Bubba Ho-Tep

I must confess I had reservations prior to seeing this film. I thought it would be some God-awfully childish film laden with sophomoric jokes, cheesy effects, and inane dialogue. Some of those elements do surface, but this film was a genuine pleasure to sit through. Imagine if you can that Elvis, the King of Rock and Roll, switched places with an Elvis impersonator and now lives a sad, lost life in a small, run-down nursing home in East Texas. Add to the mix Ozzie Davis as a man convinced he is John F. Kennedy and a mummy that sucks the souls of geriatric residents and you have the basic premise behind Bubba Ho-tep. But beyond all that and the jokes about Elvis's genitalia and other low brow references is a film with a tremendous amount of heart and a message about the elderly in our society and how we have, as a society, betrayed them and cast them aside. The script and effective direction of Phantasm's Don Coscarelli make this film work on several levels. It is a comedy. It is a drama. It is a horror film. It has all those elements. You care about the characters and are drawn into this seedy little world. The biggest asset the film has is its performances. Davis gives a fine turn and adds credibility to the film, but Bruce Campbell as the king just bowled me over. I had seen him before, but I had never seen him act like this before. You soon forget Campbell is acting and think Elvis is really there - now 68 and destitute. Campbell's inflection, mannerisms, and poise melt and fuse wonderfully into Elvis. This was one of the very pleasant surprises that come along every so often.

Sebastian Haff is growing old in the Shady Rest Convalescence Home in Mud Creek, Texas. Sebastian Haff likes to be called by his real name, which is Elvis Presley (Bruce Campbell). Also in the home is JFK (Ossie Davis), who is now an elderly black man. Both Elvis and JFK are in their twilight years and well and truly past their prime.

There are problems at night in the convalescence home as an unfriendly predator stalks the home for souls to steal. Elvis and his friend JFK team up to rid the home of the unfriendly predator.

The story is quite unusual and fun, there is comedy and some mild horror. The touching part is Elvis questioning his young life, and the dramas and challenges of dealing with old age. The soul searching from Elvis lifts the quality of the movie from being just another B grade movie.

Its a low budget movie and a bit dated by now, but the good performances of Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis carry the movie well.

I was expecting a little bit better movie from reading some reviews. However I was not disappointed with the move due to it being both quirky and sensitive.

In Mud Creek, Texas, at the Shady Rest Convalescence Center, a man called Sebastian Half (Bruce Campbel) claims to be the real Elvis Presley. He has been living in coma at the home for twenty years since he tripped off the stage. Sebastian explains that he switched places with an Elvis impersonator since he was tired of his fame but their contract that could prove his real identity was accidentally burnt to ashes in a barbecue. When his friend Jack (Ossie Davis), who is a black man that claims to be President John Kennedy, shows evidence that an ancient Egyptian mummy is sucking the souls of the residents of the nursing home, the skeptical Sebastian sees evidences that show that his friend is correct. Now the two old men plot how to stop the mummy.

"Bubba Ho-Tep" is an original, funny and highly entertaining comedy-horror film. The storyline is absolutely insane and weird, but it is worthwhile watching. Bruce Campbel is unrecognizable in the role of Elvis Presley, the true or the impersonator. Ossie Davis posing of a dyed John Kennedy is hilarious. The fight with the mummy is amusing. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

BUBBA HO-TEP is the result of a "perfect storm" of sorts. First, the source material was put in the hands of a proven master of macabre weirdness, Director Don Coscarelli (PHANTASM 1-4, JOHN DIES AT THE END). Then, the perfect casting of Bruce "The Chin" Campbell (THE EVIL DEAD 1-3) as decrepit, rest home prisoner, Elvis Presley, and living legend Ossie Davis as fellow inmate, John F. Kennedy clinched the deal.

The resulting movie is a beautiful experiment in sheer lunacy... that works brilliantly! Campbell shows what made him all-3-Stooges-in-one in EVIL DEAD 2, as his hilarious inner and outer dialogue make up the bittersweet, comedic heart and soul of the film. Obviously, a murderous mummy's rest home rampage is primo stuff for Campbell.

However, what sets this movie apart from other horror comedies is it's setting, and the way it handles the bleakness of old age. In spite of all of the side-splitting humor and oddness, the true terror lies in growing old and being forgotten, making a cowboy hat-wearing mummy a welcome distraction. Coscarelli captured lightning in a bedpan here. Watching it is like whistling, giggling, and defiantly marching past the graveyard.

EXTRA CREDIT FOR: Ella Joyce as Elvis' no-nonsense nurse...

An elderly Elvis impersonator (or maybe the King himself) and a demented Black man (or maybe J. F. K.) discover that their cut-rate nursing home is being haunted by a soul-sucking pseudo-Texan mummy. Despite some pointless 'gross-out' humour, this off-beat comedy-horror is fun and oddly affecting. Cult-fav Bruce Campbell is pretty good as the maybe-Elvis and his impressions of the King's classic mannerisms (and karate moves) is hilarious. Ossie Davis as a possibly dyed 35th POTUS is just strange and the rest of the cast are mostly props to hang sight-gags on, mostly. Not for everyone but if you like this sort of thing, 'Bubba Ho-Tep' is almost as good as its title.