| Review | Bubba Ho-Tep (2002) | Director | Don Coscarelli |
|---|---|
| Writers | Joe R. Lansdale and Don Coscarelli |
| Cast | Bruce Campbell, Ossie Davis, Bob Ivy, Ella Joyce and Heidi Marnhout |
“In the movies I always played heroic types. But when the stage lights went out it was time for drugs and stupidity and the coveting of women. Now it’s time to be a little of what I’d always fantasized at bein’; A Hero” – Elvis
At the Shady Rest nursing home in East Texas resides Elvis Presley (Campbell), withering away as the days merge together. Still reeling from a broken hip from years before and with some grotesque puss on his genitals he fears may be cancer; the former King of rock and roll looks set to fade into the sunset with no fanfare. Known to the staff as Sebastian Haff, an Elvis impersonator, the King is a shell of a man who spends his days in bed reminiscing about the old days and how he messed things up and treated badly those who cared for him.
But the Shady Rest has an unwelcome visitor in the form of an ancient mummy wearing a cowboy hat and leather boots who prowls the hallways at night and sucks the lifeforce out of the residents. Elvis acquires a newfound purpose in attempting to save the day by ridding the rest home of this intruder and seeks help from his only real pal Jack (Davis). Jack isn’t all together there as he firmly believes he’s former US president John F. Kennedy but the duo bands together and wage war on the deadly mummy.
This quite original concoction is based on a short story by American writer Joe R. Lansdale which I haven’t read. The premise sounds really silly and back in ´02 when I heard about it I half expected it to be a silly B-movie romp that was at least worth checking out as I really dig this kinda’ stuff on occasion. Plus it had Bruce Campbell. But to my utter surprise it had big heart and some poignant things to say about the plight of the elderly who wither away at nursing homes, the bitter realization of a life full of regrets and the sorrow of not caring enough for your loved ones while you had the chance. It’s quite easy (at the idea stage anyway) to put this in effect when thinking about the real Elvis Presley whose story is so full of eternal promise and bitter disappointment at how it all unfolded. The film does manage to paint a vivid portrait of Elvis and quite logistically place him at the Shady Rest home (really; it does give a rather good explanation at how he ended up at a rest home and no one believes he’s the real deal) where he has, literally, nothing but time to reflect at how bad he handled things. In this way Elvis feels very relatable to the rest of us.
But then there’s the mummy’s part in all of this and it’s very decently handled. The film is quite atmospheric and moderately suspenseful at times when the intruder strikes. It’s also peppered with some really funny moments. I dare you not to laugh out loud when Elvis and Jack decipher why the mummy leaves some ancient graffiti in the bathroom stall and scribbles some very sexually explicit remarks about Cleopatra. Much of the dialogue here is quite inspired with Coscarelli and Lansdale stretching the short story to a full-length treatment.
The performers here really sell this, too. Benben is simply excellent as Faraday. In the space of 55 minutes his character gets some good exposure and backstory. Benben, who I recently praised for his manic performance in “Radioland Murders” (1994), gets to show a bit more range here and he nails it. Griffith is one seriously charismatic dude and makes Officer Reed a memorable character and he and Benben play marvellously off one another. Although her role is small; Bennett makes an impression as the coroner and her exchanges with Benben are enjoyable. Finally there’s Moura as The Deer Woman and she certainly looks like someone who could easily seduce men. She doesn’t have any lines but she carries herself well.
It’s only after the hour mark that the film feels a little stretched to finally reach a confrontation with the mummy. But the time flies by pretty well and that’s mostly thanks to the outstanding performances by the two leads.
Of all the terrific performances throughout the years by Campbell; this is my favourite one. He’s always a fun performer and particularly when he gets to be a bit unhinged or theatrical but I do think he has been a little flat when playing it straight (“Maniac Cop” (1988) comes to mind). Not bad, mind you, but a little outside his comfort zone. Here he nails the part of a weary Elvis and never once goes crazy, instead relaying the King’s melancholy with a rather restrained performance before finally dialling it up a notch for the final confrontation. He even resembles Elvis fairly well and speaks like him but it never feels like he’s creating a caricature. Davis is also very good as Jack and the interplay between the two is a joy to watch. It probably wasn’t all that easy to make Jack into a real character and not a jokey one but Davis really delivers. There’s some movie magic at play in how well the story and the characters work here.
Against all odds; Coscarelli and co. managed to make a supremely silly premise work as a classy genre film that also has a good deal to relay about serious matters and gives some food for thought. Made on a shoestring budget that didn’t even allow for the licencing of one Elvis song; it belies it’s humble origins and the overall look is splendid. Quality work from quality people.
During the end credits viewers are promised a sequel titled “Bubba Nosferatu: Curse of the She-Vampires”. That film has not materialized and my hunch is it’s for the better. I seriously doubt that this could have worked as well a second time around.
Physical Copy
My copy of Bubba Ho-Tep is the 4K UHD issued by Scream Factory in 2023. It looks and sounds very good. Many low-budget films don’t translate all that well to UHD but this one does. Extras wise this is a loaded disc; three commentaries, a recent Making of featurette, separate in-depth interviews with Campbell and then Coscarelli, a festival Q&A, deleted scenes, a reading from the short story that inspired the film, a trailer and more. “Bubba Ho-Tep” has really gotten the royal treatment.
Why physical copy?
I always encourage the acquisition of physical copies as I dread the day when films will only exist as files on computers and through streaming services. The companies that put the effort into making the discs, create new artwork or reproduce the originals, issue booklets and much more deserve all the financial support they can. Therefore I will always mention the Blu-rays or DVD’s (and yes; also if I review something streamed through Netflix or the like) even though I gain nothing from it personally.
