The Mummy
In 1921, an exciting discovery has been made in Egypt, of a pristine mummy, and the sacred scrolls of Thoth. However, when one of the dig team reads aloud the incantations, the mummy comes to life and takes the scroll, driving the man insane. 10 years later, the mysterious Ardeth Bey directs an archaeological team to the burial site of Princess Anck-su-namun. He is hailed as a gracious benefactor by the team, and wins the admiration of the beautiful Helen Grosvenor, but the stranger has ulterior motives, both for the mummy of his beloved, and for Helen...
The Mummy still stands strong today as a horror classic. With its dark atmosphere, ancient trappings, and interesting story, there is much to enjoy. The film gets off to a brilliant start, and one that's sure to creep you out. From there on it sets the plot up well, giving you a bit at a time, until we have the full picture.
The last act feels a little drawn out in places, perhaps because the pieces are all there ready for the climax, but it's not yet time, so everyone has gotta kill time till it happens, and the movie decides to re-enact scenes from Dracula, with Helen's plight mirroring Lucy's. Once we do get to the climax though it's great stuff, not disappointing (although the end's a tad abrupt).
The dialogue here is great stuff. Ardeth's Bey's poetic speeches are passionate and soulful, while we have some darkly amusing lines too ("Looks as if he died in some sensationally unpleasant manner."). While it's a serious movie, there's enough of a sense of humour here to give it extra life, without ever going overboard.
Onto the characters, Helen is an emphatic soul who dislikes the modern era, and finds much more romance and mystery in the ancient days. I can emphasise! Young fellow Frank is ok, though in one scene he's a whiny bitch just because the Egyptians get to keep their artifacts. I'm glad he gets told off!
Ardeth Bey, alias Imhotep, is a great antagonist. Cultured, polite, yet just somehow off. His character is fleshed out well, though his relationship with the long-dead princess he seeks to restore. You really feel for him when he's unable to perform his ritual because all these pesky museum guards get in the way! The fact that we feel such sympathy with the villain of the piece is a testament to Karloff's acting skills, and to the writing present.
Boris Karloff is an amazing lead here. Visually distinctive as the unnaturally tall and thin Ardeth Bey/Imhotep, he is unforgettable, getting across both malevolence and sympathy in equal measure. Zita Johann is good, though she overacts a little in the climax. David Manners is a fine hero, and Edward van Sloan thankfully feels different enough from his portrayal of Van Helsing to stand out.
The effects in The Mummy, courtesy of make-up legend Jack Pierce, are wonderful. The titular creature took hours of preparation, and lots of discomfort for Karloff, but by his own admission it was worth it for the unforgettable image. My only complaint is that for all that effort, we see so little of it! The mummy appears for all of 30 seconds, then is never seen again! I understand that less is more, but surely we could've at least gotten a little more of Boris in bandages before his make-over into Ardeth Bey! Speaking of, the make-up for that form is just as impressive, in different ways. He looks more visibly human, yet wrong somehow. His skin is dry and ancient, and his stature helps make him into an imposing figure.
The direction here is great. The sets are lavish and Karl Freund gives them life, with many scenes shot from good angles too, giving things more than a simple point-and-shoot vibe.
Like Dracula before it, The Mummy is a very quiet movie, with little incidental music to speak of. Even the main theme could be considered a cop-out, as it once again plays Tchaikovsky. Whether you like this really depends on whether you like Swan Lake (I do!) or how recently you saw Dracula (they're taking the piss!).
While it has some flaws here and there, these do little on the overall impact of The Mummy. It's remained a classic for over 80 years, and will continue to do so, with its fantastic acting, iconic imagery, and memorable chills...
The Mummy's Hand
Archeologist Steve Banning and his friend Babe Jensen are stuck in Egypt, searching for the next big find that gets them enough money to go home. They soon have it when a mysterious ancient vase is found, detailing the location of the Princess Ananka's tomb. The duo manage to convince travelling magician The Great Solvani to back their expedition, much to the ire of his levelheaded daughter, but soon the group are on their way, unwitting of what horrors lie in the desert...
