"Plan 9 From Outer Space": Why the "worst movie ever made" continues to fascinate and entertain us, all these decades later

"Locationland," a fun new YouTube video series

We're excited to tell blog readers about a new YouTube series, "Locationland," which takes a fun look at filming locations around Southern California. You can find the series on the PBS SoCal YouTube page by clicking here.

 

Harry Medved visits a key "Plan 9" filming location, San Fernando's Pioneer Cemetery

The series is hosted by Harry Medved, a longtime SoCal filming location researcher and friend of the Iverson Movie Ranch Blog who has been a valued collaborator of ours for years.

 

"Plan 9 From Outer Space": So bad it's good?

"Locationland's" latest subject is low-budget producer-director Ed Wood's "Plan 9 From Outer Space," an endlessly fascinating science-fiction and horror mashup considered by many to be the worst movie ever made.

 

Two books co-written by Harry Medved, both "honoring" "Plan 9 From Outer Space"

While "Locationland" pokes at some of the history and backstory behind "Plan 9," it's no coincidence that the show's host has already earned his own place in the film's history. Medved was a co-author on two books that helped cement "Plan 9's" place among the biggest turkeys of all time.

 

Vampira does what comes naturally in "Plan 9"

First released in 1957, "Plan 9" has pretty much owned the "so bad it's good" category for the past 60-plus years. Thanks in large part to its "worst ever" credentials — not to mention all the quirky casting, bad acting, cheesy special effects and godawful script — the film continues to inspire and engage its sizable cult following.

 

Poster for a "Spook Show" festival in Georgia

"Plan 9" has long been a staple of the "midnight movie" circuit, and is frequently at the center of film festivals celebrating kitschy horror and sci-fi "classics."

 

The "Plan 9 From Outer Space" computer game — check it out here

It has been the focus of countless parodies, remakes, stage revivals, table reads, at least one novelization, and as far back as 1992, a questionable attempt at a computer game. Click here if you can bear to see what a bad 1990s computer game based on a bad 1950s Ed Wood movie might look like.

 

An alien spaceship prepares to land in the Pioneer Cemetery in "Plan 9"

Fans of "Plan 9" have been tracking down its filming locations for decades, making pilgrimages to places like the Pioneer Cemetery in San Fernando, which served as a landing spot for alien craft in the movie.

 

The Pioneer Cemetery as it appears today

The cemetery is still around, although it has lost land to condos and other development over the years, while also suffering the effects of vandalism, minimal upkeep and the theft of headstones.

 

A typical San Fernando Valley home — forever linked to "Plan 9 From Outer Space"

One of the biggest draws for the "Plan 9" faithful is this unassuming house in suburban Sylmar, Calif., which was the home of "Plan 9" star Tor Johnson at the time the movie was being made.

 

Tor Johnson goes around scaring the heck out of people in "Plan 9"

A loyal member of Ed Wood's troupe of actors, Tor wasn't exactly the typical Hollywood leading man — and he's a prime example of that "quirky casting" we mentioned previously.

 

Tor considers what to do with Mona McKinnon in "Plan 9"

Known as a gentle giant, Tor was a professional wrestler whose larger-than-life "acting" was on display in a series of low-budget productions from the '30s into the '60s.

 

Tor finds the most obvious solution to the Mona problem

One of the many charms of "Plan 9" is its persistent reliance on shortcuts, including amusingly finding the most obvious way out of any situation. When the heat is on, Tor just dumps Mona on the ground.

 

"The Beast of Yucca Flats" (1961)

A few years after "Plan 9," Tor had a memorable turn as "The Beast of Yucca Flats," another "classic" that probably deserves its own location feature — and its own place on the "worst movies ever made" list.

 

Bela Lugosi looking uncomfortable outside Tor Johnson's house in "Plan 9"

Tor let Ed Wood talk him into using Tor's San Fernando Valley home as a filming location, setting the stage for a historic shoot featuring some of the last filmed footage of horror icon Bela Lugosi.

 

Bela Lugosi in Ed Wood's "Bride of the Monster" (1955)

After becoming addicted to alcohol and opiates, Lugosi was slumming it toward the end of his career and wound up in a series of low-budget productions, including another Ed Wood movie, "Bride of the Monster."

