I describe this movie as the greatest movie that you are never going to see. So, over the years it has become ‘my’ movie and as a result you can’t have it! I remember Danny Baker talking about owning an album back in the day. You would go and buy it bring it home and play it on your record player in your room. It was yours, now its I like this band and boom within seconds whoever you said that too has ‘Your’ music on their device. Well, I go through a remarkably similar conversation every time I talk about ‘Bubba Hotep’. There is a little part of me that feels that way about this movie. As I have tried to sell this movie to other people so many times that I’ve lost count. It always goes the same way I can predict the conversation and I will share it with you after the plot, as it’s the plot that normally ends the conversation. Released in 2002 this comedy horror was based on Bubba Ho-Tep by Joe R. Lansdale before converting to a screenplay by Don Coscarelli. Produced by Jason R. Savage and again Don Coscarelli so you can probably guess who directed it. Yep - Don Coscarelli. The film is narrated by André Sogliuzzo and stars Bruce Campbell, Ossie Davis, Ella Joyce, Heidi Marnhout, and Bob Ivy. This was made on budget of $1m and went on to make $1.2m which is a profit isn’t it? Critically as well liked as some of the others at this end of my list with IMDb giving it a creditable 7 out of 10 & Rotten Tomatoes even more with a 79% score. Shall we move onto the highly realistic plot, shall we?
We follow the story of an old man in a retirement home in Texas. It’s called The Shady Rest Retirement Home and this man is known by the staff as Sebastian Haff, but he claims to be Elvis Presley. THE Elvis Presley, the king! He explains that in the 70’s he grew tired of the fame and demands and signed an agreement with the real Sebastian Haff to swap places with a condition in the contract that should he want to change back that would happen. Unfortunately, the contract was destroyed in a fire and Sebastian died in 1977 meaning Elvis lived out his life as an Elvis impersonator until his retirement and moving to this retirement home. Elsewhere an Egyptian Mummy was stolen and was accidently dropped into the river next to the home. Now the mummy has returned in the search of souls he can devour to keep him alive. This is the perfect opportunity as he can suck out the souls of those elderly folk killing them off without suspicion as they were there for a reason. This is explained to Elvis by JFK who has also retired and living in the home and the two team up to do battle with this life sucking mummy killing all the residents.
Are you still there or have you clicked onto the next movie already? Well as I mentioned before I have peddled this movie so many times. I have a Bubba mug and people ask me about it and I describe it as the greatest movie ever made that you are never going to watch. This seems to be a challenge to them, so they normally follow this with a no come on try me. Then I say well this is a horror and some dip out there, or maybe it’s more of a comedy and even more drop out. Then I say it’s a movie about Elvis Presley and more go. Then I say he is alive and living in a retirement home (more go). Then I explain about a mummy coming out of the river every night and sucking the souls of the residents of the retirement home (very few remaining by now). Well Elvis teams up with JFK to do battle with the mummy (and they’re gone). I hadn’t even reached the part where I mention the growth on his ‘pecker’. The fact they do battle with one in a wheelchair and the other with a set of walkers like a toddler go off to do battle with the mummy that appears at night. This is a great movie on a minuscule budget that is simple funny. Elvis talks about his penis for about half of this movie and JFK moans about his attempted assassination and fellow guess are dying left right and centre, but everything just ticks along like normal. It is just funny and being silly helps this simple story grow on you for probably all the wrong reasons. It never going to be a great story and it’s never going to win any awards, but it works and its fantastic. Bruce Campbell helped me to be bothered to watch it, in the first place and I am so glad I did. I give Bruce’s films so much more time than most and he has been in some terribly bad films. I will usually justify it by saying it’s so bad its good, but really knowing its bad. This one was watched with that same feeling of doom, but this is just fantastic. If you don’t watch it and you probably won’t, I don’t care that’s fine by me I will keep this gem all to myself and I will love it more than you ever could. Leave it to me, I got this. You go and watch your epic Lord of the Rings I will be more than happy with this hour and half of pleasure on a screen. It’s all mine!
Next up is a proper sci-fi horror and we are now so close to the top 5 its scary.
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