The Mummy's Hand is pretty good as far as sequels go, even if it's not a patch on the original. It decides against continuing the story from the last entry, which is a relief, as you wouldn't want that dragged up again when it was all resolved completely. Instead we are introduced to a new mummy, Kharis, and the cult that serves him.
The movie is only 67 minutes long, and the whole first half is just set up. It's around the 40 minute mark when we finally meet the mummy, and he gets moving. There are some spooky moments, tension, and a pretty good climax. The mummy is an imposing villain, and his defeat isn't too easy.
The plot here doesn't make much sense, in the same way the Mummy film starring Brendan Fraser doesn't make sense-Why would you curse a mummy by giving him eternal life and wicked superpowers? These stupid cults are creating their own problems here! If they'd just bopped the criminals on the noggin and chucked 'em in a tomb, there'd be nothing to worry about!
The mummy has this complex backstory, but it ultimately amounts to nothing. He's just a lumbering monster, killing because some asshole in a fez is pissed off at some Americans. The shifty professor has more personality, trying to sabotage the expedition and keep his cult's secrets.
Steve Banning is an alright hero, although in one moment I was finding myself wanting to prod him. "Say, why would anyone wanna get buried away out here for?" Precisely because of grave robbers like you, asshole! The line about silly native superstitions got on my craw too.
Comic relief in horror films can often be hit or miss. Sometimes it's cringey and breaks the mood, other times it works splendidly. Babe is a mix of both. He's fine for the most part, if for no other reason that there are no scary scenes in the first two thirds, but there is one moment near the end where some ill-judged humour spoils a moment.
Marta is a fun dame, with plenty of spunk. She's a bit of a skeptic, but within reason, not still being a doubting Thomas after seeing the mummy. Her changing relationship with the guys is done well. Steve gets a funny romantic line to her: "You mind if I say I think you're a swell person?".
There are a few little touches that homage the other entries in the Universal canon. Whether they're cute or clumsy will depend on the viewer. I liked them, for the most part, though not all hit the mark.
The cast here is nice all round. Dick Foran is a fine male lead, having chemistry with both his co-stars. Peggy Foran is spunky and feisty, but also sweet. Wallace Ford meanwhile is amusing in his part, as is Cecil Kellaway. George Zucco is great fun as the evil priest, relishing his role. Tom Tyler takes the reins from Karloff, in a surprising change of pace from the western hero. He does what he can, but there's no dialogue or character to his performance. Just mindless grunting.
The effects here are pretty good. Not quite as good as the first but still impressive in places, and a perfect representation of a mummy! The blacked out eyes are a cool touch too, done in a creative way by scratching the film. There are also some janky stop motion wolves in one scene.
The sets meanwhile look grand! They must've cost a pretty penny..for the movie that they were made for, which wasn't The Mummy's Hand. Universal recycling whenever they could get the chance!
There's a gratuitous amount of stock footage used from the original Mummy. Some of it fits reasonably well, despite the obvious pilfering, but other spots, like when the ancient Egyptians bury Kharis, uses the footage of Imhotep's burial. Then the narration says they moved his body for no reason other than wouldn't match the stock footage.
The Mummy's Hand is a pretty alright sequel, all things considered, and is aided by its cast and sense of humour.
The Mummy's Tomb
30 years after Kharis was destroyed, all is well at the Banning estate until somehow the ancient monster returns, intent on wreaking a final vengeance against those who tried to destroy him...
The Mummy's Tomb represents an immediate downgrade from the previous entry in the series. The first ten minutes of this 60 minute film is a flashback to the last. This is astonishingly lazy, and serves as a cheap excuse to pad the time. And as a whole sixth of the movie, it certainly does! When it finally ends, the heroes from the last are all killed off, in a disappointing and almost mean way. By the time the focus is on the new heroes, there's very little time left for us to get to know them, or for any interesting plot to develop.
The story never gets more complicated than Kharis wanting revenge on the Banning's, which isn't the worst idea for a plot, but it's a bit basic, and never used for anything really entertaining.
Something I did like is how despite initial skepticism, the authorities readily and genuinely believe that an undead mummy is responsible for the mayhem, even holding a press conference openly admitting this. The townspeople ought to take a chill pill though. Even though they've got the mummy surrounded and cornered, they still gleefully set fire to the Banning homestead, while the heroes are still there, too!
