Although Elvis is the main character, not one piece of Elvis Presley music is heard in the film. Director Don Coscarelli explained that it would have cost about half the budget to license even one Elvis song for the movie.
The only significant character not to make the transition from page to film is an old lady who believes herself to be a sex changed John Dillinger.
The filmmakers managed to round up about 100 extras for the Elvis concert scene, but as the filming dragged on, the extras steadily departed. By the end of filming, there were only a dozen or so extras left, which pretty much dictated which camera angles could still work.
Before Bruce Campbell accepted the role of "Elvis," he had only one question for director Don Coscarelli: "Are you going to show the penis?"
Don Coscarelli: [closing line] The closing line of the credits, "...criminal prosecution and the wrath of Bubba Ho-tep," is a variant of "...and the wrath of the Tall Man" from the Fantasma: Noite Macabra (1979) films.