The Mummy
Reviews
John Chard
Gorgeous & Creepy Hammer Horror Winner. Hammer Film Productions rework some of the classic Universal Studios mummy material to great effect. Directed by Terence Fisher, this is not a remake of the seminal 1932 movie of the same name. Starring Peter Cushing (John Banning), Christopher Lee (Kharis/The Mummy), Raymond Huntley (Joseph Whemple) and Yvonne Furneaux (Isobel Banning/Princess Ananka), the film is written by Jimmy Sangster and was filmed at Bray & Shepperton Studios in England and is photographed in Eastman Color. I mention the latter because Eastman Color has a different hue to it, something that makes this movie all the more affecting as a horror piece. The plot sees three archaeologists (Stephen & John Banning & Joseph Whemple) desecrate the tomb of Egyptian Princess Ananka. This awakens Kharis, Ananka's blasphemous lover who was buried alive for his unlawful deeds. Taken from the tomb to London by Egyptian priest Mehemet Bey (George Pastell), the three archaeologists find they are being hunted down by the vengeful Kharis. The only salvation may come in the form of Isobel Banning who bears a striking resemblance to Princess Ananka. This Mummy is adroitly directed by Fisher, his choreography for the action scenes is stunning. Lee's incarnation as the mouldy bandaged one is swifter than most, thus Fisher has him stalking around Victorian England one minute, then the next he's crashing thru doors or windows with brute strength - with murder his (its) only goal. It's a top performance from Lee as he really throws himself into the role, with his dead eyes ominously peering out from gauze swathed sockets sending those little shivers running down the spine. Technically the film belies the budget restrictions that was a staple of Hammer productions. The sets are very impressive with the Egyptian tomb set original and authentic looking, and the swamp based set-up nicely constructed. The latter of which provides two genuine horror classic moments, as first we see the Mummy for the first time as he rises from a foul bubbling bog, and then for the dramatic swampy finale. It's also atmospherically filmed by Fisher, with Jack Asher's photography utilising the Eastman Color to give off a weird elegiac beauty. This is not about gore, Fisher and the makers wanted to thrive on atmospherics and implication, something they achieve with great rewards. The Mummy would prove to be very successful in Britain and abroad, thus ensuring Hammer would dig up more Mummy's for further screen outings, none of which came close to capturing the look and feel of this first makeover. Crisply put together and with another in the line of great Christopher Lee monster characterisations, this Mummy is essential viewing for the creature feature horror fan. 8/10
Nutshell
While falling a bit short of the earlier Frankenstein and Dracula "reboots" from Hammer, this one is still quite good, again due to the talents of Fisher, Cushing, and Lee. It's story, while borrowing many elements from the 1940s Universal sequels, is quite good and this is probably the best version of the Kharis character ever filmed. Christopher Lee's interpretation brings an aggressive, monstrous, and emoting mummy, not the slow, lumbering version of the 1940s (apologies to Lon Chaney). A first rate offering from Hammer.
Movie Recommendation
The Brides of Dracula1960-05-01A young teacher on her way to a position in Transylvania helps a young man escape the shackles his mother has put on him. In so doing she innocently unleashes the horrors of the undead once again on the populace, including those at her school for ladies. Luckily for some, Dr. Van Helsing is already on his way.More...
The Man from Planet X1951-04-27While watching for a planet that may collide with earth, scientists stationed in Scotland are approached by a visitor from outer space.More...
Welcome to Leith2015-09-09In September 2012, the tiny prairie town of Leith, North Dakota, sees its population of 24 grow by one. As the new resident's behavior becomes more threatening, tensions soar, and the residents desperately look for ways to expel their unwanted neighbor.More...
The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb1964-10-18Those who have interfered with the Tomb of Ra-Antef are in terrible danger. Against expert advice, American showman and financial backer of the expedition, Alexander King, plans a world tour exhibiting this magnificent discovery from the ancient world but on the opening night the sarcophagus is void of its contents. The mummy has escaped to fulfill the dreadful prophesy and exact a violent and bloody revenge on all those who defiled his final resting place.More...
To the Devil a Daughter1976-03-04An American occult novelist battles to save the soul of a young girl from a group of Satanists, led by an excommunicated priest, who plan on using her as the representative of the Devil on Earth.More...
