25 best Elvis movies ever

Bubba Ho-tep (2002)

The Evil Dead star Bruce Campbell dons the sequined jumpsuit for this comedy-horror effort, in which an aged Elvis teams up with JFK to fight a mummy that's slaughtering the residents of their retirement home. Despite its schlocky premise, it takes a turn for the poignant as our two heroes face up to the ravages of age.

Viva Las Vegas (1964)

Elvis stars as Lucky Jackson, a race car driver who dreams of winning the Vegas Grand Prix – but with a busted engine and no money, he's forced to wait tables – while a local dance teacher (Ann-Margaret) looks on dreamily. Elvis' chemistry with his co-star sizzles – so much so that Elvis' manager, Colonel Tom Parker, feared his co-star might steal the limelight from him.

Elvis (1979)

Before they embarked on their run of 80s action hits, John Carpenter teamed up with Kurt Russell for this 1979 TV movie – the first Elvis biopic to appear after the King's death. Avowed Elvis fan Carpenter avoids showing Presley's declining years, instead ending on the high of his return to Vegas in 1969 – though it does address the King's darker side with hints of his paranoia. Russell nailed the performance (scooping an Emmy for it), perhaps as a result of appearing alongside Elvis in 1963’s It Happened at the World's Fair as a child actor.

This is Spinal Tap (1984)

Rob Reiner's mock-rockumentary finds the members of the world's loudest band attempting to gain some perspective by visiting Elvis' grave at Graceland. They proceed to murder "Heartbreak Hotel" in their own inimitable fashion when an ill-advised attempt to ‘do it with the harmony parts’ descends into a ‘barbershop-ragga’ rendition. Priceless.

True Romance (1993)

Elvis-obsessed video store clerk Clarence takes life advice from The King's gold-lame-clad apparition in this Tarantino-scripted movie. Elvis – here played by Val Kilmer – urges Clarence to gun down his girlfriend's pimp. "Put him down like a dog," Elvis tells Clarence. A hound dog, presumably.

The Last Elvis (2012)

Real-life Elvis tribute artist John McInerny plays delusional Elvis impersonator Carlos in this Argentinian film from director Armando Bo. Carlos' Elvis obsession – which extends to eating peanut butter and banana sarnies and demanding to be addressed as Elvis – is shaken up when his daughter's involved in an accident and he's forced to take charge of her.