacy of Plan 9

Most of us like good movies, but it sometimes pays to head off in a different direction and watch a real stinker.  Oddly enough, this one doesn’t have the worst cast imaginable, but no doubt simply wasn’t pushed in the best direction to create truly inspiring performances. Put Ralph Bellamy in a total clunker movie and you’d probably still have some things be “off.” Then again, oddly enough, we might not even discuss this film today had it been conventionally better.

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Every character is as goofy as the gravediggers, even if it’s not as conventionally funny as Leslie Nielsen was.  Also, at the very least, this movie gave everyone from Ed Wood to the crew members something to do.  I can, on some level, laugh at and enjoy the encounters between the main cast and the lackluster aliens (Dudley Manlove and Joanna Lee), the male and female zombies, Jeff the pilot (Gregory Walcott), and his phony cockpit and stirring speech about being “muzzled by army brass.” This movie also gave us Ed Wood, which was a box office bomb but a critical success and well worth checking out.

What are your thoughts on Plan 9 From Outer Space? Assuming you’re not muzzled by army brass, let us know in the comments!

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1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Stevie

    February 3, 2022 at 5:53 pm

    I never got people who said this film was the worst thing in existence.

    I mean it’s enjoyable fun albeit forgettable.

    Plus other films I’ve watched considered better really. . . weren’t XD

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Movies n TV

Bloody Axe Wound: A Slasher Flick with Daddy Issues and a Side of Feminism

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Alright, you sick puppies, gather ’round for a tale of family bonding, teenage angst, and good old-fashioned murder. “Bloody Axe Wound” is here to tickle your funny bone and possibly remove a few other bones while it’s at it.

Woman with bikini covered in blood from Bloody Axe Wound

The Gist: Serial Killing as a Family Business

Picture this: a video store that’s actually a front for some seriously messed up snuff films. The twist? The owner’s a serial killer who’s been slicing and dicing teens faster than you can say “late fees.” But wait, there’s more! His daughter, Abby Blake Cut (yeah, that’s her name, deal with it), wants in on the family business. Talk about bring-your-daughter-to-work day gone horribly wrong!

“Bloody Axe Wound” is like “90210” decided to do a crossover with “Halloween” – Jim Phoenix, HauntedMTL

Daddy’s Little Monster

So, Daddy Dearest isn’t too keen on his baby girl following in his bloody footsteps. I mean, come on, it’s 2024 – girls can be anything they want, even psychopathic murderers! But our guy’s stuck in the past, probably still thinks women belong in the kitchen (chopping vegetables, not people).

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A Feminist Slasher? You Bet Your Ass!

Abby’s not just fighting for her right to party (and by party, I mean brutally murder people). She’s breaking down barriers in the male-dominated field of serial killing. Move over, Jason and Freddy – there’s a new blade in town (no, not Mahershala Ali…only one real Blade…), and she’s got a point to prove (several points, actually, all of them sharp).

Horror Tropes Galore

This flick’s got more tropes than a teenager’s got hormones:

  • Awkward sexual exploration? Check.
  • That one friend who’s way too old to be hanging with high schoolers? You betcha.
  • A cursed town where everyone’s oblivious to the killer in their midst? Oh, honey, it’s all here.

It’s like “90210” decided to do a crossover with “Halloween,” and somehow it works!

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The Verdict: 4.5 out of 5 Bloody Thumbs Up

Look, I’m not saying “Bloody Axe Wound” is gonna win any Oscars (unless they finally add that “Best Dismemberment” category I’ve been lobbying for). But hot damn, it’s a fun ride. It’s got laughs, it’s got gore, it’s got a weirdly heartwarming father-daughter story if you squint hard enough. This one is a rewatchable movie and probably a cult classic for many of us.

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So, grab your popcorn, leave your sensitivity at the door, and get ready for a movie that’ll make you laugh, cringe, and possibly reconsider your family dynamics. Just remember: the family that slays together, stays together!

4.5 out of 5 stars (4.5 / 5)

P.S. Don’t bring the kids. Unless you want them to have a very awkward conversation with their school counselor.

P.P.S. Sorry, once again, for killing your name in our podcast…

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Dexter Original Sin F is for Fuck-Up dives deeper into the horrors of a beloved character

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Episode five of Original Sin was surprisingly light. At least, as light as a show can be when it involves murder, teenage drug use, and the anniversary of the death of a beloved parent.

The story

We begin this episode right where the last one left off. Mad Dog, Dexter’s latest victim, is hit by a car and killed. This leaves Dexter with the unpleasant chore of cleaning up a crime scene but not being able to actually kill someone.

Patrick Gibson in Dexter Original Sin.

Meanwhile, Harry is getting ready for the trial of Levi Reed. This trial seems like it will be a slam dunk, except for one terrible surprise. Turns out Harry messed up and hid what probably wouldn’t have been evidence strong enough to dismiss the case until he hid it.

What worked

One of the reasons why Dexter is so popular is that it’s funny. While it is a show that deals with very heavy subject matter, it’s also managed to be funny most of the time.

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This episode is funny. It starts with Dex cursing over and over while he frantically and meticulously cleans up his crime scene, then hiding in a corner with a bag of incriminating trash. We later see him eat way too many pot brownies and get high as a kite, then eat two pizzas while laughing at I Love Lucy with Deb.

These are funny scenes that fit into the heaviness of the show. It doesn’t feel like emotional whiplash when we go from the kids getting high to Harry having a mental breakdown because that makes sense. Rather than forcing humor where it doesn’t belong, the writers made this comedy make sense.

I also loved that we’re seeing Dexter become who he will be. He’s terrified of losing control. He’s always learning how to kill more efficiently. And for someone who claims to not have regular human emotions, he already seems to understand a lot more about how the people around him are likely to act.

