DVD Review: A Big Box of Wood

Edward D. Wood Jr. (1924–1978) is usually considered the worst film director of all time, mostly thanks to Michael Medved and his 1980 book "The Golden Turkey Awards." And it's true that in terms of technique and competency, Wood doesn't have much going for him. But what he does have is personality, and in spades. In his real-life he was a cross-dresser and an angora fetishist, and -- like Luis Bunuel and others -- he sometimes found ways to incorporate these things into his films. He was attracted to lower genres (sci-fi, horror, and sex), most likely attracted to their physical qualities and physical reactions. But best of all, he was a voracious writer, with one of the most perplexing and unique voices in the history of film. His odd dialogue always sounds somehow wrong, but it's very specific in its pattern, and very difficult to emulate.

Wood's films have been sporadically revived over the years, and some of them are cult classics while many others remain largely unknown. There have been various DVDs and videos and box sets, but the new six-DVD A Big Box of Wood from S’More Entertainment looks to be the most comprehensive so far. It sadly lacks a few crucial titles, notably Wood's debut, Glen or Glenda? (1953) -- arguably his most personal film -- as well as the fascinating The Bride and the Beast (1958), plus Night of the Ghouls (1960), and Necromania (1971). But the twelve films that are here are very much worth applauding. (Actor and filmmaker Ted Newsom provides video introductions for the films.)

On the first disc, Jail Bait (1954) sadly is not the "director's cut." The "director's cut" has an interlude with a dancing girl, and this cut is the "other" version, with a blackface performer. Bride of the Monster (1955) is one of Wood's best-known films, a sci-fi/horror classic with Bela Lugosi in a juicy role. This is the one with the rubber octopus. The second disc comes with the great Plan 9 from Outer Space (1959) and the all-girl juvenile delinquent picture The Violent Years (1956), for which Wood contributed the screenplay. Cult director David DeCoteau provides commentary tracks for Plan 9 and Bride, though the humorous commentary tracks by Rifftrax -- available separately -- are much better. Other extras include interviews with Dolores Fuller and Bela Lugosi.

On disc three, The Sinister Urge (1961) was probably Wood's final "mainstream" movie before going into sofcore and hardcore porn, though it also uses elements of porn as part of its plot. The second feature is the awesome, unbelievable, bizarre Orgy of the Dead (1965), written by Wood and directed by Stephen C. Apostolof ("A.C. Stephen"). In it, a writer and his girlfriend go to a graveyard at night so that the writer can get inspiration for his horror stories. There, they find Criswell, some monsters, and several topless dancing girls.

The final three discs mostly contain Wood's sex films of the 1970s, again written by Wood and directed by Apostolof. They are: The Snow Bunnies (1972), Drop Out Wife (1972), Fugitive Girls (1974) (a.k.a. Five Loose Women), The Beach Bunnies (1976), and Hot Ice (1978). These movies contain nudity and sex, but whether they constitute actual porn -- or could actually turn anyone on -- is another argument. The final disc also contains an old Wood TV pilot: Crossroads Avenger: The Adventures of the Tucson Kid (1953), as well as footage of "trick shooting" with Kenne Duncan.