Don Coscarelli
Bubba Ho-Tep

Every great myth of music and show business has always been accompanied by urban legends and fantastic stories that have contributed to increasing notoriety and a mythical form.

All great myths have had more or less a legend regarding their death! They say that Paul McCartney died young during the Beatles' early success, and what we see now is a lookalike who has been replacing him for 30 years! They say that Jim Morrison, despite his Parisian grave, is alive and strolls quietly through the streets of his town without being noticed by anyone! They also say that Michael Jackson was replaced by a double after his death in the late '80s, well... I might agree on this last case... they don't look alike at all!!!! But the most talked-about urban legend in the world of show business concerns the death of the King of Rock and Roll Elvis Presley! Everyone wants him alive! There are those who see him on the streets, those who see him participate in official lookalike gatherings (in which he ALWAYS LOSES!!) who say that instead he is hospitalized in a nursing home and none of his caregivers is willing to believe that he is the real Elvis!

It was precisely on this last rumor that director Don Coscarelli directed in 2002 a film with Bruce Campbell as Elvis!!! A funny, melancholic, and at times truly dramatic result! Unfortunately little known in Italy, "Bubba Ho-Tep" is a film that must be seen at all costs! A b-movie capable not only of making you laugh but also of making the viewer reflect on that bitter side of life which is old age!!!! The figure of Elvis and the brilliant comedy of Bruce Campbell are just pretexts to tell, through irony and horror, the world of the elderly and nursing homes! Where most of the time the elderly are mistreated, abandoned, not listened to, and humiliated by the staff!! The message wants to tell us that even a celebrity like Elvis, if still alive, had to come to terms with old age! Even he, who once slept around left and right, now has impotence problems and must endure the humiliations of his caregiver as she applies cream on his herpes-infected penis without any virile reaction!! Even a myth like him is not believed when he shouts to the whole room " I am the real Elvis" even the King feels lonely and powerless in front of this world! In a nutshell: We are all human beings! Made of flesh and bone! There are no MYTHS, there are no omnipotent and untouchable characters! The legend is created by the people... after all, great show business stars are people like us, who shit, piss, and fart like everyone else! The bank account makes the difference for material well-being but not for the spirit! Old age can't be stopped even with billions! Only CHER managed to do it! There comes a point when you no longer need billions, whores, and fans tearing their hair out! You only need to be heard! To have a friend and someone besides you who loves you and assists you in times of need! And above all, never give up! Never abandon your emotions and the desire to live!! This is the spirit to grasp in Bubba Ho-Tep!!

Elvis is therefore a grandpa with a disease on his penis and a strong sense of loneliness! Locked up in a nursing home and mocked from morning till night by nurses! The only thing to do is to lie down in bed and wait for death to come!! But here comes unexpectedly into the life of the King the opportunity for a new thrill!!! A thrill from the supernatural!

The spirit of an ancient Egyptian king escapes and sows terror in the clinic! Feeding on the souls of poor elderly people! Elvis realizes something is wrong.. and he joins together with a colleague, a former president of the United States, also not believed by anyone obviously, and together they will fight against the forces of evil! And here comes back the joy of living! The strength to get back in the game! The value of friendship, the desire to fight! So here is Elvis's penis functioning again, amazing the cleaning lady who until the day before had teased him for his impotence! Here returns the agility of the past during the fight against the demon transformed into an insect! Here we go back to savoring life!!!! A last taste of joy before dying... truly!

Simply magnificent!!!!!!!!!!!!

A very funny and tender film! Coscarelli gives us a well-crafted direction, with a good narrative rhythm and a decent editing, nice photography and good visual effects.. as Elvis, the now legendary icon of worldwide horror comedy! The ever-valiant Bruce Campbell, who once again gives us a magnificent interpretation of his physical skills, indeed splendid is the scene of the fight with the insect, resurrects Campbell's old ingenuity from Raimi’s Evil Dead! Worthy of note is his colleague's role, a former president played by Ossie Davis, and the rest of the cast. An intelligent movie capable of mixing b-movie, trash, and auteur cinema.

Little known.. to be rediscovered immediately... before becoming too old!!!!