The fun of “Bubba Ho-Tep” is in the outright confusion it engenders among its viewers. How the heck are we meant to take all this? Is it a comedy, a horror film, a thriller or a serious cultural satire? And the more we watch it, the more these answers slip away.

If I was limited to a short blurb, I would mention that the film stars an elderly Elvis impersonator (Bruce Campbell), who now lives in a nursing home and claims that he is the real McCoy, and an elderly black man who claims to be the former President John F. Kennedy (Ossie Davis), who now lives in hiding lest the assassins return.

Together, they start to notice strange happenings around their nursing home, as a resurrected Mummy starts stalking the home’s visitors on a quest for fresh souls to devour. Between the two, they make the discovery, devise a plan and fight back against this supernatural menace.

But in such a limited description, “Bubba” comes off sounding too much like an action film. It fails to mention that so much of the film is about an old, tired, dejected Elvis who now sighs about the past while loathing the present. He is the antithesis to the King that typically comes to mind – depressed, lethargic, bed-ridden and impotent. As the Mummy shows up, the movie becomes as much about Elvis’ redemption as it is about a standoff between two legendary imposters and a paranormal foe.

Don Coscarelli’s direction is just as schizophrenic as the story. He shoots some triumphant moments in sweeping gestures, horrific moments in slow, eerie pans and comedic moments with the winking eye of a director who knows the legs he’s pulling.

The bizarre tone and comedy of the film can be felt from its very first moments. On the screen, accompanied by an ominous score, Coscarelli give the definition of both “Ho-Tep” and “Bubba,” contrasting the mysterious nature of ancient Egypt with the slang for a “trailer park resident” of the “southern U.S.” Already, we are perplexed yet amused, and it seems right then that a short, black-and-white newsreel is then immediately followed by an annoyed Elvis in bed, complaining about a strange “growth” on his penis.

Needless to say, “Bubba Ho-Tep” is the kind of movie that entices fans back time and time again, in hopes of better understanding the characters and jokes. To that end, the numerous features on the DVD are a godsend.

Two audio commentaries are available, the first from Coscarelli and Campbell, who from the very first moment joke about the limited distribution of their project. “Ho-Tep” only showed in Milwaukee for a week, and it’s hilarious to hear filmmakers fully aware of this fact. It also becomes apparent how much effort went into this making this somewhat-serious, somewhat-comic delight. From the lighting of the dingy hallways to the careful dressing of Elvis himself, “Ho-Tep” represents a work of passion for those involved.

The scope of the project is explored in four behind-the-scenes featurettes, pertaining to the overall production, the makeup and effects, the costumes, and the music. Watching a music video, combining footage of the film with the rock musicians of the soundtrack, I gained a new appreciation for the role of music in creating this off-the-wall world.

And aside from deleted scenes, production photos and theatrical trailers, there is a final feature that takes this already absurd premise one hilarious step further. Fitting the tone of the film itself, the DVD’s second commentary track is provided by “The King,” in which Elvis Presley, from an “undisclosed location,” offers his take on this pseudo-biography.

To hear Elvis critique his on-screen persona and give “Mr. Coscarelli” directing advice is the perfect ending to the enigma that is “Bubba Ho-Tep.”

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