Anyway, for those unenlightened individuals, Bubba Ho-Tep is perhaps the best Elvis Presley movie ever made - including the ones the real 'king of rock and roll' starred in. Campbell IS Elvis, who, contrary to what some people may believe, isn't dead. Instead, he jacked in the fame and fortune some time ago, switching identities with an impersonator (or 'tribute act' as they like to be known). Unfortunately, his impersonator died on the crapper and the real Elvis (now known as Sebastian Haff) was left to live his life as an impersonator. A nasty fall on stage, led to a coma and permanent injury and now he's just another old coot in a Texan retirement home, with nobody believing the truth. His only friend is a black guy convinced he's JFK (Ossie Davis).
But soon Elvis gets a reason to live again when a soul-sucking Egyptian mummy arrives, stalking the retirement home corridors and festing on the souls of its inhabitants. Its up to Presley and Kennedy to take care of business.
Coscarelli and co. have produced a downright charming and hugely entertaining movie that plays like Last of the Summer Wine meets Ghostbusters but fused with the glitz and glamour of Presley's world. Campbell finally gets another chance at a leading man role and is utterly convincing as the elderly 'King', making it far more than just a Bruce Campbell movie, displaying a subtlety and sensitivity (as well as trademark quips and slapstick) rarely seen. Similarly, Davis lends a gravitas and sincerity to the role, that despite the absurdity of the situation, never feels implausible, though always amusing.
The great thing about the film is that, although it attempts a lot, it mostly succeeds. The jokes are funny, the drama is touching and the horror is creepy (if not out-and-out terrifying). The mummy itself is terrific, often embedded in shadow and with a quirky get-up that outshines any of Stephen Sommers' CG-lazy attempts.
Okay, so sometimes there's a few too many jump-cuts, and you really need to just go with the flow on this film - any attempt to question its weirdness will not be a fruitful exercise. But this film deserves as wide an audience as possible as its just as appealing for its comedy and its drama, as it is for its horror....a bit like Shaun of the Dead...
Thank you very much...
