Synopsis
This is the first Elvis movie I’ve ever liked. Don’t get me wrong, Viva Las Vegas has Ann-Margaret back when she was still quite the kitten with a whip, and Kid Galahad is enjoyable simply because it might be the worst boxing movie of all time, but BUBBA HO-TEP is the first movie that actually made me root for the King.
Of course, it doesn’t hurt that Elvis is played by the incomparable Bruce Campbell, or that Ossie Davis plays former President JFK, or that the whole thing is based on a short story by the great Joe R. Lansdale. In retrospect, there was little chance I *wouldn’t* like this movie.
The premise is simple: suppose Elvis didn’t die in 1977, but switched identities with an Elvis impersonator during the early 1970’s in order to escape the harsh glare of fame. Further, assume the impersonator died and Elvis broke a hip while performing, eventually landing in an East Texas retirement home. Introduce him to a man claiming to be JFK and throw in a soul-sucking mummy using their rest home as a feeding ground and you’ve pretty much got it. -Pete Vonder Haar,
film threat magazine
click here to view trailer
