Once upon a time, Texan writer Joe R. Lansdale was forced to put his ailing mother in a rest home. The writer found the place both sad and creepy...and a wonderful setting for a story. Combining two fallen heroes from his youth (Elvis Presley and President John Kennedy) with an interest in archeology (i.e. mummies) Lansdale drafted the story Bubba Ho-Tep, wherein the eldery men who may or may not be who they say they are (the aforementioned misters Presley and Kennedy) battle a soul sucking mummy that is feeding on the frail residents of the rest home they live in. Lansdale's story is sad, spooky, funny, and ulitmately heartwarming as the two find themselves vitalized by the battle with a nemesis that only they can see and touch. Ironically, Lansdale did not care much for the story and was surprised when it became a fan favorite. He was also stunned that Phantasm writer/director Don Coscarelli wanted to make the story into a movie. Considering how oddball the concept was, it is no surprise that financing Bubba Ho-Tep would prove problematic. But Coscarelli stuck to his vision and snagged Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis to star and managed to make the movie he wanted to make. When no one would distribute it, he distributed it himself and a bona-fide cult classic was born. In this book are Lansdale's story and Coscarelli's respectfully faithful shooting script. Whether you are a fan of Lansdale, Coscarelli, or Campbell (or all of the above, like me) this book is required reading. Highly recommended.