10 Weirdest Ideas Turned Into Horror Movies
3. Bubba Ho-Tep
Based upon the novella of the same name by Joe R. Lansdale, Bubba Ho-tep tells the story of an aging Elvis Presley as he spends his twilight years in a nursing home and, alongside a black JFK who claims he was dyed and had part of his brain surgically replaced with a bag of sand, he has to fight against a hillbilly Egyptian ghost who devours the souls of pensioners.
Obviously, with that plot, Bubba Ho-Tep is a zany comedy horror, and it relishes in the absurdity of it all. However, Bubba Ho-Tep stands out more than any other bizarre film because it does its best to convince the viewer that what they are seeing is 100% plausible.
Most of the film becomes a relatable character study that revolves around Elvis and the sad life that he has lived until this point, highlighting every mistake he’s made that leads to this depressing scenario. It makes you forget that he’s best friends with John F. Kennedy, or that the nursing home is being ravaged by redneck Imhotep.
Bubba Ho-Tep is one of those films that takes its weird concept and infuses it with some of the best story-telling techniques to create a powerful story of character drama first and foremost, zany comedy afterwards. It works incredibly well, so much so that upon it’s first showing it received a 5-minute standing ovation from the viewing audience.