 

In test footage shot in 1956, Lugosi wanders around outside Tor's house in Sylmar

Ed Wood filmed test footage of Bela at Tor's house in 1956, before production began on "Plan 9." It turned out to be some of the last footage ever shot of the "Dracula" star, who died in August 1956.

 

More 1956 test footage of Bela Lugosi, later resurrected for "Plan 9"

Even though Lugosi was dead by the time Ed Wood got started on "Plan 9," Wood made Lugosi one of the stars of the movie, using the footage shot outside Tor's house and additional footage taken nearby.

 

Chiropractor Tom Mason pretends he's Bela Lugosi in "Plan 9"

To fill in some of the plot holes — and there would be plenty of them — Ed Wood hired his wife's chiropractor, Tom Mason, to double for Lugosi. Mason is seen throughout the movie hiding his face behind a cape.

 

The former Tor Johnson house as it appears today, in "Locationland"

Tor's old house is still standing, and today is a Mecca for fans of the movie. Much of "Plan 9" was filmed not far from the house, in the northeastern San Fernando Valley communities of Sylmar and San Fernando.

 

Harry Medved and Dana Gould meet with the current resident of Tor's house

In the "Locationland" episode — which you can click here to watch — Medved and comedian Dana Gould, a huge "Plan 9" fan, pay a memorable visit to the house.

 

"Plan 9 From Outer Space": South Brand Boulevard in San Fernando

Even though a number of "Plan 9'" shooting locations have been well-known among its fan base for years, the "Locationland" team set out in search of sites that had not been found yet — and the Iverson Movie Ranch Blog was honored to take part in the search effort.

 

The San Fernando city limit sign in "Plan 9"

Our search was not in vain. One location we identified — with the help of the old San Fernando city limit sign — was this group of buildings in the 800 block of South Brand Boulevard in San Fernando.

 

The same location in modern times — with a new sign

The city limit sign has been updated since the "Plan 9" crew filmed in the area, and today a newer sign stands in exactly the same spot. The palm trees are still there too.

 

The buildings in "Plan 9" still stand, along Brand Boulevard

Several of the same buildings seen in "Plan 9" can still be readily identified along Brand Boulevard.

 

Officers pour out of the police station in "Plan 9," headed for their squad car

Another find was the building where this police station scene was shot for the movie. I believe this was the actual San Fernando Police Station back when "Plan 9" filmed here.

 

The police station in a recent photo — these days it's a VFW post

Today the building is headquarters for the San Fernando Post of Veterans of Foreign Wars, and people take dance lessons here on certain nights of the week.

 

"Plan 9": A distinctive background hill, but an elusive dirt road

One location we put a lot of effort into trying to find is seen in this sequence in which a police car kicks up dust as it speeds along a dirt road. This location proved challenging.

 

Another angle on the filming location

Another shot from "Plan 9" shows the same location from a different angle, with a different hill in the background.

 

Composite shot from "Plan 9" showing a wider view of the hills

By combining elements of both of the above screen shots, we were able to create a composite shot that provides a wider view of the background hills.

 

The same background hills in the 21st century

Then we were able to find those same hills in the real world, looking east from San Fernando. Unfortunately, the roads and other foreground features have changed so much since the '50s that it may be impossible to identify the exact filming location now.

 

The type of model kit used in "Plan 9 From Outer Space"

The "Locationland" episode adds plenty of amusing commentary on "Plan 9," along with fun facts about the movie, such as the model kit used by Ed Wood to create his alien spacecraft.

 

An ambulance speeds down Maclay Avenue through San Fernando in "Plan 9"

"Locationland" also zeros in on a number of other "Plan 9" locations, and fleshes out details on some of the locations discussed above. Click here to watch the episode.

 

Have you seen this gravesite? It's a toughie!

Many other "Plan 9" filming locations still remain to be found, which may be good news for fans of the movie who are ready to put boots on the ground and track down their own locations. Let us know what you find!

