by: damon heath sager
Posted on 11.10.09 in All Horror Films > Screenshots
Release Date: 2002

Bubba Ho-tep gained cult status almost overnight. Starring Bruce Campbell of “Evil Dead” fame playing an elderly not really dead Elvis, it really had no choice but to become a cult fan favorite.

“Bubba” starts in an old folk’s home. An Elvis impersonator with an odd growth on his dick is miserable. Not only because of the lump on his “little buddy”, but because no one believes he’s really Elvis.

A young girl Callie (Heidi Marnhout) comes to collect her dead father’s belongings. And gives the film it’s much needed babe factor. If she wasn’t there we’d only have two old men and an ancient mummy to stare at for the next hour and a half. Not that the storyline isn’t great, but, in the great tradition of any horror film, we need a little T and A.

We meet Elvis’ best friend a few rooms down, JFK played by Ossie Davis. Turns out this rest home has some real historical oddities under its roof. According to Mr. President after his nearly missed assassination his brain was put into the body of an African American man and placed in protective custody. Now with his administration long gone no one remembers where Mr. Kennedy is, hence his current incarceration in a home for assisted living.

Our boys soon discover, after Elvis is attacked by a large mutant beetle that has escaped from a candy tin, that some outside force is sucking the life out of the other retirees. It’s up to them to stop whatever it is from killing them all. Turns out it’s an ancient mummified god trying to resurrect himself. This is Elvis and JFK’s last chance at redemption.

Now, “Bubba” may not be for everyone. It is a tad on the slow side. It’s incredibly funny. And the mummy effects on Mr. Ho-tep are awesome. The story of Elvis switching places with the world’s best Elvis impersonator is told in flashbacks. The whole story leads to a showdown with JFK (in a walker), Elvis, and Ho-Tep. If I was to compare it to anything…it would be a long “Tales from the Crypt.” I give the film an A+ for its originality and heart. Maybe a boo on the horror side, but like I said the monster effects are great. There’s a really funny special edition DVD that comes wrapped in a white leather and gold studded Elvis jacket. High camp, low scares. So, all you Elvis fans out there step right up for the battle of the century “The King vs. The King of the Dead.”

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* Acting – 5
* Blood – 3
* Violence – 3
* Partying – 1
* Language – 5
* Humor – 5
* Predictability – 3
* Girls – 4
* Gore – 3
* Sexuality – 4
* Torture – 1
* Overall – 3

• ★★★★★

  Acting:

• ★★★★★

  Blood:

• ★★★★★

  Violence:

• ★★★★★

  Partying:

• ★★★★★

  Language:

• ★★★★★

  Humor:

• ★★★★★

  Predictable:

• ★★★★★

  Girls:

• ★★★★★

  Gore:

• ★★★★★

  Sexuality:

• ★★★★★

  Torture:

• ★★★★★

  Overall: