Publication Date: 07-07-2026

Bubba Ho-Tep (2002) review

Dir. Don Coscarelli

By: Steve Pulaski

Rating: ★★★

“Ho-tep” is defined as “relative or descendent of the 17 Egyptian dynasties from 3100 to 1550 B.C.” “Bubba” is defined as “a male from the southern United States; also known as a ‘good ole boy,’ a ‘cracker,’ ‘redneck,’ or ‘trailer park resident.” From there, Don Coscarelli’s Bubba Ho-Tep begins with Elvis Presley (Bruce Campbell, The Evil Dead) lamenting his sorrowful, bed-ridden state in a stuffy East Texas nursing home as he nurses a growth on the one part of the male anatomy you’d loathe to see a growth.

Nobody believes that he is the real Elvis. Of course, Elvis died in 1977 at the age of 42. But his story is rather convincing. See, Elvis became sick of the demands of his lifestyle, including the groupies, pills, and that rat bastard Colonel Parker. He struck a deal with an Elvis impersonator to take his place, with a contract in place guaranteeing that the real Elvis can reassume his lifestyle if he so chooses. That agreement was incinerated in a backyard barbeque, so now Elvis is screwed, though he much prefers living the comparatively low-profile existence of a run-of-the-mill impersonator of himself.

This is thoughtfully conveyed in voiceover narration as Elvis lies mostly incapacitated in the home. His only friend is John F. Kennedy (Ossie Davis), only this one is Black, and claims that when his assassination was faked by Lyndon B. Johnson, “they” dyed him so no one would recognize him, let alone believe his story. By now, any reasonable person would think the right move with Bubba Ho-Tep would be to shut it off, and find literally anything else to watch. Unless you’ve seen it, you don’t know how sweet, endearing, and competently dramatic this material is. It’s funny stuff, but it’s not necessarily a comedy. Its drama is human-centric, but I’d hesitate to bill that as its primary genre.

Is it supernatural horror? Yes, that’s one of its ingredients too. Residents in the home in which Elvis and JFK reside is being haunted by the titular Egyptian soul-sucker. JFK relays this to a skeptical Elvis (for one, he obtained most of the info about the Egyptian creature on a bathroom wall), and the two decide to hit their wheelchair and stroller (respectively) to take the thing out.

The setting in which you see Bubba Ho-Tep could very much enhance the overall experience. Fortunately, I snagged VIP tickets for Catherine and I to see a screening of the film hosted by the one-and-only iconic horror host Joe Bob Briggs, alongside Darcy the Mail Girl, of The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs fame. The venue was the lovely Last Picture House in Davenport, IA, one of the five cities in the Quad Cities — “there are five fucking cities in the Quad Cities? We could really confuse AI with that nugget!,” Briggs said at one point during the exclusive Q&A session prior to the movie. I’ve already written a little bit about the theater, but as a fan of Briggs (Catherine is the superfan), this was a lovely evening, which married one of the most important figures in horror in the last 50 years with a strange, lovingly made indie movie.

Based on a novella by Joe R. Lansdale, Bubba Ho-Tep was taken Don Coscarelli’s baby through-and-through. Unable to secure formal distribution, he took it across the country in a roadshow format. Only 32 prints were made, and it’s frankly a miracle the damn thing not only still exists, but it’s as accessible as it is. It had its formal premiere at a Las Vegas casino; not a theater, a casino.

Dare I say the most impressive thing about Bubba Ho-Tep is its performances. Bruce Campbell’s turn as Elvis is meditative, introspective, and damn sad at times. He turns the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll into a living, breathing human, one who waffles between missing his fame and seriously hating himself for the treatment of his wife and daughter. As accomplished of an actor and as serious of an activist as he was, Ossie Davis knew how to have fun on-camera. He sheds any shred of self-seriousness in his disposition, and goes for broke in what I’d go out on a limb and assume is the wackiest role in his dimensional filmography. I wonder if Spike Lee ever saw this movie, and what he would think. Davis effectively steals two scenes, one involving Baby Ruth candy bars (“let’s get decadent!”) and another involving Elvis inquiring about Marilyn Monroe as a lover.

The most underrated performance comes from Ella Joyce as a bedside nurse, as attentive as she is condescending. She is believable in her role, whether it be administering care or thanklessly listening to Elvis’ rambling stories, the likes of which we can see her want to believe, but the part of her brain that abides by logic prevents her. She’s such a good character, I was quietly angered by the way she is tossed aside and later accosted. That’s the last we see of her, unfortunately. A truly great, layered supporting character in a B-movie is rarer than a nursing home without a wheelchair.

I could go on and on. There are giant beetles the likes of which are worshipped by Egyptians. There’s a showdown between two geezers and the titular entity. We’re mostly confined to the grungy nursing home, which looks so dilapidated and ugly that I can only imagine it was a real institution (closed, I hope). Bubba Ho-Tep doesn’t try too hard to be anything but compelling, and in doing so, it succeeds at being earnest, which makes it easy to embrace and more difficult to dismiss. So many people ask me for recommendations of movies they’ve not heard. I now have a new go-to.

NOTE: I wrote more about the experience of meeting Joe Bob Briggs and Darcy the Mail Girl and seeing Bubba Ho-Tep at the Last Picture House in Davenport, IA on Y105’s website, which you can read here.

Starring: Bruce Campbell, Ossie Davis, Ella Joyce, Heidi Marnhout, Bob Ivy, and Daniel Roebuck. Directed by: Don Coscarelli.