Thanks to Evil Dead, Bruce Campbell remains one of the most influential stars in horror. In the past four decades, Campbell helped shape the Evil Dead franchise as a producer while starring as its most beloved hero, Ash Williams. Ash is such an iconic character that even people not into horror can recognize Campbell’s face and immediately look for a chainsaw attached to his arm. However, despite the importance of Evil Dead for horror cinema, Campbell did much more in his prolific career than killing Deadites. In fact, Campbell is a B-movie king, having starred in and produced dozens of outstanding movies that sometimes fly below the radar. That is extremely unfortunate because some of Campbell’s other credits allow us to see him flex his acting muscles in a way Evil Dead never could. That’s the case of Bubba Ho-Tep, one of the best horror comedies of all time in which Campbell plays a tragic version of Elvis Presley.
Based on a novella of the same name by Joe R. Lansdale, Bubba Ho-Tep is a 2002 movie written, directed, and co-produced by Don Coscarelli, the filmmaker behind cult classics such as Phantasm and The Beastmaster. The story unfolds in a nursing home targeted by an Egyptian Mummy who returned from the grave and is hungry for souls. Knowing no one would believe them if they tried to ask for help, two nursing home residents decide to take matters into their own hands and destroy the mummy.
There’s no way of sugarcoating it, Bubba Ho-Tep is wild! For starters, Bruce Campbell plays a version of Elvis Presley pretending to be a Presley impersonator. In addition, Campbell’s main ally is Ossie Davis, supposedly playing a version of John F. Kennedy turned into a Black man after his assassination attempt and was abandoned in the nursing home. As for the mummy (Bob Ivy), it’s wearing cowboy garb because, well, the story takes place in Texas. And just to underline how wacky things get, the mummy’s modus operandi is to suck the life force of its victims through their butts.
Just by looking at its surreal concept, it’s easy to understand why Bubba Ho-Tep is so beloved among fans of horror comedies. However, Bubba Ho-Tep remains so relevant more than two decades later because of the dramatic way it deals with aging and how society tops caring about people once they are no longer young. And Campbell’s Elvis is the emotional anchor capable of holding together a story that’s funny and bloody, but surprisingly moving.
Bruce Campbell’s Unique Take on Elvis Presley Eleavates ‘Bubba Ho-Tep’
Bubba Ho-Tep does a marvelous job of showing how cruel nursing homes can be. After all, these cold buildings are used to drop people who became too bothersome to be anywhere else. And deprived of the dignity of regular life, nursing home residents feel their bodies and minds slowly slip away. That’s why many characters of Bubba Ho-Tep struggle with reality, creating detailed fantasies that turn them into heroes or celebrities, people who would still matter despite their old age. So, there is a chance that Bruce Campbell’s character just imagines his Elvis background. However, the movie always frames the story as if Campbell is telling the truth.
In Bubba Ho-Tep, Elvis Presley is fading away over a nursing bed paid with the bit of money he got left. Many years before the movie’s events, Elvis got tired of his fame and fortune and just couldn’t shake the feeling he had become a corporate product instead of a singer. That’s why Elvis decided to visit his best impersonator, Sebastian Haff. Elvis convinced Sebastian to trade places with him and sign a deal that says the impersonator is obliged to give back the King of Rock N’ Roll life, should he ever wishes to.
Elvis loses the contract in a barbecue accident that also burns down Sebastian’s trailer, but he’s not really concerned about it. In fact, he enjoys pretending to be Sebastian, as the impersonator’s life is all about the art itself. Unfortunately, Sebastian had a weak heart. And after the impersonator dies while pretending to be the musician, the actual Elvis is stuck with a modest life. To make things worse, Elvis breaks his hips, condemning him to a lonely life at the nursing home. Sure, he kept enough money to get by, which is why he could pay for his room. Still, at the end of his life, Elvis reflects on his life choices and regrets, realizing how regular people are abandoned by family and friends and left to die with strangers.
‘Bubba Ho-Tep’ Shows Off Bruce Campbell’s Range More Than the ‘Evil Dead’ Movies
Ash Williams is a fantastic character, and Bruce Campbell deserves all the praise he gets for playing the chainsaw-wielding warrior. However, with the role of Elvis, the star can show his incredible range and heart in unexpected ways. Bubba Ho-Tep is also a horror comedy, just like Evil Dead. However, Coscarelli’s cult classic also has enough quiet moments for Campbell to give a bittersweet touch to his character. That’s not a criticism of Evil Dead, as we absolutely adore how Sam Raimi’s franchise never takes its foot out of the gas pedal. Even so, Bubba Ho-Tep’s melancholic approach to some scenes is the perfect opportunity to see Campbell in action like you have rarely seen him before.
In a recent interview with Bloody Disgusting, Campbell talked about his Bobba Ho-Tep role by saying, “The beauty that I have is that no one can compare my performance because nobody really [played Elvis] as an old geezer. Maybe if I did him as a young guy, you’d have some comparisons.” Campbell is definitely selling himself short, as his time as the King of Rock N’ Roll is so memorable thanks to his capacity to mix comedy, drama, and horror. His Elvis performance could have been all for laughs. Instead, Campbell carefully digs into the pains of getting old and bares his soul into the best cinematic version of Elvis yet – yes, I said it!
Evil Dead is arguably the best horror franchise ever, and Campbell’s Ash Williams will remain a timeless hero. Even so, the best cult movie performance in the actor’s career is in Bobba Ho-Tep because it allows him to explore more than his usual lunatic side.
Bubba Ho-Tep is currently streaming on Tubi TV.
This content was originally published here.
