“Greetings, my friends. We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. And remember, my friends, future events such as these will affect you in the future.”
- Criswell (excerpt from Plan 9 From Outer Space’s narration)

I’m willing to guess that almost anyone willing to refer to themselves as a movie-goer has undoubtedly heard that director Ed Wood’s Plan 9 From Outer Space is the “worst film ever made.” In fact, in an attempt to cash in on the ‘cult’ audience to Wood’s movies, the early 1990s saw a period where many of his films were redistributed with the tag, “Made by the world’s worst director”, or something similar. From this renewed fascination with his movies, Wood has been elevated to a level of posthumous success that was quite tragic, really, given his desperate quest to be respected during his life. In point of fact, Plan 9 is not the worst film ever made, and Ed Wood is far from being the world’s worst director. As a video store owner I knew once said, “I would rather watch Plan 9 than Forrest Gump.” So would I, but regardless, this makes the point that beauty is indeed in the eye of the beholder. For me, most of Wood’s movies are incredibly charming, entertaining and funny pieces that reflect the ambition of the man, as well as the mood of an era in which everyone was trying to make a buck on exploitation and alien-attack films. Yes, they’re horribly inept and arguably evidence of a complete lack of talent, but they simply cannot be ignored because without them, I dare say the evolution of B-movie history would have been much different and nowhere near as much fun.

“Ed Wood was a user and a loser.” - Bela Lugosi Jr.

In an attempt to put a human face on the story of Edward Wood and his quest for cinematic immortality, filmmaker Brett Thompson brings us The Haunted World of Edward D. Wood Jr., an effective, touching, and balanced tribute to the man considered a quiet genius by some and a terribly effective con-man by others. It features the participation of many of Wood’s friends and partners in filmmaking, as well as others personally connected to him. Amongst the more notable participants are Dolores Fuller, Wood’s longtime girlfriend and supporter, who went on to write songs for Elvis Presley and Nat King Cole; Vampira, the infamous late-night movie show host who eventually worked with Wood for the money; and Bela Lugosi Jr., son of the famous actor who personally feels that Ed Wood was responsible for bringing his father down to the bottom of his career. Through interview footage with his wonderfully unusual cast of friends and family (and a few clips from Wood’s own movies), the portrait of Ed Wood Jr. is made. Obviously, he was a man consumed by cinema, constantly struggling with alcoholism as well as being a very open transvestite. As his wartime buddies seem to concur, even as a Marine officer, Wood wore a bra and panties into the fiercest battles of World War II.

“Ed Wood was the Orson Welles of low-budget cinema” - Dolores Fuller

Through an amazing amount of family film footage, photo clips, and other rare material, Wood’s life is exposed in a very personal way, which seems quite genuine as there is absolutely no speculation or commentary from anyone who didn’t know him personally. The film also touches on some of the misunderstood aspects of Wood’s life; some of which were unfortunately exacerbated by Tim Burton’s 1994 film Ed Wood, which though skilled and very well made, did have distinct flaws. While some of the stories that these people relate are often sad, many are very funny, with probably the biggest laughs coming from the very honest and down-to-earth sentiments of actor Gregory Walcott who, to this day, still seems flabbergasted at the z-grade quality of Plan 9, in which he starred as the obligatory, lantern-jawed hero, Jeff Trent. Vampira offers her account of how she sincerely thought of Wood as a rather pathetic fellow, but was forced into being in Plan 9 by virtue of needing the work.

“To me Ed Wood was one of the most entertaining directors I’d ever seen, and I wouldn’t call him bad, because bad directors are boring and he’s never boring.” - anonymous Ed Wood fan

In the end, the only place this documentary stumbles is where it seems to stop covering his life. The film does well covering Wood’s early works (pre-Plan 9), but drops off afterwards and doesn’t chronicle his writing, production, and minor directorial work from then on. While it is true that his later years were plagued with immense alcoholic problems and films arguably more embarrassing than his earlier ones, this portion of his life is greatly compressed into only a few minutes with virtually no details at all. Admittedly, though, it is those early years and movies like Glen or Glenda, Jailbait, and Bride of The Monster that define the man. In the end, The Haunted World of Edward D. Wood Jr. provides the most informed and dignified portrayal of the man seen on screen. His legacy is truly unusual and perhaps that’s what keeps luring new fans to him. The mere fact that, to this day, people still discuss and debate Ed Wood’s merit—or lack of merit—is evidence of his living on through his work. I guess that’s the best any artist can hope to ask for. (via)

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