Don Coscarelli made a name for himself with 1979’s PHANTASM, a film with a distinct blend of horror and comedy that he became known for over the course of the PHANTASM tetralogy. 2002’s BUBBA HO-TEP updates this generic formulation. Instead of infusing comedic elements into a horror film, the film uses horror as a tableau with which to build a comedy. The main signifier of this change comes from the casting. Cult actor Bruce Campbell stars as Sebastian Haff, a man who believes himself to be Elvis, in a role similar to that of his iconic Ash Williams of THE EVIL DEAD. Coscarelli’s BUBBA HO-TEP feels in relation to PHANTASM much as EVIL DEAD II does in relation to THE EVIL DEAD. Both films further appear as near baroque reiterations of the horror-comedy form presented by the director in the earlier work. As a consequence, BUBBA HO-TEP embodies the idea of the midnight movie.
BUBBA HO-TEP (2002) DIR. DON COSCARELLI [92 min]
3/14 & 3/15 – 11:59PM // $10.25
Coolidge Corner Theatre
290 Harvard St
Brookline, MA 02446
