PORTLAND, Ore. - The worst film ever made. A masterful coupling of blind ambition and zero talent. A waste of celluloid. A tale of “unspeakable horrors from outer space.”

Ed Wood’s legendary 1959 schlock masterpiece “Plan 9 From Outer Space” has been called a lot of things, but “With a Live Strings and Electronica Soundtrack” is not one of them, and that is exactly what Portland’s Filmusik is planning to change. 

This week at The Hollywood Theatre in Northeast Portland, Filmusik presents an entirely new viewing experience of this legendary film, where every aspect of the film’s sound, from the dialogue to the score to the sound effects, has been scrubbed, and a core of dedicated voice actors, composers and Foley artists (who synchronize live sound effects with the action on screen) have come together to produce an all new viewing experience of this five decade old classic of bad cinema.

“Plan 9 From Outer Space” is the story of an attempted alien invasion of Earth. It features a motley crew of Hollywood outcasts, weirdos and also-rans, including professional wrestler Tor Johnson, television horror hostess Vampira, celebrity psychic Criswell and a recently deceased Bela Lugosi.

Filmusik’s Galen Hutchins describes “Plan 9 From Outer Space” as an amalgamation of various production elements, including stock footage, material from Wood’s personal collection and scenes shot specifically for the film, and he argues that Filmusik’s collaboration of live music, voice actors and film footage is a fitting reinvention of the film.

Boston-based composer Scott Ordway will lead the orchestra, which is provided by Classical Revolution PDX and electronic musician Sugar Shortwave. As well, the dialogue for the film is acted live courtesy of Willamette Radio Workshop and features all new sound effects and Foley artistry by Heather Perkins. Aside from the original score, live dialogue and new sound effects, the performance features a newly restored and surprisingly impressive colorized print of the film courtesy of Legend Films.

Huckins, who composed the score with Shortwave, describes it as visceral and brimming with tension at just the right moments, but not without incorporating some elements of the film’s original score.

Aside from the new score, Sam Mowry of Willamette Radio Workshop notes that the live dialogue is more than just a reading of the film’s original script, but is rather akin to live theatre, where Willamette Radio Workshop’s troupe of seasoned, skilled voice actors add their own unique nuance and magnitude to the film’s dialogue without poking fun at or taking away from the film’s original intention.

Filmusik’s motivation for giving “Plan 9 From Outer Space” the treatment that was so effectively rendered upon the Fleischer Brothers’ Superman serials in last November’s “Superman Orchestra” is that “Plan 9” is an ambitious and visionary piece of cinema that, despite its technical imperfections, is a much better and well intentioned film than standard Hollywood fare such as “Air Bud.”

So whether you are a fan of schmaltzy 1950s sci-fi cinema, live music, voice acting or unique, eclectic performances, Filmusik’s “Plan 9” is the place to be if you find yourself craving unspeakable horrors from outer space and the equally strange creatures that love them.

- Eric Holmes is a freelance writer who lives in southeast Portland who can be reached at holmesea@hotmail.com.