Bubba Ho-Tep and I have finally made up. I get it. I finally get why the movie absolutely works and why my punk-ass comments when it was originally released were so naïve. To borrow a line from Gatsby's Nick Carraway, “in my younger and more vulnerable years” I was a complete tool.
Allow me to explain. When I first saw writer/director Don Coscarelli’s (of Phantasm fame) adaptation of this horror/comedy, I was expecting a much different movie. Bruce Campbell (Ash vs. Evil Dead) plays an aged Elvis and Ossie Davis (director of The Curse) plays an old man who believes himself to be JFK.
With those two actors cast, I was already in awe. I never thought that Campbell could be understated AND funny. But he is. I did not think that at the time. And I, for damn sure, never understood Davis’ skilled handling of a character that is as paranoid as he is presidential. The entire project - even the cowboy hat wearing mummy - zipped right over my head. It fit no category that I knew of at the time. It wasn't scary. It wasn't funny. It wasn't anything.
Boy, was I wrong and now, on its 20th anniversary, Shout! Factory is bringing it to 4K Ultra HD, from a brand-new 4K transfer.
In Bubba Ho-Tep, the two main characters find themselves confronted by a rather unnerving scarab. Its continued presence leads them to believe there is some serious shit at play in their nursing home. After a series of residents get killed, they actually leave their beds and their rooms to investigate the supernatural events plaguing The Shady Rest Retirement Home. What they discover is that a 3000-year-old Egyptian mummy is very much alive and ready to suck their souls from their butts.
When I was younger, I rented the DVD (remember those?) thinking ass-kicking hilarity and gore to the hilt. I did not expect subdued contemplation, remorse and ruminations on aging. That was my youthful mistake as I let my expectations overtake the actual content in the movie. Critics loved it - even the ones I respected - but I didn't see what they saw. Oh, there’s some ass-kicking in it but it involves canes and wheelchairs and makeshift flamethrowers more than it does kung-fu and karate chops to the head.
Thankfully, Bubba Ho-tep has survived the initial judgment from youthful peons like myself who dismissed it once seen back in 2002. It. Is. Great.
Coscarellis is in total command of the material and Campbell, as an aging version of The King, mines plenty of humor within the caverns of old age. From the puss-filled boil on Elvis’ dick to the idea of him behind a walker, Bubba Ho-Tep is all about our mortality. What is that adage? With age comes wisdom. That’s certainly at play here.
Bubba Ho-Tep is a quietly deceptive b-movie. It’s damn near perfect in its execution of poignant subtleties and, rather effortlessly, matches its wild premise with a fitting denouement as legends come to terms with the cold fact that their culture only appreciates the young. And their fiery confrontation is hysterical, complete with a final message to a beloved figure in rock and roll history.
The film features cameos from Phantasm regulars Heidi Marnhout, Bob Ivy, and Reggie Bannister. It also features the handiwork from the same crew. Coscarellis knows who to trust and how to get things done on a very tight budget. Too bad then that we have yet to see the proposed sequel hinted at by the closing credits. Bubba Nosferatu: Curse of the She-Vampires might have been meant as a joke, but – in the years since the film’s premiere – actually filming the sequel has been discussed. Even Paul Giamatti has spoken of his interest to play Colonel Tom Parker.
Bubba Ho-Tep is more than a movie. It is a genre-busting state of mind. Dig in, baby.
Collector's Edition / 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray
Home Video Distributor: Shout Factory
Available on Blu-ray/4K - February 7, 2023
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1; English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Discs: 4K Ultra HD; Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set
Region Encoding: 4K region-free; blu-ray locked to Region A
Bruce Campbell (Army Of Darkness) stars as an aging and cantankerous "Elvis" in Bubba Ho-Tep, from writer-director Don Coscarelli (Phantasm, John Dies At The End)! When mysterious deaths plague a Texas retirement home, it's up to its most sequined senior citizen to take on a 3,000-year-old Egyptian mummy with a penchant for cowboy boots, bathroom graffiti and sucking the souls from the barely living!
Video:
What wonderful work! See it like it has never been seen before! Shout! Factory presents Bubba Ho-tep on 4K Ultra HD with a brand-new scan from the original camera negative – in 1.85:1 – of the flick. Colors are well saturated. Black levels are strong and details are crisp. There are a lot of make-up effects on Campbell’s face and, while more noticeable in 4K, the details are impeccable. The special effects are spot-on and practical, making some of the close-ups very gooey and full of edges.
Audio:
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 is crackling with dynamic highs and lows and provides plenty of spooky tones to the low-budget happenings.
Supplements:
Commentary:
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There are several! See below for the details.
Special Features:
Shout! Factory celebrates the aged fine wine that this film is with a whole lot of previously seen and unseen supplements!
DISC ONE (4K UHD):
- NEW 4K Scan From The Original Camera Negative
- In Dolby Vision (HDR 10 Compatible)
- Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, 2.0
- Audio Commentary With Writer/Director Don Coscarelli And Actor Bruce Campbell
- Audio Commentary With Author Joe R. Lansdale
- Audio Commentary With “The King”
DISC TWO (BLU-RAY):
- NEW 4K Scan From The Original Camera Negative
- Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, 2.0
- Previously Unreleased Featurette: Bubba Ho-Tep Filming Locations Then And Now
- Previously Unreleased Featurette: Bubba Ho-Tep Egyptian Theatre Premiere
- Previously Unreleased Featurette: Bubba Ho-Tep At The Toronto Film Festival
- Audio Commentary With Director Don Coscarelli And Actor Bruce Campbell
- Audio Commentary With Author Joe R. Lansdale
- Audio Commentary With “The King”\
- The King Lives – An Interview With Bruce Campbell
- All Is Well – An Interview With Don Coscarelli
- Mummies And Makeup – An Interview With Makeup Effects Artist Robert Kurtzman
- The Making Of Bubba Ho-Tep
- To Make A Mummy – Makeup And Effects
- Fit For A King – Elvis Costuming
- Rock Like An Egyptian – How Celebrated Composer Brian Tyler Created The Stunning Score
- Bubba Ho-Tep – The Music Video
- Joe R. Lansdale Reads Bubba Ho-Tep
- Deleted Scenes With Optional Audio Commentary With Don Coscarelli And Bruce Campbell
- Footage From The Temple Room Floor
- Archival Bruce Campbell Interviews
- Music Video
- Theatrical Trailer
- TV Spot
- Photo Gallery
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Composite Blu-ray Grade
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MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime: 92 mins
Director: Don Coscarelli
Writer: Don Coscarelli
Cast: Bruce Campbell; Ossie Davis; Bob Ivy
Genre: Horror | Comedy
Tagline: The King vs. The King of the Dead.
Memorable Movie Quote: "Come and get it, you undead sack of shit."
Theatrical Distributor: Vitagraph Films
Official Site: https://www.shoutfactory.com/product/bubba-ho-tep-collector-s-edition?product_id=4795
Release Date: October 10, 2003
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: February 7, 2023.
Synopsis: Bruce Campbell (Army Of Darkness) "gives his greatest and most entertaining performance to date" (Premiere) as an aging and cantankerous "Elvis" in this "zinger-filled crowd-pleaser" (The Hollywood Reporter) from writer-director Don Coscarelli (Phantasm, John Dies At The End)! When mysterious deaths plague a Texas retirement home, it's up to its most sequined senior citizen to take on a 3,000-year-old Egyptian mummy with a penchant for cowboy boots, bathroom graffiti and sucking the souls from the barely living!