The characters are ok, though never reach the personality of the previous entry. Steve now has an older sister, who's randomly Scottish, and looks old enough to be his mother. She's also not that cut up about her brother's violent murder. It's also funny hearing these characters talk about old age, when it's only been a couple decades.
The cast here is alright. Dick Foran is ok in his old man makeup, while Peggy Moran's character is already deceased. Wallace Ford does a surprisingly serious turn here, delivering the film's best performance. It's a shame he couldn't be around for more. It's a real surprise seeing John Hubbard-Mr. Brown from The Mickey Rooney Show, here a strapping young leading man! He does well with what little he has.
George Zucco's performance as the elderly Andoheb is laughably bad due to the old man voice he's forced to affect, and the poor make-up. Lon Chaney does what he can. He also shared duty with a stuntman, noticeable when the mummy loses 50 pounds in longer shots.
The effects are less impressive. The mummy is a bit of a downgrade this time. The costume is fine, but the mask is a bit cheaper. It looks perfectly fine for a random mummy film, but when compared with what came before it lacks. Not only is there an overabundance of flashbacks, but stock footage taken from Frankenstein too, with the torch-wielding mob.
The greatest cost-cutting measure is the change of setting, from Egypt to America. Now I don't mind a mummy film with a more urban western setting, but you've gotta handle it well, or you run the risk of feeling cheap and boring. After all, who expects to see an ancient mummy casually wandering suburbia without falling over laughing? Thankfully 1940s New England is the perfect setting for mummy tales, perhaps because of these films.
The Mummy's Tomb isn't without merit by any means, but it's also nowhere near as good as it could have been, and largely disappoints.
The Mummy's Ghost
In the New England town of Mapleton, fear about the Mummy resurfaces when a noted Egyptologist is found murdered after making a discovery about the ancient Tanna leaves. Young college student Tom is concerned about his Egyptian girlfriend Amina, who has been gradually changing in an unexplained way, her hair going white and her skin drying. The key to the mystery is the Princess Ananka, whose body currently resides in the local museum...
The Mummy's Ghost is more of the same. It's not as lazy as the previous film, but it is a lot more exhausted, as we see the same things all happen again. It's not all bad. The movie is well made enough, and entertains, provided you haven't just watched the others, and it even does a few unique things, but it's all too little too late.
This is the first film where the mummy appears consistently, thank goodness. Not that I mind a monster being used sparingly, but when you're watching a simple b-picture, it's perhaps best to just get what we came for. Focus on fun more than artistic quality.
The setting is used well here. While we don't see as much of the college campus as we should (who doesn't wanna see a mummy wreaking havoc with all the co-eds??), it's decent, and we get an alright feel for the town in general. I love
that there's no skepticism anymore. When the first victim is
discovered, and there's mould on the neck, the two men just give
each-other a glance and go "The mummy!".
Tom is a milquetoast hero, good looking but boring, and barely does a thing. Amina has the more interesting arc, and it culminates in a gripping fashion by the end, though in a way that doesn't do much for her actual character. She falls unconscious 10 minutes before the end and never wakes up again. High priest Yusef is a decent antagonist, and his inward arguments are amusing to watch, coming across less like he's having an internal dilemma and more like he's got a split personality! The rest of the cast is fine, though underused.
By the closing minutes, the movie reaches a surprisingly bleak conclusion! From a storytelling perspective it's a bit unsatisfying (not to mention depressing), since the heroes went to all this trouble for nothing, but I'll let that slide, since it took serious guts to end it how they did.
Ramsay Ames is good as Amina, though we don't really get to see how she acts normally, as the girl spends the whole film frightened out of her wits. John Carradine makes for a breath of fresh air, and is a fun antagonist. Poor Lon Chaney is once again forced to don the Mummy costume, and would even get hurt during a filming accident, no doubt souring him even more to the role.
The Mummy's Ghost exemplifies all the good and bad of this series. It almost breaks new ground, and it's a perfectly fine movie if watched in isolation, certain problems aside, but when seen as part of the series, it shows all the flaws that continuously dragged it down...
