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Ultra HD : Highly Recommended
Ranking:
Sale Price: $23.8 Last Price: $ Buy now! 3rd Party 23.8 In Stock
Release Date: February 7th, 2023 Movie Release Year: 2002

Bubba Ho-Tep - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

Overview -

Bubba Ho-Tep is still a wonder of cinema that oozes magic, comedy, and charm some twenty-one years later. Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis are pitch-perfect in their roles which makes this horror comedy something much more endearing than what's on the surface. The new 4K picture with Dolby Vision looks excellent and the same 5.1 audio track from the previous release sounds wonderful. The bonus features are all worth watching with some never-before-seen extras along for the ride. This is Highly Recommended!

 

Bruce Campbell (Army of Darkness) "gives his greatest and most entertaining performance to date" (Premiere) as an aging and cantankerous "Elvis" in this "zinger-filled crowd-pleaser" (The Hollywood Reporter) from writer-director Don Coscarelli (Phantasm, John Dies At The End)! When mysterious deaths plague a Texas retirement home, it's up to its most sequined senior citizen to take on a 3,000-year-old Egyptian mummy with a penchant for cowboy boots, bathroom graffiti and sucking the souls from the barely living!

 

Bonus Features

DISC ONE (4K UHD):

  • NEW 4K Scan From The Original Camera Negative
  • In Dolby Vision (HDR 10 Compatible)
  • Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, 2.0
  • Audio Commentary With Writer/Director Don Coscarelli And Actor Bruce Campbell
  • Audio Commentary With Author Joe R. Lansdale
  • Audio Commentary With “The King”

DISC TWO (BLU-RAY):

  • NEW 4K Scan From The Original Camera Negative
  • Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, 2.0
  • Previously Unreleased Featurette: Bubba Ho-Tep Filming Locations Then And Now
  • Previously Unreleased Featurette: Bubba Ho-Tep Egyptian Theatre Premiere
  • Previously Unreleased Featurette: Bubba Ho-Tep At The Toronto Film Festival
  • Audio Commentary With Director Don Coscarelli And Actor Bruce Campbell
  • Audio Commentary With Author Joe R. Lansdale
  • Audio Commentary With “The King”
  • The King Lives – An Interview With Bruce Campbell
  • All Is Well – An Interview With Don Coscarelli
  • Mummies And Makeup – An Interview With Makeup Effects Artist Robert Kurtzman
  • The Making Of Bubba Ho-Tep
  • To Make A Mummy – Makeup And Effects
  • Fit For A King – Elvis Costuming
  • Rock Like An Egyptian – How Celebrated Composer Brian Tyler Created The Stunning Score
  • Bubba Ho-Tep – The Music Video
  • Joe R. Lansdale Reads Bubba Ho-Tep
  • Deleted Scenes With Optional Audio Commentary With Don Coscarelli And Bruce Campbell
  • Footage From The Temple Room Floor
  • Archival Bruce Campbell Interviews
  • Music Video
  • Theatrical Trailer
  • TV Spot
  • Photo Gallery

OVERALL:
Highly Recommended
Rating Breakdown
STORY
VIDEO
AUDIO
SPECIAL FEATURES
Tech Specs & Release Details
Technical Specs:
4K Ultra HD Blu-ray + Blu-ray
Video Resolution/Codec:
Dolby Vision HDR / HDR10
Length:
92
Aspect Ratio(s):
1.85:1
Audio Formats:
English: DTS-HD MA 5.1
Subtitles/Captions:
English SDH
Release Date:
February 7th, 2023

Storyline: Our Reviewer's Take

Ranking:

The story alone is worth a dozen admission prices. But it's the genuine and straight performances from Ossie Davis and the legend Bruce Campbell that drive Bubba Ho-Tep home. Don Coscarelli (Phantasm) perfectly mixed those horror and comedy ingredients into this brilliant, yet sad story about two older gentlemen who find each other late in life and try and save the world, or at least their retirement community. Dying alone is a fear many people have, but with these two lead characters, a new lease on their lives is presented that has them adventuring the long, scary halls of their home with some memorable lines of dialogue and a killer score from Brian Tyler.

