I Woke Up Early the Day I Died

At a screening during the Toronto, International film festival I had the misfortune of being given a ticket to the premiere of this terrible excuse for a film. I had already been kicked out of one film because I was underage so i welcomed any tickets that came my way. While I was in line I heard the plot. A crazy cross-dressing killer breaks out of a mental institution and goes on a killing spree! Okaay. Then I heard that there was no dialogue. I was beginning to have a sinking feeling about this movie. Then I was told that it was a Ed Wood 'script' that he wasn't able to get developed!!! If Ed Wood was able to make all the c**p that he did but he wasn't able to find anyone to support this, it must be really bad. Well, I wasn't let down by. My suspicions were correct and the movie was unbearable. I left 30 minutes early so i could catch the last subway. Don't see this unless you enjoy seeing a pantheon of B-movie stars and washups being killed by an overacting killer.

This has to be one of the worst films of all time. It was unbearable sitting through it. I can't understand how and why so many talented actors became involved in this. The plot is thin, predictable, and boring. At the North American premier that I attended in Toronto, more than a few people walked out. There is no dialogue in this film so it is played as a slapstick "silent" film with a modern (and actually quite good) soundtrack. I could not help but be embarrassed for Mr. Zane, who was in the audience, while one gag after another fell flat. The film isn't even bad in a fun or campy way. It is dull and uninteresting. Not much more can be said.

Ed Wood's "I woke up early the day I died" is unbelievably impossible to get a hold of, since it has only ever been released on video in Germany, but once I got myself a copy and watched it, I was happy I did.

As a die hard Ed Wood fan, I loved watching this film. In true Ed Wood film making fashion, they used cheesy props, a load of stock footage, and single takes, with continuity errors and dodgy editing.

My only question now is: where can I get my hands on a copy of the soundtrack?

The fact that this movie was even made and that so many random stars are in it just goes to show how much of an impact the "worst director of all times" had on the film industry and all that work in it!

A must see for every Wood fan, and for anyone who likes weird and dodgy movies.

Cor blimey. This film really surprised me as it is a comedy masterpiece. Billy Zane is stunning as the central character, and everyone manages to play it straight enough for the comedy to be natural and easy.

The soundtrack is really good, and the set pieces are a joy to behold. I recommend that you watch this film with a bunch of mates, a few bottles of your liquor of choice, and prepare to be astonished and highly entertained.

This carries on so perfectly from kitsch masterpieces like Plan 9 From Outer Space that it is in the true "B" movie tradition. But what makes it more than that is the caliber of the people who took part in the film. Ron Pearlman for example. I still find my self giggling at the scene where Zane prances down a set of steps for no apparent reason in an almost ballet style. All a bit mad, and all the better for it.

Knowing that "I Woke Up Early the Day I Died" comes from a script by Ed Wood, it would seem that anyone should prepare heckling comments before watching it. It turns out that, although the movie makes little if any sense, there is a definite charm to it, possibly to the point of meriting a serious viewing. The plot - or whatever it is - centers on a mental patient (Billy Zane) escaping from the hospital, killing a bank teller, attending the funeral, and then getting involved with the people in the man's life. I think that that's the story; the absence of dialogue made it a little hard to follow.

So, it seems to be the sort of movie that you watch to study, just to see whether or not you can make anything out of the loosely strung together events portrayed. I can't say that I've been able to make anything out of it. Maybe you can. Also starring Tippi Hedren, Ron Perlman, Bud Cort, John Ritter, Christina Ricci and Karen Black. So perhaps we can call "IWUETDID" the almost unheard-of movie with a stellar cast.