The Mummy's Curse
In the Lousiana swamplands, local workers are frightened senseless by a recent series of murders. They are convinced it's the work of the mummy, and it's not long until the shambling monster is sighted, as is a mysterious young woman with no memory of her life...
Despite the previous entry seeming to finally end the series once and for all, the very same year saw the release of the fifth entry in the series, The Mummy's Curse.
Having been submerged in a swamp in the last film, Kharis is dredged back up...despite being in Massachusetts before. Myself I like the change of pace. I prefer the New England setting for a 'modern' mummy film, but when you've just sat through 2 films that utilise it, it's a nice treat seeing a scenery change to somewhere like New Orleans.
The biggest problem here is the lack of story and pacing. Half an hour in and not much has happened. The film has only set up the bare basics of the plot, and yet we've already reached the halfway point. The villain's big plan isn't to get revenge, or to reunite Kharis with any artifacts, but instead just to get him at rest with his love...which they already were, meaning the entire film is just wasting our time, beginning just to end again if that makes sense.
Much of the middle and last act is just the mummy and quarry running in and out of tents, again and again. The climax is the only real fun part of the whole movie. The lighting's a bit confusing though. In fact, during the fight with the hero and Ragheb, I thought Ragheb won, the two blend together that much!
The ending is the least impressive part of the film, because it solves nothing. Kharis and the high priest are dead again, but when the hell has that ever stopped them? They'd probably just get right back up again. The mystery girl is also dead once more, which really makes the whole affair pointless. She rose, threatened to have an interesting character arc, but then just drops dead, her story incomplete. The End.
Kharis has always been a bit of a useless lump, but here even moreso! This is perhaps the very film that gave rise to all the jokes making fun of mummies. He's unable to perform the slightest tasks! Just about the only indignity he avoids is being unravelled by a flushing toilet.
The main hero Jim is boring and doesn't do much. The love interest is nice enough. The girl is the most interesting, and I liked her, though nothing is made of the fact that she is Amina from the previous film. It's like the writers knew the vague outline of how the last film ended, but with none of the actual details.
It is funny how upon finding her, the best idea is to hire this traumatised amnesiac as a secretary! Speaking of that, when she rushes in begging for help (a mummy is chasing her), the doctor just casually tells her that she should stop being hysterical, and no-one can help her in this state of mind. Oh my god, what a bastard! I'm glad he's strangled by a mummy.
Besides Kharis, the antagonists take the form of a new high priest (expertly going undercover with fez) and his assistant. The plot is so minimal and their contribution so small they could easily have been excised altogether. The other human villain is the nasty foreman, who's intent on being skeptical, despite the mummy's rampage literally being public record. Unfortunately he survives the film.
It's the supporting cast who really give The Mummy's Curse life, from the playful and kinda sultry French barmaid, the cheeky Spanish client, and the black worker, with his hilarious catchphrase "The mummy's on the loose and he's dancin' with the devil!". It's a shame all these people die, leaving us with the dull main leads. If only they'd cut out the mummy altogether and made this a small-town comedy, maybe it'd have been a lot more fun!
Lon Chaney Jr's final performance as Kharis is more of the same. Fine as far as a random film goes, but pretty un-distinctive. There are some amusing moments too, such as when his constant bad arm and limp disappear the second he needs to pick someone up. It's also amusing how in every movie Kharis loses a bandage during a chase, leaving a clue for the heroes. He shouldn't have any left at this rate!
Overall, The Mummy's Ghost is the series's final disappointment. It just proved once and for all that this series had nothing more to offer if the writers weren't going to put any effort into it.
Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy
Bud and Lou are out in Egypt searching for some opportunity, when they seek to apply for a job with Professor Zoomer. Unfortunately they find him dead, murdered at the hands of a cult devoted to protecting their sacred mummy Klaris. Between the cult, a ruthless band of crooks, and an undead mummy, and the two clumsy oafs survive the curse of Klaris?...
Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy is a breath of fresh air to the fledgeling series. It has far more identity than all those sequels put together. Funnily enough, for all that freshness, this was the 36th Abbott and Costello vehicle, and their penultimate one before they retired from movies for good. Maybe the film was an exhausted commodity on its original release, but now, 70 years later, it's a delightful treat!
