Plan 9 from Outer Space

[MichaelB]

21 September: PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE on Blu-ray

Ed Wood’s infamous sci-fi oddity PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE (1959) blends aliens, zombies and flying saucers with boundless sincerity. Long celebrated as a cult classic, it remains an endearing monument to outsider filmmaking. Recently remastered by the BFI from a 35mm print held in the National Film Archive, this re-issue comes packaged with Wood's rare feature Bride of the Monster (1955).

[Peacock]

Oh wow?!? I did not see this one coming from BFI! Thank you for including Bride of the Monster as well.

I wonder if the Wade Williams estate has finally chilled out a bit, what with Invaders from Mars and now this?

Oh and… Any chance of a feature length commentary by Michael Brooke?

[MichaelB]

There are far better qualified people out there.

[colinr0380]

Such as Mark Kermode maybe, given his introduction on the BFI YouTube page last month anticipated this announcement.

[Orlac]

I wager Kim Newman will be on this somewhere.

[Orlac]

Oh wow?!? I did not see this one coming from BFI! Thank you for including Bride of the Monster as well.

I wonder if the Wade Williams estate has finally chilled out a bit, what with Invaders from Mars and now this?

Oh and… Any chance of a feature length commentary by Michael Brooke?

I don't think WW has any rights to Invaders from Mars these days. Some of his claims were rather dubious to begin with.

[Lowry_Sam]

I thought there was some (serious) gossip of Criterion doing an upgrade of the Ed Wood box at one point, but Plan 9 & the additional bonus film is definitely welcome as I'm sure many people will want just this, as the audience for Glen or Glenda is smaller & not necessarily overlaps.

[Never Cursed]

I assume the two features here are public domain in the UK?

[swo17]

I thought there was some (serious) gossip of Criterion doing an upgrade of the Ed Wood box at one point, but Plan 9 & the additional bonus film is definitely welcome as I'm sure many people will want just this, as the audience for Glen or Glenda is smaller & not necessarily overlaps.

I thought I remembered talk of someone working on a Wood box but not necessarily Criterion. Maybe Severin or VS?

[Cash Flagg]

I wager Kim Newman will be on this somewhere.

Disappointingly, no. In fact, there are apparently zero extras other than 'Bride', which it appears has not been restored/remastered.

[Peacock]

I thought I remembered talk of someone working on a Wood box but not necessarily Criterion. Maybe Severin or VS?

There was speculation that Severin had it as they replied to someone online that something was in the works or happening with those films.

But Film Masters in the US now owns the entire WW catalogue or at least all the Ed Wood titles. They are releasing Plan 9 on UHD soon.

[Lowry_Sam]

I thought I remembered talk of someone working on a Wood box but not necessarily Criterion. Maybe Severin or VS?

I think it may have been either at the same time there was discussion of the movie Ed Wood entering the collection or when Criterion started working with John Waters.

Too bad there won't be a commentary, if there's any film calling out for a good one, it's Plan9.

Does the National Film Archive have the best print available?

[denti alligator]

I guess it's time to unload my Ed Wood DVD box...

[The Elegant Dandy Fop]

AGFA has a copy of Glen or Glenda they circulate in 2K with an alternate title (I believe He or She?) that I've seen, but don't know who technically owns it or claims ownership as Wade Williams did. I presumed with Williams dead, we'd see all these get release and glad it's finally happening. I also wonder what the best available version of these films are, especially as this is being scanned from an archival print. I presume the negatives for all of these films are long gone, right?

Does anyone know what happened to Ed Wood biographer, Rudolph Grey? His book on Ed Wood is rather good and apparently he used to sell it at his shows. His albums with The Blue Humans is worth checking out too for anyone into noise rock. "Clear to Higher Time" with Alan Licht and produced by Thurston Moore is a real favorite.

Has anyone read the new Will Sloan book on Ed Wood? I enjoy Sloan's film writings, but like so many contemporary critics, feels he's weighed down by his need to post semi-amusing, ironic comments online.

