Bubba-Ho-Tep

Summary

“Get old, you can’t even cuss someone and have it bother ’em. Everything you do is either worthless or sadly amusing.”

Shout! Factory released Don Coscarelli’s Bubba-Ho-Tep on Blu-ray back in 2016.  Watching the film in 2016, I found myself enjoying it more than I had when I first watched it on DVD in 2003. I reviewed that release favorably then, and suspected that the film would be better upon repeat viewings. I am the exact demographic that I believe Bubba-Ho-Tep was aiming for. I love Don Cascarelli’s Phantasm films and his late career low budget masterpiece John Dies At the End. I have been a fan of actor Bruce Campbell since I first viewed Army of Darkness as a pre-teen. That film still resonates with me as one of the most important in shaping my love of horror. In the years since the initial release of the film, I read Coscarelli’s excellent autobiography True Indie, which gained Coscarelli even more respect from me. I also read both of Bruce Campbell’s autobiographies which are delightful. I couldn’t resist picking up the 4K release of Bubba-Ho-Tep to see how I liked it in this decade.

The plot revolves around an elderly, nearly bedridden Elvis (played with aplomb by Bruce Campbell.) Age has taken its toll on the King, who still has sex on his mind despite largely being impotent. He also has to contend with a large growth on his penis. Elvis is holed up at Shady Rest Retirement Home in East Texas with nobody in the world who believes he is actually The King. Years earlier, Elvis had switched places with an Elvis impersonator named Sebastian Haff. He lost his proof of the switch in a “freak barbecue accident,” and when Sebastian died of a drug overdose his fate was sealed. The only person who believes Elvis is another resident at Shady Rest named JFK (Ossie Davis), an elderly African-American man. He claims to actually be President John Fitzgerald Kennedy and that the government had dyed him that color after the assassination attempt. When mysterious deaths and large scarab beetles rear their ugly head at their residence, JFK and the King begin to investigate the strange going-on’s that are claiming lives at the retirement home. JFK and The King must fight against an evil Egyptian mummy that is sucking out people’s souls from any orifice possible, and then depositing the leftovers in the visitor restroom toilet. The mummy is preying on the nursing home because of the easy pickings, with the populous unsuspecting as the old residents pass away.

To call Bubba-Ho-Tep an original film would be an understatement. Adapting a short story by Joe R. Lansdale, Don Coscarelli penned the script. Directing the film, Coscarelli presented a truly unique vision that was completely unfettered by studio interference. Coscarelli is a true maverick filmmaker with the grit and determination to see his concepts through when most major studios would never for a second consider making his films. If you have never read his excellent autobiography True Indie and you like his films, you owe it to yourself to check it out. Bubba-Ho-Tep was a labor of love and became successful as a cult film thanks to Coscarelli’s unique road show where he took the film town to town to promote it. It did well on DVD, and it is a tribute to the film that it has now entered the 4K UHD format. 

When I was eighteen years old, Bubba-Ho-Tep didn’t really connect with me. When I watched the film again as a thirty year old, it worked for me, and now, as a thirty seven year old I hold it in even higher esteem. Bubba-Ho-Tep is a wild, crass, ridiculous ride, but it is definitely a ride worth taking. The film is as audacious as it is completely silly, but it also manages to capture some elements of how the elderly can become somewhat discarded by society. The film moves at its own pace which is a little bit slower than one might expect given that it has Elvis and JFK fighting a mummy. Don Cascarelli’s films are always interesting. I personally enjoy Coscarelli’s haphazard nature, his willingness to be absolutely silly at one given point and then to go for a scare with a quick audio jolt afterward. Bubba-Ho-Tep shows a great sense of humor by refusing to give a wink to the audience that the material should be taken ironically. The material is funny because it is played seriously (aside from a little bit of mugging for the camera by Campbell during the finale, but who can fault them for that?) The film can be faulted for failing to deliver scares, but I didn’t consider that to be a big hindrance. The finale of the picture felt a bit anticlimactic to me the first time I saw the film, but on repeat viewings it held up better than I recalled.