Pitching Bubba Ho-Tep to a movie studio must have been the most fun and thrilling experience. Deep in the heart of rural Texas, an elderly Elvis impersonator who claims to be the real Elvis (Bruce Campbell) befriends an elderly African American man (Ossie Davis) who is bound to a wheelchair and is convinced that his brain was swapped out with former president J.F.K.'s brain and memories. The two discover their fellow nursing home residents mysteriously dying until they uncover that an ancient Egyptian mummy is sucking their souls out of everyone's brown eye.

Now if that isn't the pitch of the century, what is everyone really doing in Hollywood? Luckily, that film got made with Bubba Ho-Tep which was not only funny, thrilling, and a ton of fun, but it also delivered on its heart and charm while those two men found peace with their new friendship. It's a heartwarming story with some fantastic performances, music, and filmmaking under its belt. Some twenty-one years later, Bubba Ho-Tep is still as magical and wonderful as it was upon its initial release.

READ OUR 2016 SCREAM FACTORY COLLECTOR'S EDITION BLU-RAY REVIEW

 

Vital Disc Stats: The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
Bubba Ho-Tep sucks its way to 4K + Blu-ray via Scream Factory. The two discs are housed inside a hard, black plastic case with a cardboard sleeve. The artwork features Bruce Campbell as Elvis from the original movie poster of the movie. There is no digital code or insert.

Video Review

Ranking:

Bubba Ho-Tep comes with a brand new 2160p UHD 4K transfer with Dolby Vision from Scream Factory. This is a great-looking look image, which is a good upgrade from the previously released Blu-ray from a couple of years ago.

This movie was shot on 35mm so there were some considerable grain levels upon its release, as it was made to look very filmic and nostalgic, almost like something that was shot in the '70s or '80s. With this new 4K transfer with Dolby Vision, that level of grain is perfectly intact and never swarms feel artificial. Even in the darker sequences, the grain looks perfectly stable. The colors are bolder and richer this time around too. The dull colors of the retirement community that mix browns, yellows, and grays are now more nuanced in those darker interiors. Those blue plaid pants have better shades of blue thanks to the Dolby Vision this time around. The white and gold Elvis outfit towards the end of the film looks amazing that is flawlessly balanced. The black levels are now super inky with no evidence of crush or bleeding, which had some issues on previous releases. And the skin tones are natural too.

All of the Dolby Vision upticks allow for more vivid detail. The practical effects of makeup reveal wonderful closeups that show each age spot, mole, bump, facial pore, and individual hair on Elvis and JFK's heads. The wrinkles, crow's feet, and makeup applications look wonderful. The mummy itself is exquisite and showcases all its nastiness. The wider shots of nursing home walls and bathroom stalls look excellent as well, that showcase the old dirt and grime on the decaying retirement house. This is the best the film has looked at thus far and has virtually no issues.

Audio Review

Ranking:

This release comes with a DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio mix. There is no new 7.1 or Dolby Atmos option, which is unfortunate, but instead, this looks to be the same 5.1 track as the previous Blu-ray.

Read The Full Audio Review Here

Special Features

Ranking:

There are over 206 minutes of extras included here, most of which are vintage bonus features that have been imported here from previous releases. There are three extras that haven't been seen before but contain older footage. There are no new interviews here. There are also three commentary tracks, one of which is more of an interview than anything else.

4K Disc

  • Audio Commentary by Director Don Coscarelli and Bruce Campbell – This archival track was actually recorded back when the movie was still in theatrical release. As you might imagine given Bruce Campbell's participation, this is a really fun commentary track with some great behind-the-scenes stories. Despite its age, it remains the best commentary on this release.
  • Audio Commentary by "The King" – Bruce Campbell stays in character as Elvis to give us this feature-length commentary. As you might guess, a little bit of this is fun but it does outstay its welcome after a while.
  • Audio Commentary by Joe R. Lansdale - Joe is interviewed about the film by someone else and talks about creating the characters and the film itself. The audio isn't that great and the volume must be turned up almost to full volume to hear it.

