Bubba Ho-tep

“Bubba Ho-tep”, adapted from the novel by Joe R. Lansdale, has become one of my dearest films over the years. It took me a while to really get to love it, but now I re-watch it on regular basis. It stars the legendary Bruce Campbell in a performance for the ages, without any doubt the best in his career in terms of real acting skills. Not only has Bruce proven to be able to kick demon/alien/random monster ass, but that he’s a great character actor too.

Elvis Presley (Bruce Campbell) isn’t dead. He got tired of all the fame, so he found his best impersonator Sebastian Haff and the two switched places for an indefinite time. Fate had it Sebastian overdosed, and Elvis lost their contract in a fire, now not being able to prove his story. JFK (Ossie Davis) isn’t dead. At least that's who Jack claims to be. The government staged his death, removed a piece of his brain and replaced it with a bag of sand. And they also dyed him black. Both Elvis and JFK are residents of the Shady Rest home for elderly people in east Texas. Of course, no one believes them, simply assuming the two are crazy old men. And they believe them even less when mysterious murders start happening at Shady Rest - Elvis & JFK holding an ancient Egyptian soul-sucking mummy dressed as a cowboy responsible. If no one will do squat, it’s up to them to take care of business and defend what they hold dear.

“Bubba Ho-tep” perhaps has the most misleading plot synopsis ever. Reading it, one would get the idea it is one complete trash horror flick. And that is as wrong as it can be. Believe it or not, “Bubba Ho-tep” is primarily a drama, then a black-comedy and at the end, a mild horror with absolutely no gore or violence and in the end even a genuine (and manly) tear-jerker.

It is a story about getting old and being discarded and forgotten. Once the King and the President and now two silly old geezers, and sadly the only ones with balls left to stand to defend what is now their home. And that’s fucking manly! There is something for everyone in “Bubba Ho-tep”. Note that it's never explicitly stated if the two are really who they claim to be, or indeed just lunatics out of their mind as everyone holds them. It's open for interpretation and it's up to the audiences to decide, although ultimately it doesn't ever matter which side is "true".

Bruce Campbell owns as Elvis, his performance simply mesmerizing and magnificent. The same goes for the late Ossie Davis. Even though Elvis could be considered the lead character, not one of his actual songs or clips from his films appears in “Bubba Ho-tep”. The reason? Licensing just one song would cost almost as much as the budget director Don Coscarelli had at his disposal (about $1 million, according to Wikipedia). That is why Brian Tyler provided the astonishing musical score. Consisting of mainly surf rock themes, it was the score that I fell in love instantly. Be sure to give it a listen.

As a user on Youtube put it perfectly: “There are two types of people in the world: those who get Bubba Ho-Tep and those who need a humor adjustment”. If you haven’t already seen it, your loss - because you’re missing out one of the best films of the last decade.

Rating: 9/10

RATED PURE GENIUS

- review by Ventilation Shaft