Plan 9 from Outer Space: The Novelization
by Bret Nelson
Big thanks to Encyclopocalypse Publications and Book Sirens
for providing me with an advanced copy of the novelization of Plan 9 from
Outer Space by Bret Nelson. I was super excited to find that there was a
novelized version of this classic film available. As soon as I saw the bright
green cover with Tor Johnson’s zombie face, I knew that I wanted to read it. I
also reviewed another book from Encyclopocalypse Publications (Ariel
Powers-Schaub’s excellent analysis of early 2000s horror films MillennialNasties), so I was excited to also discover a publisher of books that
appeal to my horror cravings. To top it all off, once I downloaded the book, I
couldn’t believe that Dana Gould, one of my favorite comedians, wrote the forward
for the book. It’s a great introduction and a reminder that films like Plan
9 are a great way to find friends with like-minded interests (or as Gould
says a litmus test for weirdos).
It's been a while since I’ve seen Plan 9, so I
forgot many of the plot details. I’m not even sure I paid that much attention
to the story whenever I watched it, often with friends who were also there to
comment and joke about the film. It’s definitely not a movie I took all that
seriously. While it has the reputation as the worst movie ever made, like
Gould, I beg to differ and can think of many other films that are much worse
than it. I also recently read W. Scott Poole’s book about Vampira, who also
starred in Plan 9, and from what I remember from her experience, there
wasn’t much of a budget to make this film. Regardless, Nelson’s novelization
presents a more straightforward horror/sci-fi film that deals with many
relevant issues and topics in society both from the late 1950s and even in our
contemporary world. I was actually surprised by how serious and engaging the story
was. I initially expected a kind of jokey, ironic novelization, but Nelson’s
narrative presents a story of an alien expedition seeking to potentially limit
humanity’s access to dangerous weapons and materials. I loved how the book
dealt with this idea that humanity is on a path of mutual destruction through
their weapon-developing and posturing, something that was relevant in the 10-15
years after the bombing of Japan and during the Cold War, and definitely
something we are experiencing now with global tensions and conflicts simmering.
There’s also an undercurrent of government secrecy and distrust, which again is
another kind of paranoia that was present during the Cold War and remains an
element of American politics that the internet may have exacerbated.
Regardless, Nelson does a great job presenting how the military in the story
help to use media to make the truth seem even more ridiculous and far-fetched
using somewhat unbelievable heralds and messengers. Nelson’s writing is crisp
and not overly detailed; furthermore, basing the book on Ed Wood’s script, he
uses dialogue effectively to further the story. I also liked how eventually the
chapters were subdivided into different characters sections—focusing on the
convergence of the different narratives towards the finale. Nelson’s writing
really helps to re-establish the kind of story this was meant to be; it also
made me think about how this book would make a great reinterpretation as a film
update. Wood’s story predates a lot of popular tropes in horror today—aliens,
zombies/undead, and questioning the military industrial complex. While the
title has a kind of negative or ridiculous connotation, I thought that the
other elements of the story are relevant and compelling for horror audiences
today. In addition to the novel, the book also features some great photos and
promotional materials/posters from the film’s release. I enjoyed examining
these after reading the book. I’m
excited to read more of the novelizations from Encyclopocalypse Publications,
and see if Brett Nelson has more books available to read.
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