My Time Visiting Plan 9

While attending one of the many Chiller Conventions in New Jersey, I had the pleasure of meeting Conrad Brooks. You are probably saying Conrad Who? Mr. Brooks played a policeman in the original "Plan 9 From Outer Space." This Edward D. Wood Jr. film from 1959 was brought back to life by Johnny Depp's portrayal of Wood in a 1994 Tim Burton film. Yes, the 1959 film was the low-budget production famous for using plates as flying saucers.

Buzz around the original production was happening before Burton's film made it to the theaters. This caused Brooks to get back into acting after taking a break from the film business. Besides acting, he also produced and directed numerous B-movie productions. Some of the films he appeared in include "Glen Or Glenda" (which was another Edward D. Wood Jr. film from 1953), "The Beast Of Yucca Flats" (1961}, "A Polish Vampire In Burbank" (1983), "Curse Of The Queerwolf" (1988), "Toad Warrior" (1996), "Zombie On The Loose" (2010) and "Toilet Gator" (2017).

When I met him, I was also involved with independent films. As a matter of fact, Brooks had a few discussions with me about doing a project together. For various reasons, this venture never became a reality. He was a very down-to-earth guy with a passion for low budget horror and science fiction films. He even appeared in John Johnson's revival of "Plan 9" in 2015. Unfortunately, the world lost Brooks in December of 2017. Not having a major motion picture company backing his films allowed the scripts to take shape with little or no rules! These films may have not been anywhere near Academy Award worthy, but with popcorn and a beer, they are great for a good laugh!