A Poughkeepsie native and film director responsible for “the worst movie ever made” will be celebrated at the Bardavon 1869 Opera House tonight.

The Bardavon — an anchor of downtown Poughkeepsie — will host the launch of a fundraising campaign for a statue in honor of Ed Wood Jr. Wood’s 1959 science-fiction film, “Plan 9 from Outer Space,” has been called “the worst movie ever made.” Wood, however, crafted a lasting legacy for himself as a cult figure, inspiring such celebrities as director Tim Burton and comedian Bobcat Goldthwait.

In addition to screening “Plan 9 from Outer Space,” the Bardavon will host a meet-and-greet in its lobby with actors portraying two characters who appear in the film — Vampire Girl and Inspector Clay — and will feature a panel discussion. Sculptor Patrick Pigott also will be on hand. Proceeds from tonight’s event will be donated to the statue initiative.

An online campaign to raise $60,000 for the project, through the fundraising website www.kickstarter.com, is scheduled to get underway Saturday. The project gained momentum after an article about Wood and the statue appeared in the Journal in May, with Goldthwait and others, from across the country, contacting the Journal about the statue. A location for the statue has yet to be determined.

In speaking of Wood’s legacy, Joe Mendillo of Poughkeepsie could have been talking of the statue campaign he launched.

“If you believe in something strong enough and want to make it happen strong enough, you’ll make it happen,” said Mendillo, who also goes by the name, “Joe Netherworld.” “That’s Ed Wood’s legacy. He dared to dream.”

According to the Internet Movie Database, the setting for “Plan 9 from Outer Space” is California, where “… an old man (Bela Lugosi) grieves the loss of his wife (Vampira) and on the next day he also dies. However, the space soldier Eros and her mate Tanna use an electric device to resurrect them both and the strong Inspector Clay (Tor Johnson) that was murdered by the couple. Their intention is not to conquer Earth but to stop mankind from developing the powerful bomb ‘Solobonite’ that would threaten the universe. When the population of Hollywood and Washington, D.C., sees flying saucers in the sky, a colonel, a police lieutenant, a commercial pilot, his wife and a policeman try to stop the aliens.” Vampire Girl is portrayed by Vampira.