Hail to The King, baby! While Austin Butler continues to earn heaps of praise for his stunning portrayal of the King of Rock 'n' Roll in Baz Luhrmann's Elvis, Bruce Campbell first received acclaim for his fun, fantastical, fresh take on Elvis Presley in Don Coscarelli's Bubba Ho-Tep, 2003's horror-comedy indie darling that imagines what would happen if an aged — and very much living — version of the rock star found himself going to blows with an ancient Egyptian mummy with murderous intent. The genre mash-up isn't afraid to get goofy with its out-there premise, but it's also an emotional and surprisingly touching character study, and one that gives Campbell the chance to give one of his most beloved performances.Based on Joe R. Lansdale's 1994 novel of the same name, the movie didn't exactly take the box office by storm upon release, but it has found its audience with time, and that audience will hopefully continue to grow with 2023's newly-announced Scream Factory Blu-Ray release. As Coscarelli has noted in his announcement tweet, this newly-minted 4K release will preserve this mummy movie for years to come.Indeed, as Coscarelli stated in his social media reveal, Bubba Ho-Tep's home video re-release will be available in February 2023, which comes just in time for the cult classic's 20th anniversary. The director also gave audiences their first peak at the special edition Blu-Ray box set, which will thankfully feature an assortment of fun bonus features — both new and likely collected from its previous home video releases. What those special features entail won't be announced until closer to the Blu-Ray's early 2023 rollout, but as Coscarelli quotes, these supplement materials are "going to be big ... like the size of my fist ... the size of a peanut butter and banana sandwich." Indeed, Scream Factory likes to go all out with their releases; they want horror lovers to get the most bang for their buck, and that shouldn't be an exception this time.
Though critics were quick to praise the film upon release, as time progresses, moviegoers continue to hail Bubba Ho-Tep as a tremendous showcase of Campbell's versatile leading man talents, as well as a great display of his undervalued dramatic talents. For as much as people are rightfully quick to celebrate his work as Ash Williams in the Evil Dead franchise, including Starz's Ash vs. Evil Dead, the actor's poignant, soulful portrayal of an aged, neglected Elvis Presley has stood out as one of his most stellar performances. Now, with this 4K release, audiences will get a chance to see the remastered film anew.Bubba Ho-Tep arrives on 4K in February. Be sure to check out Coscarelli's announcement tweet below: