A japanese writer, a cross-dressing director and an aging horror actor (whose star is in decline) team up with a rag tag crew of misfits in 1950s hollywood to create a low budget horror film called the graverobbers, while evading the gaze of the labor unions and the house un-american activities committee. philip kansatsu moves to hollywood to become a screenwriter while making a living as a cab driver. he meets his favorite horror actor, lajos borgo, who is in recovery for his opium addiction. phil thinks his horror script the graveroobbers would be a perfect comeback film for borgo. he hooks up with a cross dressing skid row director named woody tucker and a communist sympathizing producer, salty benson, to make the movie, but only on the condition that he makes sure borgo is on the set and ready t work each day of the production. but the huac has its eyes on benson, and harry dick, a stool pigeon for the screen actors' guild, is eager to shut the non-union production down. can they finish their grindhouse epic before the man shuts them down? the reader will find a lot of laughs before that question is answered.