Bubba Ho-Tep begins with a few shots of dull, dirty, identical hallways, which serve to give audiences the impression that they are being led to the most depressing place on earth.

And they are.

Welcome to the Shady Pines Rest Home of Mud Creek Texas. Welcome to Hell. Now get ready to meet Elvis.

Stop snickering, I'm serious. The main character in this movie is none other than the former king of rock and roll, not dead, but very old and sick. Or, perhaps it's just an Elvis impersonator named Sebastian Haff who's got a few bats in his belfry.

Granted, "Elvis's" story about feeling unfulfilled and switching places with an Elvis impersonator whom later died in his place is simple enough. And with his makeup and accessories on, Bruce Campbell does look sort of like Elvis gone old and ill. At the very least, his claim is more believable than Ossie Davis's, who says that he is John F Kennedy. He claims that not only was his skin dyed as part of the cover-up, but that his brain is in a jar at the White House and he's thinking with a bag of sand.

Needless to say, the idea that both of these people are just certifiable hangs over the whole movie. But at the very least, you'll find that even if you can't believe that Haff is Elvis, you'll want to. (And I'm speaking as someone who's never known more than the average man on the street about Elvis, and who's cared a good deal less.)

Anyhoo, the two of them are residents there, and they quickly discover a resurrected soul sucker from ancient Egypt, (dubbed "Bubba Ho-Tep,") is stalking the halls of Shady Pines. It then must eat the souls of the patients there to sustain it's life force. After some deliberation, the two of them decide it's time to "take care of bin'nis" and kill it before it can kill them. No easy task, since both of them are in poor physical condition, and aren't likely to draw in any support. ("Hey! JFK and Elvis need help destroying a cowboy mummy! You in?")

There's something very different about the writing it this movie- it reads like a real story. Remember stories, people? I sure don't- it seems like forever since I've seen a movie plot that wasn't either trying to be an intelligent and/or artistic work of literature or a flimsy thread tying together some boob shots and explosions. Either way, it's nothing you could see a bunch of friends talking about over a campfire. Bubba Ho-Tep is a sweet piece of legend, tying in familiar figures with unfamiliar situations, smothered with a layer of The South so thick and greasy you can smell the Hush Puppies.

As a matter of fact, you'll probably get so caught up in the story that you'll forget it's a horror movie until the giant rubber Scarab Beetles start attacking.

The thing of it is, the scenario is comical by nature, and you'll sometimes be unsure whether to cry at the sad parts, or burst out laughing. Also if there was EVER a movie in history that over used the flashback, it was this one. They'd flash back to things that had happened a few seconds ago! It drove me out of my mind. Also, there is a shade more toilet humor than you'd think- for example, the mummy can supposedly suck the soul from any "major orifice," but they only seem to talk about one. (The end one, for those of you who are slow on the uptake.)

Still, it doesn't have the feel of a gross-out comedy- for starters; it makes jokes on a wide variety of topics. But more importantly, it's tone isn't childish- it's wry and blunt.

While far from the best movie I've ever seen, this one seems to be the sort of movie that can be enjoyed by the widest variety of moviegoers. Unless you can't bear toilet humor in any form, or you need to have a handsome, fit male lead to enjoy a movie, I recommend Bubba Ho-Tep. It's a rare treat, and it'll be a while before another one comes by.

But you can still look forward to the sequel, "Bubba Nosferatu- Curse of the She-Vampires." Adios, cybereaders.

-Lefto

Recommended: Yes