When I first heard about Bubba Ho-Tep, I automatically assumed that it would be like a quasi-sequel to the Evil Dead series. You have another charismatic character played by Bruce Campbell fighting off an ancient evil with a style that can best be described as Elvis meets Duke Nukem (although he was around before Duke, and Duke was probably based on Ash from the Evil Dead series). To me that’s an instant formula for awesome, and sure to be a cult classic hit just like the aforementioned horror series. But Bubba Ho-Tep threw a left hook out of nowhere with its plotline, which can be described as a mix of genres.
Bubba Ho-Tep is the story of an aging Elvis Presley (yes, THAT Elvis) who currently resides in a retirement home in East Texas, living out his last days with much contemplation and regret. But the retirement home isn’t the most peaceful place, as strange deaths keep occurring in the middle of the night. This coincides with Elvis seeing hallucinations, and gigantic scarab beetles randomly attacking. With the help of “JFK”, who’s convinced the government replaced his brain with sand and dyed his skin color black after his assassination, he discovers that an ancient mummy is praying on the elderly residents of his very own retirement home. It’s up to him and JFK to stop Bubba Ho-Tep at all costs, for the fate of their very souls depends on it.
As I said earlier, this film is quite bizarre. It has many of those moments where you’ll just be laughing because of the hilarity of the entire situation, yet it actually keeps you engrossed somehow. This is a conundrum that this film has in that it tries to be a comedy, horror, and drama film all at the same time. In reading my plot summary, you’d instantly think this is a comedy film, much in the vein of some mutated version of Abbott and Costello meet the Mummy. And it is, in many ways, a comedy. But the mummy scenes try to be genuinely scary. The mummy is actually quite visually impressive, and although the way he kills is quite comical, he still kills with the same atmosphere that a horror film would have. Lastly, Elvis is deeply contemplative, and a deeper meaning can be gleaned from this film as an introspective to Elvis’s life and regrets he has. On a larger scale, it details many of the fears and pains of the elderly as they go through their last stages of life. When this level is taken into account it also works as a drama.
This film manages to be surprising in that it’s not an Evil Dead clone, it does work on its own. But it starts off quite slow and takes a while to build the entertainment value. While some might think that its multi-faceted genre story might be a work of genius, others might just think this film is confused about what it wants to be. While I enjoyed it, I can definitely see how others would not. It’s not a film for everybody, and you generally have to have a pretty good taste for cult classics to truly enjoy Bubba Ho-Tep.
I must say, though, that Bruce Campbell as Elvis is brilliant. He dons sideburns, sequined suits, and all the one-liners Elvis had quite well. Bruce Campbell plays huffy-yet-likeable roles quite well, and this one is no exception. Also not to be forgotten is the performance of Ozzie Davis as JFK. I generally like Ozzie Davis in most everything he’s in, and he plays our former president quite well. The ongoing chemistry Davis and Campbell have throughout the film as their respective characters is really something that carries this film as a comedy. I must say I’m impressed with the acting for a film that would be considered a B-movie.
This DVD set is also the limited edition, as you’d gather from one of the coolest packaging ideas you’ll ever see. The DVD case is wrapped in a sleeve fashioned after one of Elvis’s white sequin suits. It’s really awesome. I mean really, really awesome. That being said, on with the rest of the review.
There are quite a few extras on the DVD. First, there’s an audio commentary with Director Don Coscarelli and Bruce Campbell. This is one of the better commentaries I’ve heard, because Bruce Campbell is generally a pretty funny guy. To accentuate that, there is another commentary on the DVD for the film done by “The King” (Bruce Campbell as Elvis). This is quite hilarious, as he goes through the film discussing how racy the movie is and tries to play some new material (which is quite awful). Some great commentaries on this set, you should listen to them both.
There are four featurettes on Bubba Ho-Tep. The first is The Making of Bubba Ho-Tep, and I’m sure you can guess what it’s about. Next there’s To Make a Mummy, which is about the creature effects of Bubba Ho-Tep (they actually had a top notch effects team design the creature costume for this film, it’s not at low budget as you’d think). Then there’s Fit for a King, which details the creation of the Elvis character and how there is only one company that makes authentic Elvis suits. Lastly, there’s Rock Like an Egyptian, which details Bubba Ho-Tep’s soundtrack (which really only has a couple of songs that I could hear). The featurettes are all pretty average, except for the always entertaining Bruce Campbell. There’s also a reading from the Bubba Ho-Tep novella by author Joe R. Lansdale, which is alright (although I preferred the film).
Then there’s a couple of quality deleted scenes, nothing too spectacular. And your usual Photo Gallery, trailer, and TV spot can all be found. Also included is a music video for the song you’ll hear throughout the entire film by the film’s composer Brian Tyler. It’s not too long and worth a watch. Also included for the video are subtitles in English, Spanish and French. The sound is in 5.1 Dolby Surround.
Overall, this is a great DVD set if you’re a fan of the film, and will look really cool in your DVD library. The features aren’t too spectacular outside of the commentaries, but are still worth checking out. If you’ve ever had the urge to see Elvis take on a mummy, now’s your chance, although don’t be surprised if it’s not as hilarious as you think it’s going to be.
Overall: 7.5 — A lot of people were disappointed by this film because it didn’t meet their campy expectations, but it’s still a quality movie. Bubba Ho-Tep does its best to blend drama, horror, and comedy together for a really different movie experience. It’s not the party film you’d think it is, but it does have a really awesome DVD sleeve.