Bubba Ho-tep (2002)

Director:

Don Coscarelli

Writers (WGA):

Joe R. Lansdale (short story)
Don Coscarelli (screenplay)

Release Date:

27 February 2004 (Canada)

Genre:

Comedy | Horror | Mystery

Tagline:

The King vs. The King of the Dead

Plot:

Elvis and JFK, both alive and in nursing homes, fight for the souls of their fellow residents as they battle an ancient Egyptian Mummy.

Plot Keywords:

Nursing Home | Death | Texas | John F Kennedy | Elvis Presley

Awards:

6 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Bruce Campbell	...	Elvis Presley / Sebastian Haff
Ossie Davis	...	Jack
Ella Joyce	...	The Nurse
Heidi Marnhout	...	Callie
Bob Ivy	...	Bubba Ho-tep
Edith Jefferson	...	Elderly Woman
Larry Pennell	...	Kemosabe
Reggie Bannister	...	Rest Home Administrator
Daniel Roebuck	...	Hearse Driver
Daniel Schweiger	...	Hearse Driver
Harrison Young	...	Elvis' Roommate
Linda Flammer	...	Room Nurse
Cean Okada	...	Attending Nurse
Solange Morand	...	Iron Lung Lady
Karen Placencia	...	Baby
Bruce Rawitz	...	TV Announcer
Joseph Primero	...	Janitor
Chuck Williams	...	Elvis' Boy
Timothy E. Goodwin	...	Elvis' Boy (as Tim Goodwin)
James Maley	...	Elvis' Boy
'Two-Gun' Tyler	...	Elvis' Boy
Steve Kassel	...	Sebastian's Band, Drums
Damon Carruesco	...	Sebastian's Band, Guitar
Lief Frederick	...	Sebastian's Band, Bass
Danny Crossen	...	Sebastian's Band, Keyboards
Gigi Fast Elk Porter	...	Trailer Park Gal (as Gigi Fast Elk)
Emily Wengel	...	Trailer Park Gal
Naveed Mahboobian	...	Egyptian Guard
Omid Naimi	...	Egyptian Guard
Joseph C. Boulder	...	Lunch Room Folks
Virginia Brown	...	Lunch Room Folks
Celia Gill	...	Lunch Room Folks
Harvey Flammer	...	Lunch Room Folks
Sylvia Flammer	...	Lunch Room Folks
Ruth Hansen	...	Lunch Room Folks
Mary Rose Waken	...	Lunch Room Folks
Natasha Kurtz	...	Vintage Picture Model
Avery Taylor	...	Vintage Picture Model
Nadia Angelini	...	Vintage Picture Model
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gabi Ferrer	...	Fan at concert (uncredited)
Regina Pope	...	Extra (uncredited)
André Sogliuzzo	...	Narrator (uncredited)

Directed by
Don Coscarelli

Writing credits (WGA)
Joe R. Lansdale		(short story)
Don Coscarelli		(screenplay)

Produced by
Dac Coscarelli	....	executive producer
Don Coscarelli	....	producer
Jason R. Savage	....	producer

Original Music by
Brian Tyler

Cinematography by
Adam Janeiro

Film Editing by
Scott J. Gill
Donald Milne

Casting by
Jerry Whitworth

Production Design by
Daniel Vecchione

Art Direction by
Justin Zaharczuk

Set Decoration by
Damon Carruesco

Costume Design by
Shelley Kay

Makeup Department
Melanie A. Kay	....	makeup artist
Robert Kurtzman	....	special makeup effects supervisor
Melanie Tooker	....	makeup application: Elvis

Production Management
Rosa Gonzalez	....	unit production manager
Jason Serrato	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Rosa Gonzalez	....	first assistant director
Jin Ah Lee	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Paul Cander	....	carpenter
David Gechman	....	illustrations "Book of Souls"
David Hartman	....	illustrator
Carrie Schupper	....	assistant art director
Todd Stauder	....	swing

