ohn Johnson never planned to be the guy who brought to life a remake of Ed Wood\u2019s camp landmark \u201cPlan 9 from Outer Space.\u201d And yet, it seems as though he was destined to do so, even from childhood.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost of my friends didn\u2019t know what they wanted to do with their lives \u2014 and most of them, to this day, still don\u2019t,\u201d Johnson said in an interview with Toledo Free Press. \u201cBut I, somehow, knew. I wrote, directed and starred in a play when I was seven, and made my first film when I was eight. And then, by [the time I was] graduating high school, I had made over 50 films.\u201d<\/p>\n
Growing up in Charlottesville, Virginia, the budding filmmaker was obsessed with watching any cheesy, B-movie camp that came into his peripheral \u2014 whether it be the then-modern slasher genre on VHS tapes or old flicks aired via local syndication. It was in this latter environment that a young John would have his fateful first meeting with \u201cPlan 9.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGrandpa from \u2018The Munsters,\u2019 after the Saturday morning cartoons were over, he would do a double feature, like around noon, of monster films. And a lot of it was like the old Hammer films, which I was obsessed with, and Godzilla films. But then, all of a sudden, there was this \u2018Plan 9.\u2019 And at the time, I just thought it was this zombie movie. But I didn\u2019t know quite the notoriety, the infamy of it, until much later.\u201d<\/p>\n
The \u201cinfamy\u201d comes from the fact that the original \u201cPlan 9\u2033 \u2014 made on less-than-a-shoestring in 1959 \u2014 has been called the \u201cworst movie ever made\u201d in some circles. Depicting a race of aliens who invade earth by resurrecting the dead, the film features wonderfully bad acting, cardboard sets, utterly unconvincing effects, terrible dialogue and oh so much more. But because of all that, it\u2019s also genuinely entertaining and memorable \u2014 something much modern Hollywood schlock will never be.<\/p>\n
Johnson always kept a soft spot in his heart for \u201cPlan 9,\u201d even as he grew into adulthood and began working on films like \u201cFreshman Psych\u201d and \u201cScary Story Slumber Party.\u201d But it had never occurred to him to make his own version of Wood\u2019s cult classic \u2014 not until one day, when he was on a set, grumbling about how Hollywood was churning out too many remakes.<\/p>\n
\u201cA PA (production assistant) asked me, if I could remake any movie in the world, what would I do? And I had met Conrad Brooks, who was one of the sole survivors of the original [‘Plan 9’], and he kind of told me the history of the movie.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, I said, I would try to take that film, and show that, because the odds were against them, the film got this notoriety of \u2018the worst movie ever made.\u2019 And, in fact, the concept of the film could be fun. It could be exploitive, and a fun film to do, so I would remake that,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cSo, as a joke, I posted that on my phone, sent it out as a text message to a bunch of people. And a couple weeks later, it was in Fangoria that I was doing it. \u2018Val Kilmer doing this! John Johnson doing remake of \u2018Plan 9 from Outer Space!\u2019 And at the time, I hadn\u2019t even really thought about it.\u201d<\/p>\n
After doing some research and finding that the out-of-copyright original was free and clear as far as rights went, there was only one person Johnson could really ask for the blessing he needed to proceed. \u201cI went to Conrad, and I said, \u2018Well, you\u2019re like, the sole survivor. What would you think about me doing this?\u2019 And he said, \u2018As long as I\u2019m in it!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Not to say that there hasn\u2019t been resistance. Ever since Johnson began filming his new version \u2014 simply called \u201cPlan 9\u2033 \u2014 many fans of Wood\u2019s original have expressed displeasure at the very idea of a modern reimagining. \u201cThe Ed fans thought we would make fun of it, or make another parody, to that effect. So in 2009, I shot a teaser trailer, to show the feel of what we wanted to do. And it turned a lot of people around. And I think that teaser trailer has had, like, cumulative, 1.2 million views. So there\u2019s been a lot of positive feedback since that became the case.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, as Johnson prepares to take the finished product around the country with screenings at conventions and festivals (including a stop at Epic-Con in Dayton this October), he hopes fans both young and old appreciate what his new take on the cult classic can bring to the screen.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s something that I think is lost in film right now. I think audiences are so critical of what could be real, what could not be real, that they stop wanting to take, just, the ride,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cSo, with this film, I\u2019m hoping that I might be able to start opening a door where people can just have fun with the movie and maybe not over analyze.\u201d