Metrograph

To celebrate the release of critic and The Metrograph columnist Will Sloan’s new book Ed Wood: Made in Hollywood USA—a deep-dive examination of the unique, eccentric, and often maligned maverick independent filmmaker, tracing his entire career—Sloan joins the theatre for one night only to introduce a screening of Wood’s cult sci-fi caper Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957), and sign copies of his book, which are available to purchase from the Metrograph Bookstore.

“Flying saucers drift over Hollywood... zombies roam the San Fernando Valley... and somewhere in space, an alien race tries to contact us with an urgent message. Armed with a few minutes of footage of his late friend Bela Lugosi (and backing from the Baptist Church of Beverly Hills), visionary director Edward D. Wood Jr. sought to combine his love for classic horror with the then-buzzy subject of UFOs into an exploitable package. The result became Hollywood folklore. With its cardboard tombstones, mismatched stock footage, and spaceships on strings, Plan 9 from Outer Space confounded a generation of moviegoers, and built an underground reputation as ‘The Worst Movie Ever Made.’ Today, Wood’s signature film endures as a potent (if accidental) Hollywood dreamscape, and an irrepressibly enjoyable piece of handmade showmanship—warts and all.” —Will Sloan

Extended introduction by Will Sloan and a book launch following the screening on Thursday, 10/9