Sound Department
Thomas Appel	....	assistant sound editor
Paul Bacca	....	sound mixer
John Brasher	....	sound re-recording mixer
John Chominsky	....	adr recording engineer
Mark J. Harris	....	voiceover recordist
Eric Hoeschen	....	foley artist
Marcel Lehrer	....	post sound coordinator
Mike Loving	....	boom operator
Rick McLane	....	sound engineer
Paul Menichini	....	sound designer
Dominik Meyer	....	machine room operator
Stewart Nelson	....	adr supervisor (as Stewart Nelsen)
Paul Ratajczak	....	sound re-recording mixer
Paul Ratajczak	....	sound supervisor
Trevor Sperry	....	foley mixer
William Tabanou	....	narration editor
Trevor Ward	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby
Lance Wiseman	....	dialogue editor
Lance Wiseman	....	sound re-recording mixer

Special Effects by
Chad Atkinson	....	mold maker
Howard Berger	....	special effects makeup supervisor
Kamar Bitar	....	special effects coordinator
Connie Cadwell	....	lab technician
Jason Collins	....	special effects makeup
James Hall	....	lab technician
Steve Hartman	....	lab technician
Chiz Hasegawa	....	assistant special effects coordinator
Beth Hathaway	....	lab technician
Robert Kurtzman	....	special effects makeup supervisor
Gregory Nicotero	....	special effects makeup supervisor (as Greg Nicotero)
Scott Patton	....	sculptor
Brian Rae	....	mold maker
Alan Tuskes	....	mold maker
Alan Tuskes	....	special makeup effects crew

Visual Effects by
Tommy Dorsett	....	scanning and recording
David Hartman	....	visual effects supervisor
Kathleen Hartman	....	title logo design
Nicholas Lund-Ulrich	....	scanning and recording technician
Geoffrey Mark	....	visual effects animator
Dave Matherly	....	visual effects (as David Matherly)
Matt McFarland	....	scanning and recording manager
Santosh Oommen	....	visual effects animator
D. Kerry Prior	....	visual effects creator: bug unit
Michael T. Smith	....	visual effects supervisor
Jonard Soriano	....	CG animator
Peter Alun Thomas	....	scanning and recording technician (as Alun Thomas)

Stunts
John Casino	....	stunts
Eric Chambers	....	stunts
Gary Kent	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Sammy Beavers	....	additional cinematographer
Precy C. Betiong	....	first assistant camera (as Prezy C. Betion)
Thomas Bilyeu	....	still photographer
Chris Chomyn	....	additional cinematographer
David F. Clark	....	second assistant camera
Jordan Garretson	....	key grip
Paul Goldhammer	....	second assistant camera
James Goldman	....	dolly grip
Colin Hudson	....	Steadicam operator
Scott Libolt	....	still photographer
Chelsea Low	....	Steadicam operator
Alexandra Lucka	....	second assistant camera
Michael Miller	....	crane operator
D. Kerry Prior	....	additional cinematographer
D. Kerry Prior	....	photographer: second unit
William Sentelik	....	best boy electric (as Bill Sentelik)
Gary Stamford	....	gaffer
Brent Studler	....	rigging gaffer
Brad Wallace	....	second assistant camera

Casting Department
Joe Ferroni	....	casting associate
Jay Lawson	....	casting associate
Jeffrey M. Paal	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Dee Dee Hopkins	....	assistant costume designer
Chloe Kay	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
James Williams	....	color timer

Music Department
Gary Krause	....	music editor
Daniel Schweiger	....	music supervisor
Jeff Vaughn	....	music engineer

Other crew
Carol Lynn Akiyama	....	legal services
Linda Bastin	....	purchaser
Peter Bierstedt	....	legal services
Lisa Charalambous	....	continuity
Stephen Chin	....	production assistant
Ashley Grimes	....	production assistant
Andy John	....	production assistant
Andrew Johnston	....	production assistant
Ramy Katrib	....	consultant
Jin Ah Lee	....	key set production assistant
Mike Loving	....	production assistant
Gabriel Martinez	....	production assistant
Kathy McHugh	....	script supervisor
Vern Moen	....	production assistant
Paul Nix	....	Elvis' limousine courtesy of
Gigi Fast Elk Porter	....	background coordinator
Christiane Savage	....	senior wrangler
Jeremy Tate	....	production assistant
Guy Thorpe	....	hearse coordinator
Tim Welch	....	consultant: Elvis
Emily Wengel	....	production assistant
Megan Whitener	....	production assistant
Sharon Wrisley	....	production accountant

