'Plan 10 from Outer Space' is a riff on the famously bad 1959 science fiction film 'Plan 9 from Outer Space', but through a satirical lense that fouceses on particularly Mormon motifs and Utah-isms. The descriptor "Nancy Drew on Acid" is used on the poster and I'd be hard pressed to come up with a better short hand encapsulation.
Stefene Russell is a 22 year old Salt Lake girl, a lapsed Mormon who finds herself in a mystery involving a metal plaque, a mysterious book, her dance obssesed neighbor, panty theif brother, and beehive headed aliens lead by Karen Black. It is a potpourri of Mormon esoterica and bric-a-brac, doubtless the funnier the more you know about Utah Mormonism. It's also a local travelogue and now endearingly nostalgic time capsual of the Salt Lake Valley in the mid 90's.
This film is close to 30 years old but feels remarkably current in its playful riffing of things that might "make the Church look silly". It's also extremly funny, I saw it with an audiance of around 25 at one of its periodic revivals at the Salt Lake Film Society. There was much loud laughter. A real treat if you have the right taste. ***
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