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| What's the weirdest place you've ever seen a movie? |
Sometimes, the venue in which you see a motion picture can make all the difference.
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| A very special screening. |
But I can also remember seeing Do the Right Thing (1989) at the long-gone Genesee Valley Cinema in Flint. This was a perfectly ordinary multiplex, but I happened to be there on a night when the air conditioning was on the fritz and the theater was sweltering, allowing us in the audience to experience some of what the characters onscreen were going through. My mother took me to see that film, and we had a long discussion afterwards about the characters and the choices they made.
Occasionally, the venue where you see a movie isn't even a theater at all. My first, transformative viewing of Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975), for instance, took place on a long bus trip to Indiana when I was a teenager. And I vividly remember watching the Suspiria (2018) reboot on an Amtrak train and being absolutely enraptured by it. Somehow, in both of those examples, being in motion made the viewing experience more intense.
Ed Wood fans in the Los Angeles area have an opportunity later this month to view the director's most famous film in a highly memorable and most appropriate setting. On Saturday, July 26, 2025 at 6:30pm, the San Fernando Valley Historical Society (SFVHS) is hosting a screening of Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957) at the Pioneer Memorial Cemetery in Sylmar, CA. This, in case you didn't know, is the very cemetery where Eddie actually shot some scenes for the film! Director Mark Carducci visited this cemetery for his documentary Flying Saucers Over Hollywood (1992), as did film critic Harry Medved for an episode of his PBS series Locationland (2025). The SFVHS is holding this screening to honor the 100th anniversary of Ed Wood's birth.
Tickets are available here. Admission is $20, and attendees are advised to bring their own chairs. The organizers promise "a night under the stars with spooky vendors, food trucks, raffles, and surprise special guests." Proceeds go to preserving the cemetery itself, a cause all Woodologists can support. If you're reading this article after July 26, 2025, I'm sorry you've missed your chance to attend this particular screening. But don't despair! Stefanie Garcia, chairperson of the SFVHS, informs me: "We did a similar event for the 60th anniversary of the movie and are hoping to make this an annual event."
Recently, I sent some questions to Stefanie about the screening and the cemetery, and she was kind enough to answer them.
The screening is a benefit for the Pioneer Memorial Cemetery, correct?
Yes. The screening benefits the San Fernando Pioneer Memorial Cemetery, a preservation project of the San Fernando Valley Historical Society, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation dedicated to preserving icons of history and cultural significance in the San Fernando Valley.
What condition is the cemetery in today?
The cemetery has had its ups and downs, with various groups taking up the charge at multiple points to maintain the grounds. It started in 1958 when the Native Daughters of the Golden West, San Fernando Mission Parlor No. 280, began a campaign to restore the cemetery. This once horse-trampled and vandalized cemetery is now a well-maintained, gated historical site. We still have lots of work to do. The cemetery holds over 200 individuals, and fewer than 20 headstones are in the cemetery marking their residence.
These events are fundraisers for beautification projects, dedicated to the cemetery. This year, a new committee has been formed to reimagine the cemetery and make it more community-friendly, create memorial plaques recognizing the individuals who've made it their final resting place, and plant native drought-resistant vegetation.
Are any parts of the cemetery still recognizable from the movie?
Harry Medved and Dana Gould discuss this on the PBS So Cal show, Locationland. They believe they identified the area where a scene was filmed in the cemetery. The show's producer, Harry Pallenberg, will be screening this episode before the screening of Plan 9!
Bob Blackburn represents the estate of Ed Wood. Will he be at the screening?
Yes! Bob Blackburn will be there, and we will have a short Q&A with all our special guests.
When people attend the screening, are there other nearby Plan 9 filming locations they can also visit?
I’ve been told that Tor's house is nearby. I don’t know how comfortable the current residents are with people dropping by. That may be a question for Mr. Blackburn.
Do you know of any spooky or supernatural occurrences at Pioneer Memorial Cemetery?
We offer walking tours of the cemetery, and some of our guests have claimed that they have seen a woman dressed in old-timey clothing sitting under one of the big oak trees. We've had ghost hunters come to the cemetery and claim to have received messages from the residents. Speaking for myself, I have certainly felt a presence while cleaning the cemetery. It makes the hair on your arms stand up.
Is Pioneer still an "active" cemetery, i.e. taking new customers? Or is it strictly a historical site?
No. The Pioneer Cemetery is strictly a historical site. The last "official" burial occurred in 1939.
If there is an alien invasion or zombie outbreak at the cemetery, do you have an emergency plan in place?
I will be all on board for an alien invasion. Sign me up! Regarding a zombie outbreak, we may need to start a new committee to formulate that emergency plan. That’ll be a separate sign-up sheet.
Are there any notable people buried in this cemetery?
Four Civil War veterans are buried at the cemetery, which we remember yearly at our Memorial Day event, and a few prominent residents of San Fernando. One notable cemetery area is the far back corner, which has been identified as a mass burial area, potentially a Potter's grave, according to ground penetrating radar performed on the cemetery in 2010. The seating area for the movie night!
Thank you, Stefanie! The evening sounds like a lot of fun.
Unfortunately, living in the Chicago area, I will be unable to attend the July 26 screening. I've rarely seen a movie in an outdoor setting, let alone a cemetery! Offhand, the only even vaguely similar experience I've had was watching Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) in a local park. It was enjoyable enough, but it didn't have anywhere near the resonance of this Plan 9 screening. Imagine watching this movie under a blanket of stars, surrounded by the very tombstones you see onscreen!
Below is a flyer for the screening, including a QR code:
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| An advertisement for the cemetery screening of Plan 9 from Outer Space. |
I thank Stefanie Garcia for her help in assembling this article and Bob Blackburn for bringing this event to my attention in the first place.