Bubba Ho-Tep DVD Review:

As a series of mysterious deaths plague at an East Texas retirement home, two of its residents start to investigate. One of them believes he is JFK
(Davies) and the other says he is Elvis Presley (Campbell) but the two of them come to the same conclusion. The senior citizens of the house are been murdered for their souls and it is a 3,000-year-old Mummy that is doing it. Some kind of Bubba Ho-Tep.

Any film that has the King of Rock and Roll in a titanic battle to the death with a long dead King of Egypt should instantly make you sit up and notice.
Bubba Ho-Tep is that movie. The man who defines the word “cult”, Bruce Campbell joins forces with
Phantasm creator Dan Coscarelli to bring you one of the most original, funny and inventive Horror movies to come along in a very long time. Based on a short story by noted screenwriter and horror novelist Joe R Lansdale, Bubba Ho-Tep has one of the most imaginative plotlines to grace the genre in a very long time.

Imagine if Elvis had become bored with fame, so he hired an impersonator to take his place but then that man died and no one would believe that he was
the real King of Rock and Roll. So now he is living out his days in a nursing home filled with old people who claim to be just as famous as him. Then picture that these old folk coming under attack by a soul-sucking Mummy, who sees them as easy prey to replenish his diminishing life force. Genius.

This superbly fantastical tale would be nothing without stellar performances from the two leads. Veteran actor/writer/director Ossie Davis brings his
unquestionable talents into the mix as Jack. This is a man who adamantly believes that he is John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK) and that the US Government dyed him black and stole part of his brain. In the hands of a lesser actor, this role could have perceived as absurd but Davis’s sheer talent makes the character all that more believable to the point that you might actually think that he isn’t just a delusional crackpot but he might actually be the
real thing.

The movie is all about the performance of Bruce Campbell however. Already a cult movie legend, Campbell creates another iconic screen character in the shape of an aged Elvis Presley. His interpretation of The King is the best since Kurt Russell strutted his stuff in the TV movie in 1979. The voice, mannerisms and persona are all there making you believe that his is in fact seventy year-old Elvis. The whole movie is seen from the character’s perspective, meaning Campbell is in nearly every shot. Add to this that he narrates what The King is actually lamenting during his time in the home and you have one of the best performances of his illustrious cult career.

There is also good support in minor roles by Ella Joyce as Elvis’s nurse, who has the joyous job of applying The King’s cream three times a day,
Daniel Roebuck and Daniel Schweiger as two comedic hearse drivers and Bob Ivy as the master of evil, Bubba Ho-Tep himself.

When you find out that the film was made on a micro-budget, you realise again that the only real inventiveness in the American Horror Genre is
coming from low budget, Indie flicks. Bubba Ho-Tep is a classic example of this and a lot of credit has to go to writer/director Dan Coscarelli. No stranger to the low budget horror scene, Coscarelli ffortlessly mixes classic horror in the shape of the Mummy and new inventive flourishes that create a unique comedic/horror experience. He squeezes everything he can out of his meagre budget to deliver some good frights and some genuine laugh-out-loud moments.

Before the film was even released, Bubba Ho-Tep had cult hit written all over it and the great news is that it lives up to it ten fold. Just visualise a seventy year-old Elvis fighting a Mummy with a Zimmer Frame and tell me that you don’t want to see that movie. This is what cult horror movies are all about and Bubba Ho-Tep is one of the best examples.
The King Lives!

Star Rating = * * * * *

PICTURE & SOUND
Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, the movie is presented brilliantly. When you take into consideration that this is a low budget feature you have to applaud MGM for taking as much care as they have with the visual presentation and the sound quality. The dark atmosphere of the nursing house pulls you into The King’s plight, as the picture quality is sharp throughout, even during the darker moments. The sound is also first rate, especially during the epic final confrontation
with Brian Tyler’s score really setting the scene.

BONUS FEATURES

Audio Commentary by director Don Coscarelli and Bruce Campbell The director and star talk passionately about a project that is very close
to their hearts and then Bruce Campbell starts with the one-liners. The man is not a cult star for nothing and he and Don provide a brilliant commentary
track. They discuss the distribution problems the film had even after their successes at festivals and with reviews. Each of them talks about the cast,
especially working with Ossie Davis. Bruce Campbell remembers his make-up and fat suit ordeal and by the end they do mention a sequel.

Audio Commentary by The King
From an undisclosed location The King provides his own unique commentary on Bubba Ho-Tep. Eating his popcorn and potato chips, The King comments on how the movie is far too racy compared to the films he made in the 60s. He also talks about how annoyed he is that Elvis impersonators over use the line “Thank you very much, thank you”, when he said a lot more than just that. He also plays a few new songs that he has been working on while he has been “away” but complains about the lack of songs in the movie. He also has a few words to say about Bruce Campbell.

Joe R. Lansdale reads from Bubba Ho-Tep (7.56 mins) The renowned author reads from the beginning of his own short story, accompanied by still images from the movie. We hear a lot more of what Elvis is thinking in bed and it really makes you want to read the book.

Deleted Scenes (with optional commentary by Don Coscarelli and Bruce Campbell) (5.25 mins)
Entitled “Hallway”, “The Lady’s Room” and “Footage from the Temple Room floor”, these three deleted or extended scenes add a little to the story. The footage from the Temple Room floor is the entire Egyptian sequence, which shows how Bubba Ho-Tep became a Mummy.

Making Bubba Ho-Tep

The Making of Bubba Ho-Tep (24.37 mins)
Director Don Coscarelli, author Joe R. Lansdale and stars Bruce Campbell, Ella Joyce, Bob Ivy and Ossie Davies talk about making the movie. The
featurette takes you behind the scenes of the shoot, the makeup and the stunts as well as offering insights into characters and the actors who
played them. We also get to see the reception the film received at the various film festivals it was previewed at.

To Make a Mummy (6.06 mins)
KNB EFX and actor Bob Ivy talk about creating the Bubba Ho-Tep character as well as the other major makeup effects in the movie.

Fit for a King: Dressing Bruce Campbell (7.50 mins)
Costume designer Shelley Kay talks about creating the authentic Elvis outfits for actor Bruce Campbell. All of The King’s famous jumpsuits where supplied by his original designers at B & K Entertainment.

Rock like and Egyptian: The music of Bubba Ho-Tep (12.40 mins) Director Don Coscarelli interviews composer Brian Tyler and they discuss how he writes the score and what his influences where behind he sound.

Photo Gallery
Behind the scenes images from the KNB EFX workshop.

Promotion

Music Video (2.27 mins)
Composer Brian Tyler plays the main theme from his score for Bubba Ho-Tep.

Theatrical Trailer (2.15 mins)
Your chance to watch the excellent theatrical trailer for the movie.

TV Spot (0.31 mins)
The short ad used to promote the movie on TV.

Other Great MGM Releases
Trailers for Barbershop 2, Jeepers Creepers 1 + 2, Touching the Void, Osama and an MGM promotional advert called “MGM Means Great Movies”

OVERALL
A brilliantly inventive film is backed up by some very funny and informative extras. The DVD is worth buying for the commentary track by The King alone,
as it is one of the best and funniest solo tracks every done. Add to this another excellent commentary by Don Coscarelli and Bruce Campbell and some good featurettes; you get one of the best single disc DVD packages to hit the selves in a long time. This is a must buy Cult Classic that will enhance anyone’s collection.

DVD Star Rating = * * * * *

Jamie Kelwick

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