Plan 9 From Outer Space is a dreadful film and certainly worth considering for the honor of worst film ever - it's practically a tutorial on what not to do while making a film.
However, the release of Tommy Wiseau’s The Room has given Plan 9 competition for the title. The Room, the story of the tragic love triangle between Johnny, his “future wife” Lisa and Johnny’s best friend Mark, has all the necessary components of a bad film; bad acting, directing and dialogue, the works.
But which film’s worse, Plan 9 From Outer Space or The Room?
Plot: The love triangle angle in The Room is trite and cliché, unoriginal in every way possible. Plan 9 is original, but the story itself makes so little sense. Why would the aliens need to resurrect the dead when their technology is so advanced? Why would the aliens try to garner attention in one location? Plan 9 wins this one. Advantage: Plan 9.
Acting: Both films feature atrocious acting, but in different ways. Every actor in Plan 9 is awful, so it’s an all around effort, no one actor outshining (dimming?) the performance of the other. The Room, however, features bad acting from everyone except Wiseau, as there aren’t enough synonyms for bad to describe Wiseau’s performance. His individual effort gives this category to The Room. Advantage: The Room.
Special Effects/Set: Plan 9 wins this one hands down, thanks to the visible wires on the flying saucers and the obviously fake cemetery with the cardboard mausoleum. Johnny’s apartment in The Room moves around more often than Navidson House, but it can’t beat the awfulness of Plan 9. Advantage: Plan 9.
Dialogue: Not an easy call here, as both Plan 9 and The Room have some atrocious lines. The main difference, however, is the tone of the dialogue. Wood’s lines are oddly snarky and sarcastic, his characters somehow making fun of one another. Wiseau’s dialogue is just awful melodrama, with the characters stating their emotions. Wood knows, in his own way, the dialogue is bad; Wiseau's oblivious. Advantage: The Room.
Memorable Quotes: For The Room, it comes down to any phrase beginning with “Oh, hi” and “You’re tearing me apart Lisa.” Plan 9 has too many to count, including “You don’t need guns,” “Maybe we think we do,” and “But one thing’s sure; Inspector Clay is dead, murdered, and somebody’s responsible.” Nothing, however, is better than this exchange between Eros and Jeff Trent from Plan 9: “Stronger. You see? You see? Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!” “That’s all I’m taking from you.” Advantage: Plan 9.
Misogyny: The female characters in Plan 9, with the exception of the non-speaking Vampira, are weak-willed and passive. On the other hand, how many films from 1959 had forceful female protagonists? The Room, on the other hand, doesn’t have the same excuse. All the women in the film are untrustworthy harpies, playing with the fragile emotions of Johnny. There’s no excuse for the sexism in The Room. Advantage: The Room.
Ego: Both Wood and Wiseau act as writer, director and director. Wood edited his film too, and was an extra. But Wiseau wins this one in a landslide because he’s willing to go that extra mile by both casting himself as the lead and the infamous shot of him walking to the bathroom, from behind and nude. It takes a lot of confidence to pull that off. Advantage: The Room.
It’s close, but The Room wins 4-3, carried by the extraordinary efforts and ego of Tommy Wiseau, although both films are sinfully wretched.
