I sat down with the second of my rentals today, that being Bubba Ho-Tep, the celebrated independent sleeper starring Bruce Campbell as a retired Elvis Presley, living in an East Texas rest home.

And it certainly has a lot going for it, going in. Directed with capable old-school horror chops by Don Coscarelli, (the man behind the ever-growing Phantasm series) and featuring some truly odd storytelling, as well as starring both the world-class chin of Bruce Campbell and the venerable Ossie Davis in a daring role.

See if you can find anything normal about this plot: it is the present (which at the time of filming, roughly 2002). The real Elvis Presley is alive and..sort of well, and as previously stated, living in a rest home. As it turns out, the Elvis we all knew to be dead was the impersonator, who was supposed to switch places with the real one once the fame and stress died down. Unfortunately, he had a bad heart, and the paperwork cementing the clandestine deal went up in a freak barbecue accident.

So, the real Elvis languishes in obscurity, ruminating on his life and his past. In fact, that's what a great deal of the movie is; most of it is weathered Campbell-Elvis waxing philosophical in his own head about old age, infirmity, sex, what he'd ever do should he see his daughter again, how he treated Priscilla while they were together. He comes to a number of realizations, one being that his love for life had long since passed him, and aside from eating, sleeping and thinking about sex, he'd not given time to anything else in "two presidencies."

The only person who'll listen to him in the whole rest home is an elderly black gentleman named Jack (Davis), who believes himself John F. Kennedy, recovered from the assassination attempt, dyed black and abandoned in the rest home by Lyndon Johnson. Surprisingly level-headed for a man obsessed with the idea that the dead are coming back for him, he is the motivated center of this movie, the perfect compliment to the battered, tired Campbell. Whereas Elvis is aimless, despondent and effectively disinterested in all that he assesses, Jack is focused, knowledgeable and has a contingency for everything that comes his way.

After being suddenly attacked by a scarab beetle in his room, Elvis believes something is amiss. He and Jack find some hieroglyphics written on a bathroom stall, which lead them to believe that a number of the rest home are being assailed by an ancient, soul-sucking Egyptian mummy, and set about to stop it.

Though there is certainly some subtext about the value of what we leave behind, the focus is largely Elvis' numerous bed-ridden epiphanies: the good things passing him by, the bad things being all his fault, leaving a lasting mark on the world at large. Perhaps looming largest...what we do with our lives is most important...who we do them with, and surprising graciousness in the face of inevitability.

I would say that it's good for what it was...a low-budget affair, something that needs to be reliant on B-grade, silly storytelling and the strength of its actors. Our two stars compliment each other as could be expected, and kudos to whoever cast them. Bruce Campbell brings a great deal of energy and humor to the B-est of B-grade movies, and Ossie Davis is nothing less than wonderful as a man who believes his brain has been replaced with sand.
And while the jokes are as tired as b-grade movie jokes go, you have to appreciate the fact that a mummy is the perfect choice of monster to assail people living in a rest home. Second in ponderous slowness only to Frankenstein's monster (and only when Frank ain't focused on anything), the mummy's gait is matched by people on walkers and in electric wheelchairs. Young people with enough werewithall need only jog briskly to avoid them. But the elderly? Easy pickings for the slowest land-monster in moviedom.

Voice-actor note: you won't catch his name in the credits, as can be expected, but when the mummy catches fire, listen for the trademark beast-howl of one Frank Welker.

Not great, but good. Pleasing. And it's given me a little to think about, as well. Recommended for the b-movie enthusiast in your life, and people who just like Bruce Campbell, who may be the best Elvis Impersonator in the world.

♫: Sam Cooke ~ "A Change Is Gonna Come"