In 2002 Don Coscarelli (Phantasm) directed Bubba Ho- Tep, an idependent horror comedy that became a cult hit almost immediately. Based on a short story by Joe R. Lansdale (one of the great American authors of our time), Bubba Ho- Tep involved Elvis and JFK fighting a mummy. Yep, you read that right. The plot is as follows: Elvis Presley, tired from the demands of fame, has faked his death and is now growing old and useless in a nursing home in East Texas. He strikes up a friendship with a fellow old geezer who believes he is John F. Kennedy (despite the fact he is black and, well, alive). The two of them gradually realize that a series of deaths in the nursing home are due to the malevolent actions of an Egyptian mummy from a travelling show (long story), who preys on the elderly at night. They decide to do something about it, ignoring their age (and their inability to stand up or piss unassisted).
Elvis is played by geek god Bruce Campbell (The Evil Dead series), who is unbelievably cool and heroic, while Ossie Davis plays the possibly deluded JFK with a stubborn dignity. Despite the Ed Wood- style setup, Bubba Ho- Tep wasn’t some crappy, ironic B- movie. The most surprising thing about it is that, essentially, it was an elegiac film about growing old and useless, and proving that you still deserve dignity.
Plus, Elvis using martial arts against a mummy. You can’t beat that.
Anyway, for years there has been talk of a sequel called Bubba Nosferatu (guess what that one is about). Bruce Campbell is currently off the project, but the equally brilliant Ron Perlman (Hellboy, The Name Of The Rose, Sons Of Anarchy) is to play Elvis this time. Paul Giamatti is going to play Col. Parker, Presley’s infamous manager, but the film has been in development hell for ages and no one knows if it will get made. Giamatti loves the project and sounds fucking determined from the looks of this though:
http://io9.com/5581077/paul-giamatti-dares-hollywood-to-grow-some-balls-and-make-bubba-nosferatu
Joe Lansdale gave me an interview at the time of the release of the first film. It was done for GangBang Press, our old ‘zine and he mentioned that he was trying to get the project off the ground. I don’t know whether he is involved with the sequel anymore, but I hope they make it and it’s worthy of the original.
(-Dimitris Kontogiannis-)
