Long Beach resident's film creating a buzz

Courtesy of Bubbahotep.com

By Daniel Frias
Daily Forty-Niner

When Don Coscarelli was a little boy growing up in Long Beach he loved taking pictures with his camera.  At the age of 13 his parents gave him his first movie camera and it has been non-stop ever since. This month his new independent film "Bubba Ho-Tep," was released to selected theaters around the country.

"I've always loved movies," Coscarelli, said whom grew up watching horror and science fiction films. "I liked watching the original classic horror films like Wolfman and Frankenstein. My favorite film of all time is 2001 Space Odyssey.   I've always been interested in cameras and taking photographs. I got a hold of a super eighth camera and started experimenting."

Growing up next to Cal State Long Beach Coscarelli took film production classes during the summer while attending Long Beach Wilson High School. He began his movie career by making western and Army movies with his friends.

"We did a Western with 40 kids from the neighborhood," he said." We did our own effects. It was pretty dangerous sometimes, but we had a great time."

He made his first film after finishing high school. "Jim The World's Greatest" was a drama about two children growing up with an alcoholic father.

"It was my first experience making a real film," Coscarelli said.

He went on to make one more film before making it big with his horror film "Phantom" in 1979. The film was voted one of the top ten horror films of all time by E! Online made the top 13 scariest movies of all time list by FilmThreat.com.

"I always liked scary movies," said Coscarelli, who made his first films out of his parent's garage. "So I wanted to try and make a scary film."

A modest Coscarelli admits to being surprised by the film's success.

"We were just trying to get the film done. It was shot with friends and students. It was done with a lot of people just trying to do something. We just wanted to make a film and have it shown in the theaters. It's done well. It's hard to believe," he said.

While making films has never been easy, it has been rewarding.

"Making any kind of movie is difficult. We made our first film with paper clips and tape; had hardly any money; had friends working on it for free. But it's been a fun and exciting thing to do."

Coscarelli's new film "Bubba Ho-Tep," is about the true story of what really happened to Rock n' Roll legend, Elvis Presley. In the film Elvis switches places with an Elvis impersonator right before his death. Therefore the real Elvis doesn't die.

But since he switched places with the impersonator people think he is just an impersonator and not the real Elvis. The movie takes a twist when he ends up in a senior citizen home, and befriends a an old man who believes he is former U.S. President John F. Kennedy. The two get this crazy idea to team up fight an Egyptian mummy they believe is killing all the senior citizens in the home.

"It's funny, it's scary. It's a tribute to Elvis. It treats him with respect. It tells an interesting story about him. The movie gives him a chance to go out like a hero."

"Bubba Ho-Tep" has done well at many film festivals and has been well received by audiences across the country. The film was the recipient of Prix Publique audience award for best international film at the Montreal 2003 FanTasia International Film Festival. At the 2003 U.S. Comedy Arts Film Festival, Coscarelli received an award for best screenplay for the movie, while Bruce Campbell took home the best actor award.

"What's really great is Bruce got the best actor award. The kind of movies we make don't get awards. To get one is special.  People get tired of the usual studio stuff. People want to see films that are different. This film gives them that."