Thanks
Naython Vane	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Silver Sphere Corporation

Distributors

• Vitagraph Films (2003) (USA) (theatrical)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (UK) (2004) (UK) (theatrical)
• Films We Like (2004) (Canada) (theatrical)
• Klock Worx Company, The (2006) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Magna Pacific (2005) (theatrical) (Austrailia)
• Miracle Films (2004) (UK) (theatrical)
• Tornado Film (2006) (Japan) (theatrical)
• WE Productions (2006) (France) (theatrical)
• Zootrope Films (2006) (France) (theatrical)
• Future Film (2005) (Finland) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (video)
• Manga Films (2005) (Spain) (DVD)
• Midget Entertainment (2005) (Denmark) (DVD)
• Silver Sphere Corporation
• WE Productions (2006) (France) (DVD)
• e-m-s the DVD-Company (2007) (Germany) (DVD)

Special Effects

• K.N.B. Effects Group (special effects makeup)
• Special Effects Services (pyrotechnic effects)
• Bad Weasel Productions (visual effects)
• Title House Digital (opticals)

Other Companies

• Production Magic Inc.  background coordination
• Silver Sphere Records  score album released by (limited edition)

Also Known As:

Bubbahotep (USA) (alternative spelling)

MPAA:

Rated R for language, some sexual content and brief violent images.

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Finland:K-18 | France:U | Argentina:16 | Germany:12 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Australia:M | Canada:14A | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Silver Sphere Corporation

Trivia:

Elvis describes his medicine bag as "mucho mojo," which is the title of another book by Joe R. Lansdale, author of the original Bubba Ho-Tep.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: There are no mountains (as seen in the Nachadoches fair scene and Mud Creek)in East Texas.

Quotes:

Elvis: That's my daughter.
JFK: I know. We weren't there for our kids when they needed us, were we?
Elvis: Man, if I could just talk to her again... tell her I love her... try and make things right somehow.
JFK: No time for regrets, Elvis. We were the best fathers we could be under the circumstances.
Elvis: Yeah, I guess, no time for regrets. We got business to take care of.

Movie Connections:

References Le locataire (1976)

All is well

Who would have thought it? Don Coscarelli, the man who wrote and directed Phantasm a long, long time ago comes back out of nowhere, after spending his entire career in the dregs, with something like this. A film that is more an exploration of regret, fading dignity and growing old than it is about a soul-sucking mummy.

Very old Elvis is brilliantly played by Bruce Campbell. The voice, the hair, the mannerisms are all perfect. He's stuck in Mud Creek rest home where the cynical staff believe he's really called Sebastian Haff, the man Elvis traded places with back in the 70s. And when Haff died, so did the Elvis the public loved. This only left the REAL Elvis free to live his life in peace and eventually indignity.

He pals up with a man who believes he's JFK, only problem is he's black. Though it's more likely he's senile rather than a truth-teller like the so-called Sebastian Haff. Both men have one concern, to stop some kind of Bubba Ho-Tep mummy from taking the souls of all the rest home residents.

Yes, it's insane. But also wildly imaginative and more than balances out the endless, heartless, conveyer belt Hollywood productions. Elements of the story will stay with you and the character development is graceful and important.

The finishing touch is Brian Tyler's awesome score. The main theme is one of the best ever and will flood you will feeling and emotion. Not only is Bubba Ho-Tep blessed with a cast and crew who care about the film their making, it also has wonderful music too. I am lucky enough to have the rare score CD (autographed by Coscarelli and Tyler). Hunt it down, it's seriously worth it.

The DVD is in flawless 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen with loud, effective Dolby 5.1 sound. There is an absolute truckload of features which are, for a change, worth it considering how good the film is. You seriously have to get this, baby.

Keep a lookout for Reggie Bannister as the rest home manager. And watch all the way to the end of the credits for a weird message...

ELVIS RETURNS IN 'BUBBA NOSFERATU: CURSE OF THE SHE VAMPIRES'