BUBBA HO-TEP

Sebastian (Bruce Campbell) resides in a Texan home for old folk, where he spends most of his days laid up in bed bemoaning the fact that he can no longer achieve an erection. This is most likely due to the huge growth on the end of his dick. Even when cute blonde Callie (Heidi Marnhout) bends over right in front of him, thus revealing a gorgeous derriere barely contained in skimpy black panties, he only musters the slightest twinge down below.

He's a bit of a character for the nurses at Mud Creek nursing home: an aging former Elvis impersonator with delusions that he truly is The King. Or is he? His tales, told in flashback, suggest a twist of fate so unlikely that perhaps he genuinely is the real Mr Presley.

Either way, Sebastian/Elvis is no longer on stage getting knickers thrown at him by his legions of female fans. Yup, it's hard growing old.

Life would perhaps be a little easier at the home if it wasn't about to fall prey to the titular soul-stealing Egyptian demon. The creature first appears in giant beetle form, terrifying one Granny out of her bed. It's only when he reveals his true form - a zombie-like Stetson-wearing mummy (Bob Ivy) - that the old dear really gets an idea of how fucked she is. But, too late, she's fucked.

And she's just the first. The oldies start getting bumped off one-by-one while life carries on for their carers, who remain blissfully unaware of the horror that has been unleashed in their workplace.

Can Sebastian stop dreaming of his former glories and whining about his inactive cock long enough to step up to the challenge of saving the day? Sure thing, momma, especially as he receives assistance from none other than JFK (Ossie Davis). That's right, it turns out that the former USA president faked his own death and has been living in obscurity as a black man ever since.

So, with Zimmer frames and bedpans at the ready, the two greatest Americans of the 20th Century (you think?) rally up their fellow pensioners and prepare to do battle with the Ho-Tep monster.

Based on an award-winning short story by cult author Joe R Lansdale, BUBBA HO-TEP is a wacky premise that's been given a decidedly hip treatment by PHANTASM auteur Don Coscarelli. He handles the madcap notions with deft restraint and employs a script that litters itself with wry one-liners, observational humour and some surprisingly dark moments that all gel together well.

Each scene feels lovingly prepared by Coscarelli, like he really truly respects the material and sees this as his chance to create something great. Over the course of 92 minutes he seamlessly weaves in styles such as thriller, horror, action movie, comedy and even western as the deceptively simple plot unfurls. The whole event is extremely stylish and attractive as a result, but just misses out on greatness due to an uneven pace and a lack of steam in the final act.

Still, the good far outweighs the bad and only the dead could possibly walk away from it and deny having had fun.

Two things I really enjoyed in particular about BUBBA HO-TEP were Bruce Campbell, and the 1980s feel to proceedings.

Campbell is the eternal "handsome geek", a self-effacing buck who plays on his nerdiness to appease his loyal cult following in-between his true vocation as a Conventions whore. I usually find him to be a bit too much, to be honest, but he tones it down here and does complete justice to what could've easily been a farcical performance. Even so, the excellent Davis steals every scene they share together.

Meanwhile the film has a definite look and feel of the late 1980s - the FX, the lighting, the soundtrack and so on. BUBBA HO-TEP could easily be mistaken as coming from the same era as the likes of THE MONSTER SQUAD and FRIGHT NIGHT (it was actually made in 2002). This feels natural though, not contrived. Nor does it date the action; on the contrary, it lends the film a timeless quality.

Anchor Bay's blu-ray is a welcome HD debut for Coscarelli's enjoyable cult hit. The film looks good in a bold MPEG4-AVC file that offers a 1080 progressive presentation which heightens colours and eradicates any previous compression issues. It also demonstrates strong detail and minor grain to suggest a tempered approach to the increasingly controversial employment of Dolby Noise Reduction.

Wider shots are a tad soft and the picture is perhaps a notch or two less bright than I had anticipated for such a recent production, but I admit these are borderline nit-picks. I only mention them because it's fair to say that improvements are definitely possible. But until (indeed, if) someone offers a crisper presentation, this remains a satisfyingly clean, accurate and vivid proposition.

English audio is provided in 2.0 and 5.1 DTS-HD mixes. The latter is a stirring affair. An even balance is achieved between dialogue and score, ensuring a consistency that prevents the viewer from endlessly reaching for the volume controls during playback. Brian Tyler's superb soundtrack is bolstered nicely along with all other channels, offering clean and clear audio throughout.

Beyond an attractive animated main menu page, the disc contains a pop-up scene-selection menu allowing access to the main feature via 12 chapters.

All of the extra features from the previous 2-disc DVD release have been ported across for inclusion on this blu-ray edition.

These begin with an audio commentary track from Coscarelli and Campbell. As you'd imagine, it's a fun listen with more than a little bravado involved. The pair offer a fair amount of valuable information in-between the giggles, with Coscarelli in particular revealing how much thought went into the visual style of the film.

A second commentary track affords Campbell the chance to ham it up as The King. This is very funny for the most part, with Campbell's quick wit incorporating many aspects of Presley's own cinematic career into his shtick, while munching on popcorn and taking telephone calls in-between.

Just under 6 minutes of deleted scenes provide minor interest, and come with commentary from Coscarelli and Campbell.

A plethora of entertaining featurettes cover various aspects of the production: a 24-minute Making Of is made up of spirited cast and crew interviews; "The King & I" is a further 20 minutes with Coscarelli speaking candidly about funding and casting the film; "Bruce Talks Bubba" is a characteristically energetic interview with the big-chinned one as he discusses how he prepared for what is possibly his finest screen role to date; "UK Premiere Q&A" is 10 minutes of Coscarelli addressing a London audience in 2004, which is interesting enough but offers little new by this point; "Fit For A King" (8 minutes) looks at Elvis' attire; "To Make A Mummy" (6 minutes) is a self-explanatory chat with the FX crew; "Rock Like An Egyptian" (12 minutes) finds Coscarelli discussing the score with the affable, erudite Tyler.

Elsewhere on this loaded disc you'll find Campbell's original 1-minute introduction to the film, recorded at the aforementioned 2004 London premiere; a 2-minute theatrical trailer; an original TV spot; a 2-minute music video for Tyler's lively theme tune; "Joe R Lansdale Reads From Bubba Ho-Tep" - 8 minutes of the author reciting excerpts from his original short story over stills; and the obligatory photo gallery.

All of the bonus features are presented in standard definition.

BUBBA HO-TEP is a near-classic that amuses and thrills in equal measures. The pace flags at times and the finale doesn't live up to what's gone before it, but the film still comes highly recommended. Anchor Bay's blu-ray is presently the best way to see this enormously entertaining film.

Now, roll on the sequel BUBBA NOSFERATU ...

Review by Stu Willis