[Feego]

During the pandemic, TCM aired a table reading of Plan 9’s script over Zoom as part of their annual film festival. Among the actors participating were Bob Odenkirk, Laraine Newman, Oscar Nunez, and Bobcat Goldthwait. The likelihood of this being licensed out are slim to none, but it would make a great supplement on any edition.

[MichaelB]

Has anyone read the new Will Sloan book on Ed Wood? I enjoy Sloan's film writings, but like so many contemporary critics, feels he's weighed down by his need to post semi-amusing, ironic comments online.

Read and reviewed (Sight & Sound, October 2025).

I concluded:

Sloan is not in sympathy with the fashionable 'misunderstood genius' take (the 'accidental avant-gardist' one has more legs), and the tragedy of Wood's protracted decline and early death is intensified by much greater detail about his final two decades. But, again and again, the book reminds us of why Wood remains such a weirdly compelling figure, not just because of the sui genesis likes of Glen or Glenda but also because he remains what Sloan calls "the default signifier: directors of exceptionally bad movies are inevitably branded 'the new Ed Wood'", as if that was some kind of gold standard. It's an extraordinary life, and Sloan's amused, quizzical but deeply sympathetic approach catches just the right tone.

[Maltic]

Sloan has also been on every podcast ever, talking about it (Junk Filter, Sleazoids, The Last Thing I Saw, The Worst Part of My Favorite Movie, Writers on Film, The Film Stage, Salt Lake Dirt, Current Affairs...). Sounds like a good book! I might read it some day.

[BoltzmannBrain]

There was speculation that Severin had it as they replied to someone online that something was in the works or happening with those films.

But Film Masters in the US now owns the entire WW catalogue or at least all the Ed Wood titles. They are releasing Plan 9 on UHD soon.

They don't own them, the Ed Wood films are public domain and anyone can release them. Wade Williams claimed ownership and my understanding is that labels didn't put out those films just because WW threatened to sue everyone -- WW would have lost any legal case but going to court is expensive and small boutique labels couldn't afford to do it. I assume that Film Masters has made a deal with the WW estate that allows them to use WW's materials and makes sure there won't be any lawsuits coming up, but technically other labels could still release those films too.

[colinr0380]

Of course Severin did put out the three disc "Hard Wood: The Adult Features of Ed Wood" on Blu-ray back in 2024, so that may have been what they were referring to relating to Wood's films

[Lowry_Sam]

"Of course"? I somehow missed this announcement & I'm not seeing any reviews for it, could it be that no one wants to admit they bought it?
Not even a DVD Beaver review.

[colinr0380]

Maybe Gary just got overwhelmed (or spoiled for choice) by all of the NSFW shots! This was the contents of the Severin set. I did pick the set up in a Severin order a while back and can confirm that it does exist, and that they commit the egregious act of having a couple of people bonking in Criswell's coffin at one point. Which despite being a padded box still looks very awkward and uncomfortable!

[Orlac]

AGFA has a copy of Glen or Glenda they circulate in 2K with an alternate title (I believe He or She?) that I've seen, but don't know who technically owns it or claims ownership as Wade Williams did. I presumed with Williams dead, we'd see all these get release and glad it's finally happening. I also wonder what the best available version of these films are, especially as this is being scanned from an archival print. I presume the negatives for all of these films are long gone, right?

Does anyone know what happened to Ed Wood biographer, Rudolph Grey? His book on Ed Wood is rather good and apparently he used to sell it at his shows. His albums with The Blue Humans is worth checking out too for anyone into noise rock. "Clear to Higher Time" with Alan Licht and produced by Thurston Moore is a real favorite.

Has anyone read the new Will Sloan book on Ed Wood? I enjoy Sloan's film writings, but like so many contemporary critics, feels he's weighed down by his need to post semi-amusing, ironic comments online.

Both AGFA's print and the one on the Wade Williams DVD of GLEN OR GLENDA are missing footage, but the two prints are different. I think the only uncut version was a laserdisc release that was later used for a Catcom DVD>

Rudolph Grey was on the audio commentaries for the blu-rays of the Wood-written ORGY OF THE DEAD and THE VIOLENT YEARS. He seemed rather tetchy on them from memory!