There are plenty of great comedy setpieces present, from the body switcheroo, to the snake charming sequences, and the pair's mind-melting 'pick vs shovel debate'. As for the comedy routines, some are new, while others are classic, but presented in a new way. It's enough to feel cosy and familiar, without feeling lazy.
The story here is a good one. It's pretty basic, but this isn't an issue since it's a comedy, and not held to the higher standards of serious horror. It's fun watching all these parties stumbling around in search for treasure, and it's just as enjoyable seeing all the villains' plans coming to naught because of these two intrepid dopes! I'm a little unsure why the cult get off scot free in the end, but it makes for a funny wrap-up, so I don't mind.
The only problem is that the mummy barely appears! We first meet him pretty early on, and he's just alive like it's no big deal, with very little explanation. Then he disappears for almost an hour, only returning for the climax. It's a shame his appearances are so fleeting, because those scenes are great! All in all, the mummy isn't the most important thing in the plot, but at least the film acknowledges it, so it is honest.
The effects here are decent. The mummy is less complex than previous ones, just a boiler suit wrapped up in bandages. This is a little noticeable, but not poorly so, and it's good to see the mummy having a little more freedom of movement. The giant lizard is less convincing, but still adorable.
The sets meanwhile are great! Whether they were designed for this or leftover from a previous production, there's a lot to admire, from the ritzy Egyptian nightclubs, to the ancient dig sites, and the ornate temple.
The film has some nice song and dance sequences sprinkled throughout. They all make sense in the plot, all are fun diversions, and they never drag on too long too. The choreography can get pretty wild too!
The acting here is all good. Bud and Lou can do these kinds of role in their sleep, and never fail to entertain. While they are given actual names in the end credits, the two leads are just referred to in the movie by the actors' real names. Which is for the best really, as they only talk with themselves for the majority of the runtime, and their names just don't come up much when chatting with the gangsters or cultists.
Marie Windsor is a deliciously evil femme fatale, while Michael Ansara and Dan Seymour are good henchmen. Richard Deacon is a fun presence as the cult leader, coming across as amusingly nerdy in the usually regal role. Eddie Parker (Lon Chaney's stunt double in previous entries) makes for a decent enough mummy. And lastly, Lou's teenage daughter Carole makes a sweet cameo!
Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy is a great time to be had, whether you're a fan of comedy, horror, or Egypt!
Overall
The Mummy series is a somewhat fractured one. The first movie stands alone, not only in its stellar quality, but in continuity. The sequels are all off in their own world, focusing on different villains, different heroes, and a different mummy. The first of them is by far the best, while the others just copy the exact same plot, beat for beat, with only minor differences. Ghost does have the most daring ending, even though it is depressing.
Perhaps the biggest problem is that Kharis's vengeance is so specific! While Dracula will go after anyone, and the Invisible Man sees the whole world as an enemy, the Mummy will only go after you if you broke open this one specific tomb, and that's it. He has no motivation of his own, and is basically just a living weapon. With every new movie they [struggle] to keep the series going, despite writing themselves into a corner. Based on the specific rules of the curse, Kharis should be at rest by the end of each film, with no reason to return, yet he always does. Ultimately, the biggest problem to come out of this is that there is no reason the cult needed to reanimate a 3000 year old mummy to commit murder, when they could just do it themselves. Much is spoken of of Kharis's destiny, but he means nothing.
The priests don't fare much better, always stock villains. They each get the same introduction, recycled to the point where George Zucco passes on the mantle and dies in two movies in a row (after already having been killed in his first movie), and each befalls the exact same temptations, making me wonder what the gods must think of their useless cult.
Boris Karloff is a wonderful mummy, in both forms. He get the most depth, as he eschews the bandages early on, and passes himself off as a normal human. Tom Tyler and Lon Chaney on the other hand are a little unremarkable. It's not their faults, they just get so little to work with. Chaney was reportedly not fond of the experience, and its easy to see why. It consists entirely of stumbling around and growling, and nothing more.
Problems aside, the Mummy series still holds plenty of fun, even if it's of the basic variety. My only recommendation (beyond prioritising the first film, and the Abbott and Costello entry) is to not watch all the entries in a row, as it will only highlight the existing issues. If you want some ancient Egyptian themed horror, these will satisfy...