Blu-ray Disc

  • Audio Commentary by Director Don Coscarelli and Bruce Campbell – This archival track was actually recorded back when the movie was still in theatrical release. As you might imagine given Bruce Campbell's participation, this is a really fun commentary track with some great behind-the-scenes stories. Despite its age, it remains the best commentary on this release.
  • Audio Commentary by "The King" – Bruce Campbell stays in character as Elvis to give us this feature-length commentary. As you might guess, a little bit of this is fun but it does outstay its welcome after a while.
  • Audio Commentary by Joe R. Lansdale - Joe is interviewed about the film by someone else and talks about creating the characters and the film itself. The audio isn't that great and the volume must be turned up almost to full volume to hear it.
  • Filming Locations Then And Now (HD, 14 Mins.) - The shooting locations throughout the movie from back then and what they look like now.
  • Egyptian Theatre Premiere (SD, 4 Mins.) - A montage of shoddy footage that was shot at the premiere, along with fan interviews and more.
  • At The Toronto Film Festival (SD, 32 Mins.) - With shoddy footage and bad audio, this was the Q&A experience at the film festival.
  • The King Lives (HD, 22 Mins.) - An amazing interview with Bruce Campbell from a couple of years ago where he talks about the film, making the movie, Elvis, and wondering if any of his kin had seen it.
  • All Is Well (HD, 24 Mins.) - Don Coscarelli discusses making the film, working with Bruce and Ossie, and he answers that famous question about a sequel.
  • Mummies and Makeup (HD, 9 Mins.) - Robert Kurtzman delivers all the goods in regard to the makeup and visual effects of the film.
  • Deleted Scenes (HD, 3 Mins.) – Two deleted scenes from the movie, with optional commentary from Don Coscarelli and Bruce Campbell.
  • Footage from the Temple Room Floor (HD, 2 Mins.) – Unused footage from the brief moment in the movie that shows the mummy's Egyptian origin.
  • The Making of Bubba Ho-Tep (HD, 24 Mins.) – A behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film, with comments from members of the cast and crew.
  • To Make a Mummy (HD, 5 Mins.) – A look at the design of the mummy used in the movie.
  • Fit for a King (HD, 7 Mins.) – A look at the costume design for Elvis in the movie.
  • Rock Like an Egyptian (HD, 13 Mins.) – A featurette on the music of Bubba Ho-Tep, with Director Don Coscarelli interviewing Composer Brian Tyler.
  • Joe R. Lansdale Reads from Bubba Ho-Tep (HD, 8 Mins.) – The author reads an excerpt from Chapter 1 of his original short story, upon which the movie is based.
  • Archival Bruce Campbell Interviews (HD, 35 Mins.) – These interviews aren't actually from the prior DVD, but rather interview bits that were part of the promotion for the movie, including an opening introduction for those seeing the special screenings of the film back in 2002.
  • Music Video (HD, 2 Mins.) – A music video for Composer Brian Tyler's main theme used in Bubba Ho-Tep.
  • Photo Gallery (HD, 4 Mins.) – Viewers can use the arrow keys on their remotes or just sit back and watch a slide show of 50 images of onset footage and more.
  • Trailers (HD, 3 Mins.) – Trailer and tv spot for the film.

Final Thoughts

This Bubba Ho-Tep film in 4K is wonderful. The new 4K image with Dolby Vision looks absolutely stunning and the same DTS-HD 5.1 audio mix sounds great. The wealth of bonus features with some never before seen extras is always fun, especially with Bruce Campbell. This is the true experience of this movie. Highly Recommended!