$7 · Bubba Ho-Tep Collector's Edition DVD

Don Coscarelli, of Phantasm fame, directs and Bruce Campbell stars as the King of Camp in this intentionally over-the-top schlockfest. Bubba Ho-Tep is partially about Elvis Presley and partially about the title character, an Egyptian cowboy zombie, but mostly it is about camp. The movie is equal parts story and back story. We learn through narration and flashback how Elvis didn't really die, ending up instead in a rest home in East Texas with JFK (played by Ossie Davis), who was dyed black and had his brain removed, presumably for reasons of national security. Campbell and Davis realize that something strange is going on when their rest-home compatriots start dropping off suspiciously. The whole movie leads up to a final showdown to the death with the Egyptian cowboy zombie who has been sucking the souls of their fellow residents because he thought no one would notice. The movie unfolds a bit slowly; it is, after all, a geriatrics-fight-Egyptian-cowboy-zombie movie. However, one wishes this self-conscious movie's pacing took its cue from the atypically fast-moving zombie instead of from the senior-citizen Elvis and JFK. In the end, though, Campbell is flawless as the aged King; his accent, intonations, glasses, and trademark karate are at the same time sincere and over the top. Special features Joe R. Landsdale reads from Bubba Ho-Tep Deleted scenes with optional commentary by Don Coscarelli and Bruce Campbell "The Making of Bubba Ho-Tep" featurette "To Make a Mummy" (makeup and effects featurette) "Fit for a King" (Elvis costuming featurette) "Rock Like an Egyptian" (featurette about the music of Bubba Ho-Tep) Music video Photo gallery Limited collectible packaging 12-page scrapbook/behind-the-scenes photos with personal comments from Bruce Campbell and Don Coscarelli and a two-page letter from Campbell to his fans. **the photo I took isn't great, but the box is not faded. Other than a bit of wear and tear at the corners, it looks great