At least, he gets how Harry’s going to respond.

I like that he’s not just a teen version of the same character. I like that we’re seeing how this young mentally ill man changed into the adult mentally ill man we all know and love.

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Finally, we are really seeing the depths of how bad of a cop, and frankly a person, Harry is. Because Harry isn’t a good person.

Patrick Dempsey, Reno Wilson and James Martinez in Dexter Original Sin.

He withheld evidence in a murder trial because he just didn’t consider it valid.

He ignored his kids, especially Deb when they needed him.

He’s having an affair with his CI, which is not only bad because he’s a married man, but because he’s taking advantage of a huge power imbalance between the two of them.

And finally, when he singlehandedly lost a murder trial, he got drunk and almost shot a man. When he couldn’t do it himself, he let Dexter off the leash.

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Harry is a bad person. And that’s kind of awesome. That’s the sort of villain origin story that I love to see. He is a more interesting character because of this. And Dexter is more understandable because of what we understand about the man who raised him.

What didn’t work

It took me a while to look over this episode of Dexter Original Sin and find something to complain about. And honestly, there’s one part of this season that’s been bothering me.

I don’t love that Harry is spending so much time with little Dexter. It just doesn’t make sense to me. At least, not with the story of the original show.

Especially in the first season, it’s clear that Dexter doesn’t remember anything before the death of his mother. That makes sense, as he was very very small. But this little Dexter feels like he would have been old enough to remember some of this.

But, you might say, he was traumatized. He watched his mother be brutally slaughtered and was left for days in a shipping crate with his mother’s body. And yeah, it does make sense that he would forget a lot.

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But would he never have the slightest inkling that he was now being raised by the man who suddenly showed up in his life, babysat him, and tucked him lovingly into bed?

Overall, this was a great episode. It was funny, touching, and moved along several storylines. I’m excited to see what comes next. 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

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Street Trash: A Mind-Melting Masterpiece of Mayhem

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Holy crow, folks! Buckle up, because we’re about to dive headfirst into the gloriously gooey world of “Street Trash” – the 2024 remake that’ll make you question your life choices and possibly your sanity. Trust me, this ain’t your grandma’s horror flick (unless your grandma’s into melting hobos and alien smurfs, in which case, I probably swiped right on that one and you’re out of milk.)

Street Trash still courtesy of Lightbulb Films

What’s the Deal with Street Trash?

Picture this: a bunch of homeless misfits discover a sinister plot to wipe out every street dweller in the city. Cue the chaos, the melting, and enough WTF moments to make your brain leak out of your ears. It’s like if “They Live” and Cheech’s “Born in East LA” had a love child, and that child was raised by a family of radioactive dumpsters.

Yes, even the damn credits are worth watching. Marvel, eat your heart out. – Jim Phoenix, HauntedMTL

From the Twisted Mind Behind Fried Barry

Remember “Fried Barry”? That mind-bending trip from 2020 that left you questioning reality? Well, the same madman is back, and he’s cranked the insanity up to eleven. If you thought “Fried Barry” was a wild ride, “Street Trash” is like strapping yourself to a rocket made of hallucinogens and blasting off into a dimension of pure, unadulterated chaos.

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Body Horror That’ll Make You Hurl (In a Good Way)

Let’s talk gore, baby! This flick kicks off with some of the most stomach-churning body horror I’ve seen in years. We’re talking face-melting, blood-spewing, organs-on-the-outside kind of nastiness. It’s so gross, it loops back around to beautiful. You’ll be disgusted, amazed, and possibly a little turned on (no judgment here, folks).

Not Just Gore – There’s Heart (and Other Organs) Too

But wait, there’s more! “Street Trash” isn’t just about turning people into human slushies. It’s got heart, humor, and even some genuinely touching moments. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll wonder why that blue alien demon thing is so damn adorable. It’s an emotional rollercoaster, if rollercoasters were made of meat and powered by existential dread.

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The Visuals: A Trippy 80s Fever Dream

Visually, this movie is like someone took the 1980s, stuffed it into a blender with a bunch of neon paint and psychedelic mushrooms, and hit “puree.” The colors pop, the effects are mind-blowing, and every frame is a work of demented art. It’s the kind of movie that makes you want to lick the screen (please don’t, though – trust me on this one).

Why You Need to Watch This Cinematic Acid Trip

Street Trash still courtesy of Lightbulb Films

It’s batshit crazy: In the best possible way. Every time you think it can’t get weirder, it does.

  1. The effects are insane: Practical effects that’ll make you go “How the fuck did they do that?”
  2. It’s got layers, man: Like an onion, but if that onion was sentient and trying to kill you.
  3. The blue alien thing: Seriously, it’s like if the Smurfs went on a bender and decided to star in a horror movie.
  4. The credits: Yes, even the damn credits are worth watching. Marvel, eat your heart out.

Final Verdict: Five Out of Five Motherfucking Fives

Look, I don’t throw around perfect scores like confetti at a serial killer’s birthday party. But “Street Trash” deserves every single one of those fives. It’s the best way to close out 2024’s cinematic offerings, a tour de force of weirdness that’ll stick with you long after the credits roll (which, again, you need to watch).

5 out of 5 stars (5 / 5)

So, do yourself a favor: grab some popcorn (and maybe a barf bag), turn off your brain, and let “Street Trash” melt your face off. It’s a ride you won’t forget – no matter how hard you might try.

Remember, kids: Stay in school, don’t do drugs, and for the love of all that’s holy, watch “Street Trash.” Your eyeballs will thank you (right before they try to escape your skull).

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