The Gorgon1964-10-18In the early 20th century a village experienced a series of inexplicable murders. All the victims were young men who had been turned to stone. The perpetrator of these deaths was a being so repulsive that she transformed the onlooker using the power of her deadly stare. Much of the time the creature took the form of a beautiful and seductive woman, but during periods of the full moon she becomes a living horror, vicious and deadly. A professor has come to investigate the deaths, bringing with him his beautiful assistant whose knowledge of the Gorgon is more intimate than anyone would ever realise.More...
The Man Who Could Cheat Death1959-06-15Dr. Bonner plans to live forever through periodic gland transplants from younger, healthier human victims. Bonner looks about 40; he's really 104 years old. But people are starting to get suspicious, and he may not make 200.More...
Doctor Death: Seeker of Souls1973-10-01John Considine plays the flamboyant Dr. Death, a thousand-year-old magician who has mastered he art of transferring souls from one body to another and thereby manages to perpetuate himself by jumping from one body to the next. Apparently the Doc is a kindred spirit since his blood is a highly-corrosive acid that can strip flesh from boneMore...
And Now the Screaming Starts!1973-04-27In the late 18th century, two newlyweds move into the stately mansion of husband Charles Fengriffen. The bride, Catherine, falls victim to a curse placed by a wronged servant on the Fengriffen family and all its descendants.More...
The Anniversary at Shallow Creek2011-04-05Six best friends find themselves at the wrong place at the wrong time. They fight for their lives against a serial killer who has more in store for them than death.More...
A Disney Halloween1981-10-24Halloween special hosted by the Magic Mirror. Contains memorable scenes from "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," "Fantasia," "Lady and the Tramp," "Peter Pan," "One Hundred and One Dalmatians," "The Sword in the Stone", and Disney shorts featuring, Donald, Mickey, Goofy and friends.More...
The Quatermass Xperiment1955-08-26The first manned spacecraft, fired from an English launchpad, is first lost from radar, then roars back to Earth and crashes in a farmer's field, and is found to contain only one of the three men who took off in it; and he is unable to talk but appears to be undergoing a torturous physical and mental metamorphosis.More...
The Curse of the Werewolf1961-05-01A child conceived by a mute servant girl transforms from an innocent youth to a killer beast at night with uncontrollable urges.More...
Ernest Scared Stupid1991-10-11Well-intentioned, eternally bumbling Ernest P. Worrell accidentally releases an evil demon from its sacred tomb. As the demon flexes its power and goes on a ruinous rampage, good-guy Ernest tries to step in to save the town from mass destruction. Trouble is, a 200-year-old curse has scared Ernest stupid, and that means hilarity all around! So, kick back and let the laugh-ridden adventures begin.More...
The Devil Rides Out1968-07-20The powers of good are pitted against the forces of evil as the Duc de Richelieu wrestles with the charming but deadly Satanist, Mocata, for the soul of his friend. Mocata has the knowledge and the power to summon the forces of darkness and, as the Duc de Richelieu and his friends remain within the protected pentacle, they are subjected to ever-increasing horror until thundering hooves herald the arrival of the Angel of Death.More...
Taste the Blood of Dracula1970-05-07Three elderly distinguished gentlemen are searching for some excitement in their boring borgoueis lives and gets in contact with one of count Dracula's servants. In a nightly ceremony they restore the count back to life. The three men killed Dracula's servant and as a revenge, the count makes sure that the gentlemen are killed one by one by their own sons.More...
Invaders from Mars1986-06-06In this remake of the classic 1950s sci-fi tale, a boy tries to stop an invasion of his town by aliens who take over the the minds of his parents, his least-liked schoolteacher and other townspeople. With the aid of the school nurse the boy enlists the aid of the U.S. Marines.More...
Dracula Has Risen from the Grave1968-11-07In the shadow of Castle Dracula, the Prince of Darkness is revived by blood trickling from the head-wound of an unconscious priest attempting exorcism. And once more fear and terror strikes Transylvania as the undead Prince of Darkness stalks the village of Keineneburg to ensnare victims and satisfy his evil thirst.More...
Dracula1958-04-21After Jonathan Harker attacks Dracula at his castle, the vampire travels to a nearby city, where he preys on the family of Harker's fiancée. The only one who may be able to protect them is Dr. van Helsing, Harker's friend and fellow-student of vampires, who is determined to destroy Dracula, whatever the cost.More...
Similar Movies
The Fog
2005-10-14Trapped within an eerie mist, the residents of Antonio Bay have become the unwitting victims of a horrifying vengeance. One hundred years earlier, a ship carrying lepers was purposely lured onto the rocky coastline and sank, drowning all aboard. Now they're back – long-dead mariners who've waited a century for their revenge.The Omen
2006-06-06A diplomatic couple adopts the son of the devil without knowing it. A remake of the classic horror film of the same name from 1976.Murrain
1975-07-27When a mystery illness infects the pigs of a village farmer and a local boy is also taken ill, the villagers try to convince a veterinarian that it is caused by a curse from a woman they believe to be a witch.The Wolf Girl
1974-01-01Seeking vengeance, a man is directed by a sorcerer to cut his child out of his pregnant wife so he can create a miraculous 'ghost child'. Overhearing this conversation, his wife flees into the forest where she ends up giving birth to twins with the help of a kindly woman living there. Afraid her husband is chasing her, the wife flees further into the forest with just one of her children, but dies when she falls off a cliff after being chased by wolves. The wolves raise the child as one of their own, whilst her twin sister is raised by the kindly woman living in the forest.The Grudge
2004-10-22An American nurse living and working in Tokyo is exposed to a mysterious supernatural curse, one that locks a person in a powerful rage before claiming their life and spreading to another victim.The Grudge 2
2006-10-12A young woman encounters a malevolent supernatural force while searching for her missing sister in Tokyo, a mean high school prank goes horribly wrong, and strange things begin happening in a Chicago apartment building.The Grudge 3
2009-05-12Jake Kimble, the sole survivor of the Chicago massacre, is killed while in solitary confinement. His doctor begins investigating the claims he made about a long-haired woman in white, as a mysterious Japanese woman arrives at his old apartment building to help them get rid of the curse.The Ninth Passenger
2018-07-18A group of salacious students party aboard a luxury yacht only to turn on each other as a 9th PASSENGER picks them off one by one.Ring
1998-01-31A mysterious video has been linked to a number of deaths, and when an inquisitive journalist finds the tape and views it herself, she sets in motion a chain of events that puts her own life in danger.The Hands of Orlac
1924-09-24A world-famous pianist loses both hands in an accident. When new hands are grafted on, he is horrified to learn they once belonged to a murderer.The Two Faces of Dr. ...
1960-10-24After a series of scientific experiments directed towards freeing the inner man and controlling human personalities, the kindly, generous Dr Henry Jekyll succeeds in freeing his own alter ego, Edward Hyde, a sadistic, evil creature whose pleasure is murder.Mary Shelley's Franke...
1994-11-04Victor Frankenstein is a promising young doctor who, devastated by the death of his mother during childbirth, becomes obsessed with bringing the dead back to life. His experiments lead to the creation of a monster, which Frankenstein has put together with the remains of corpses. It's not long before Frankenstein regrets his actions.The Reaping
2007-04-05Katherine Morrissey, a former Christian missionary, lost her faith after the tragic deaths of her family. Now she applies her expertise to debunking religious phenomena. When a series of biblical plagues overrun a small town, Katherine arrives to prove that a supernatural force is not behind the occurrences, but soon finds that science cannot explain what is happening. Instead, she must regain her faith to combat the evil that waits in a Louisiana swamp.The Devil's Rejects
2005-07-22The murderous, backwoods Firefly family take to the road to escape the vengeful Sheriff Wydell, who is not afraid of being as ruthless as his target.Inland Empire
2006-12-06As a Hollywood actress begins to adopt the persona of her character in a film, her world becomes nightmarish and surreal.Nightwatch
1997-01-31A law student takes a job as a night watchman at a morgue and begins to discover clues that implicate him as the suspect in a series of murders.Init!ation
2021-05-07During a Whiton University's pledge week, the carefree partying turns deadly when brutal murders start befalling the students, sending Ellery into a race against time to uncover the truth behind the school's dark secrets and the horrifying meaning of a recurring symbol: a single exclamation mark.1BR
2019-07-18When Sarah lucks into a sweet one-bedroom at Asilo Del Mar Apartments in Los Angeles, she thinks she's hit the jackpot. It's got plenty of space, friendly tenants, group BBQs and even a cute neighbour next door. All is not what it seems: loud noises start keeping her awake at night; her cat is missing; everyone seems to be a little too helpful and friendly, except for the weirdo, Lester. Soon, Sarah learns she didn't choose this apartment — it chose her.The Rake
2018-06-05Ben and Ashley come together 20 years after the murder of their parents to determine the cause of their parents' death. Ashley is troubled by the idea that the thing that took her parents' lives may not be finished with her family.The Legend of Boggy C...
1972-08-01A documentary-style drama based on true accounts of the Fouke Monster in Arkansas.