Where No Man Has Gone Before — not counting Paul Newman: Here's one more filming location for the original "Star Trek" TV series

"A Private Little War" ("Star Trek," season 2, episode 19; first aired Feb. 2, 1968)

More than a half-century after the original "Star Trek" series was on TV, we've found what could prove to be the Final Frontier when it comes to filming locations for the 1960s sci-fi show.

 

Space — The Final Frontier

We're not talking about "Space — the Final Frontier," as it was described each week in the show's opening credits. We're talking about an obscure movie location in Southern California's Santa Susana Mountains that became one of those "strange worlds" explored by the Starship Enterprise during its three-season mission from 1966-1969.

 

The "Outrage Grotto": "Star Trek's" real Final Frontier?

Known among a handful of film historians as the "Outrage Grotto," this shady hollow was transformed in late 1967 into the Hill People's camp on the planet Neural for the 1968 "Star Trek" episode "A Private Little War."

 

The Outrage Grotto in 2024

Today the Grotto is on private property, and access to the site is restricted. That's one reason it took so long to find what may be the final puzzle piece in the quest to document the original "Star Trek" location shoots.

 

"The Outrage" (MGM, 1964) — filmed in the same location

The name "Outrage Grotto" is an ode to the weird and disturbing 1964 Paul Newman movie "The Outrage," which filmed its weirdest and most disturbing scenes in the same location in late 1963.

 

Paul Newman, Claire Bloom and Laurence Harvey in "The Outrage"

This was about four years before the "Star Trek" crew would set up shop in the Grotto. The Santa Susanas back then were headquarters for a number of movie ranches, but the Outrage Grotto, while technically on property once owned by a filming operation, was filmed only a handful of times.

 

The Hill People's camp on Neural

The place has changed a lot in the six decades since "The Outrage" and "Star Trek" were here on location, but the trees and rocks still hold plenty of clues — more than enough to confirm that it's the right location.

 

Deep in the Grotto, a two-trunked tree

Similarities among some of the "then" and "now" shots may already be revealing themselves. For example, take a look at this two-trunked tree, which survives today in the Grotto.

 

"Star Trek" tree has a familiar shape to it

We're almost certain that this is the same tree, although trees can fool us as they age. It also deserves mention that the location includes multiple V-shaped trees, something we'll delve into in more detail below.

 

William Shatner, left, in "The Outrage," with Howard Da Silva and Edward G. Robinson

Besides the unusual location, "The Outrage" and "A Private Little War" have something else in common: William Shatner appears in both productions. A few years before he became "Star Trek's" Captain Kirk, he played a preacher in "The Outrage."

 

"A Private Little War": Shatner returns to the Outrage Grotto as Captain Kirk

Shatner's work in "The Outrage" may or may not have figured into "Star Trek's" decision to shoot in the obscure Grotto four years later, but it seems unlikely that it's just a coincidence.

 

Shatner in the Grotto — with rocks and other features identified

Let's match up some landmarks to make sure we're in the right spot. In addition to the tree and the "jagged rocks" noted above, pay attention to the rocks labeled A through G.

 

The same spot in 2024, with multiple features confirming the location

The Grotto remains largely intact today, even though it has undergone more than its share of changes over the years. All of the features noted in the "Star Trek" screen shot can still be found at the site.

 

Everything is still there

Here's the same 2024 shot without all the labels, so you can get a better look at the features.

 

William Shatner and Nancy Kovack at the waterfall

Additional clues can be found throughout the Grotto, and throughout "A Private Little War." This scene from the episode finds Kirk being enticed by the seductress Nona in front of a rock wall and a small waterfall.

 

The waterfall location in 2024

We snapped this shot of the waterfall area on a research expedition to the filming location, and we noticed two rectangular indentations in the rock, visible near the center of the photo.

 

Rectangular indentations in the waterfall rock

These identifying markings in the rock may be manmade, and may have a connection to earlier filming at the site, but they do not appear to play an intended role in the "Star Trek" shoot.

 

The same rectangular indentations in "A Private Little War"

However, these same indentations can be seen in the "Star Trek" shot. They're harder to detect here, but they are definitely present, and they help pinpoint the location.

 

Identifying features on the rock wall

Other markers can also be identified in the screen shot, and these also match up with recent photos.

 

We're in the right place

The same features noted in the "Star Trek" screen shot can still be found on the rock wall.

 

The Mugato pops in, bent on ruining the party — which is a shame since it has its party hat on

Other rocks in and around the Grotto frame additional "Star Trek" scenes. The location where the ape-like Mugato appears in camp is another one that we can positively identify.

 

The Mugato's arrival site, photographed in 2024

The rock in the foreground is the same one where the Mugato — sometimes referred to as the "Gumato" — stood in the screen shot above.

 

Is that horn just a wee bit too big?

The Mugato's arrival is generally a big downer, and not just because people think the costumers could have pulled back a touch on the giant horn. But the shot provides clues in the form of markings on the background rock.

 

Where the Mugato dropped in

The same slashes in the rock can be seen in the recent photo, along with the spot on the foreground rock where the Mugato stood. In the intervening decades, a tree has grown up between these two rocks.

 

The Mugato approaches a V-shaped tree in "A Private Little War"

As the Mugato rumbles toward Kirk and Nona, other landmarks come into view — notably one of those V-shaped trees we mentioned. In this shot Kirk and Nona appear to be trying to hide behind the tree.

 

The V-shaped tree today — still holding on

The V-shaped tree can still be found at the location, although these days it's showing signs of age — especially the right half of the "V." Today the worn-out old tree also has a swing hanging from it.

 

The Mugato traverses the V-tree

The V-shaped tree plays a prominent role in the Mugato attack. In this shot the monster climbs through the tree to get at Nona.

 

Landmarks near the V-shaped tree

If we're unsure whether we've found the right tree, we can match up some of the nearby landmarks — notably a small rock to the right of the tree and a big rock in the background with a straight vertical edge.

 

Rock landmarks confirm it's the right tree

Both landmarks can be found in the "Star Trek" sequence.

 

Captain Kirk to the rescue — who saw that coming?

The captain's instincts and testosterone kick in at the sight of a scantily clad Nona on the ground. Kirk tackles the Mugato — its plush back horns be damned — in a brave attempt to save Nona from the powerful critter.

 

Kirk's heroism is commemorated in a Hallmark Keepsake Ornament

The Mugato attack and Kirk's heroic defense of Nona were an important enough event in the "Star Trek" universe to be honored by Hallmark with a Keepsake Ornament. Film historian Aaron St. John, who played a major role in identifying the shooting location, also tracked down this cool souvenir in an antique shop.

 

His back against the V-shaped tree, Kirk takes aim

Kirk soon realizes he's punching above his weight class and could use a better strategy. Eventually it dawns on him that he can just zap the thing with his phaser.

 

That one Mugato ... gone!

This way we also get treated to a quintessentially "Star Trek: The Original Series" special effect — Yeeee-haw!

 

Ooh ... his achin' back

From the looks of this shot, Kirk managed to throw his back out anyway. This posture may be painfully familiar to some readers — to me it "feels" like a fifth lumbar issue.

 

Kirk and McCoy on "Planet Neural" in "A Private Little War"

Other scenes in "A Private Little War" were shot elsewhere in the Santa Susanas. As we reported back in 2013, this shot and others in the episode were taken on the former Bell Location Ranch.

 

Bell Ranch in 2013

We took this matching photo of the "Planet Neural" location on an expedition to Bell Ranch in 2013 that was spearheaded by intrepid "Star Trek" location finder Larry Herdman.

 

One of the many locations we found in 2013 for "A Private Little War"

On that 2013 Bell Ranch trek — one of our first expeditions to the mysterious filming location — we were able to match up a number of shots from the "Star Trek" episode. Please click here to see that post.

 

Live long and prosper, fellow movie location nerds

It often takes the combined work of several dedicated researchers to track down these locations, and I want to give a couple of big shout-outs to Larry Herdman and Aaron St. John, without whose efforts we may never have figured out the locations for "A Private Little War." Thanks to everyone who had a hand in it! (Get it? A "hand"?)

 

Congratulations to the top 20 movie location websites

If you love movie history, we recommend checking out this list of the top movie location blogs and websites, posted by Feedspot. We're proud to report that the Iverson Movie Ranch Blog was named one of the top 20 sites of 2024.