The performances are strong from both Ossie Smith and Bruce Campbell. Unfortunately, Ossie would die just a few years later after a long and fruitful career. Luckily, Bruce Campbell is still alive and kicking. Campbell will certainly go down as one of the most entertaining impersonations of the King.

At the end of the day, while Bubba-Ho-Tep is not a perfect film, but it is an enjoyable horror-comedy that seemingly gets better each time I view it. Fans of John Dies at the End should find a lot to enjoy.

Video

Shout! Factory have done a solid job on updating the prior transfer of the film from their 2016 release to a brand new 4K scan from the original 35mm camera negative performed in 2022. The transfer is another solid effort by Shout! Factory and the image looks natural and good. The cinematography in the film is not extremely vivid by any means, which fits the low budget nature of the production. The prior Blu-ray looked pretty good to my eyes in 2016, but the UHD is a good step up in terms of fine detail and grain management. Because the film is not the most visually robust movie in general, whether the 4K UHD upgrade is worthwhile will be in the yes of the beholder. I personally couldn’t resist adding it to my collection.

Audio

Shout! Factory has provided the same solid DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track from 2016. The surrounds on this track are fairly effective with music and vocals flowing together well. Sound effects are prominent in Cascarelli’s films and this one is no different. I particularly enjoyed the noises they crafted for the scarab beetles. The audio is crystal clear and well balanced. There is nothing to dislike here. In my theatre room  everything sounded good if not extremely robust. It would have been great to hear what an Atmos track could have brought to the film, but I am still happy with what Shout! provided.

Supplements:

The King Lives! – With Bruce Campbell – an excellent interview with the legend himself, Bruce Campbell. He talks about working on the film, why the film is so darn good, and why people still enjoy it. How can you avoid watching this?

All is Well – With Don Cascarelli- this interview with the creator of the film is very well thought out.  He gives an interview that explains the filmmaking process and how he came up with the ideas in the film.

Mummies and Makeup: with Robert Kurtzman – a solid interview about the makeup effects of the film. Good stuff.

Deleted Scenes – these are pretty unimportant. Skip these. A commentary track is available if interested.

Footage from the Temple Floor – All those silly Egyptian flashbacks edited together.

The Making of Bubba-Ho-Tep – archival interviews about the film. Another solid piece.

To Make A Mummy – a solid feature about the mummy effects which were very practical.

Fit For A King – another archival interview about the costuming for the film.

Rock Like an Egyptian  – another archival piece about the music.

Archival Bruce Campbell interviews – more Bruce!

Music Video

Photo Gallery

Theatrical Trailer

TV Spots

Audio Commentary with Joe R. Lansdale- a commentary with the author of the short story. Great for the fans.

Audio Commentary with Don Cascarelli and Bruce Campbell – a really enjoyable commentary on the film. Really solid and funny.

Audio Commentary by “The King”- Wow. Such a dumb and fun feature.

Overall Scores:

Video – 4/5

Audio – 4/5

Supplements – 4.5/5

Overall – 4/5

Bubba-Ho-Tep is an incredibly original film from legendary independent filmmaker Don Coscarelli. Even though I think the film suffers from some minor pacing issues, I really like Bubba-Ho-Tep. The performances are great, the humor is solid, and it is the only chance to see Bruce Campbell play an elderly STD-infested Elvis battling a mummy. I think that the film has gotten better with age and repeated viewings. The Shout! Factory 4K UHD offers an upgrade to the 2016 release’s visuals and offers the same excellent supplements as the prior release. An Atmos track would have been a welcome addition, but the provided DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround track is still sufficient. Overall, this is not a huge jump forward from the prior release, but the 4K UHD is still the best way to view the film. Recommended.

Portions of this review appeared on Blu-ray Authority in 2016.