Admittedly, I am a big fan of movies where it seems like the story evolved from a late-night, drug-fueled "brainstorming" session where every idea seems like the best idea anyone's ever had and none of them should be excised because, goddamn it, this shit is pure gold (sniff).

Bubba Ho-tep transcends it's, er . . . high-concept premise because of Bruce Campbell's hammy portrayal of Elvis and Ossie Davis coming at his role of John F. Kennedy pretty straight. Part of me thinks it might have actually been better if the the entire film had been played completely straight outside of Campbell's performance (do we really need plot points about dicks and assholes?), but I still found the humor enjoyable because I'm immature.

Made me slightly more interested in John Dies at the End.

Can't believe its taken me so long to get round to watching this, I love it so much! Two of my favourite things in the world ever are Bruce Campbell and Elvis, so this film is pretty much flaw-free.

Clayton: I kinda liked Bubba Ho-Tep.
Jeff: *Everyone* liked Bubba Ho-Tep.

- My Name Is Bruce

The best thing about this film is undoubtedly Bruce Campbell's performance. He really does nail it. Having said that, the film does lag terribly in places. Having read Joe R. Lansdale's excellent book "The Drive-In", I had high expectations of this film (based on his short story), but it didn't quite live up to them.

a fascinating trip into the mind of rock

Hail to the king baby

It's a wonder that this movie exists, let alone that it WORKS, but it somehow does. In part because Bruce Campbell is just perfect for the role, and in part because Don Coscarelli knows what he's doing.

The casting saves this film

[English/ Spanish]

Long before we knew of Abraham's Lincoln hatred for vampires, and Hansel and Gretel's career beheading witches, we had Elvis. As we already imagined, Elvis was alive and kicking some mummy's ass. Not to mention the invaluable help from a black J.F.K. Sounds silly? Oh, yes, it is. Is it funny? Not really. Is it worth it? Not quite, despite the ever welcoming presence of Bruce Campbell and some scarce effective existentialist moments.

Mucho antes de conocer el odio que profesaba Abraham Lincoln por los vampiros, y la trayectoria de Hansel y Gretel decapitando brujas, teníamos a Elvis. Como suponíamos, Elvis estaba vivo y pateando culos de momia. Sin mencionar la ayuda inestimable de un J.F. K. negro. ¿Suena estúpido? Oh, sí, sin duda. ¿Es divertido? Realmente no. ¿Vale la pena? No mucho, a pesar de la siempre bienvenida presencia de Bruce Campbell y algunos escasos efectivos momentos existencialistas.

In einem Altersheim vegetiert kein geringerer als Elvis Presley vor sich hin - auch wenn ihm die Schwestern einreden wollen, dass er nur ein Presley-Imitator und nicht der echte King ist. Sein trostloser Lebensabend wird mit einem Mal spannend, als eine Mumie in Cowboy-Klamotten auftaucht, die sich über die wehrlosen Rentner hermacht. Zusammen mit seinem Freund, der sich für JFK hält, stellt "Elvis" Nachforschungen an, und beschließt das Monster aufzuhalten.

Die Story klingt nach übelstem Trash, und dass Bruce "Ash" Campbell die Hauptrolle spielt, bestärkt einen noch in dieser Erwartung. Aber ich war erstaunt, wie gut das alles inszeniert war - trotz des schrägen Humors gibt es durchaus ernste und bewegende Szenen, und alle Schauspieler machen ihre Arbeit sehr gut. Eingeweide und nacktes Fleisch braucht dieser Film nicht, aber Campbell kann immer noch durch Coolness glänzen und seine Sprüche reißen. Ein origineller, kleiner Film!

I rate on how i enjoyed them at the time, so snow and ice and me reluctantly on a turbo didn't help here.

Seeing Elvis and JFK united did though. Crude and poignant - oh so sad at times - this true enough story should be seen