Director: Terence Fisher
Writer: Jimmy Sangster (Screenplay)
Starring: Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Yvonne Furneaux, Eddie Byrne, Felix Aylmer, Raymond Huntley
Plot: In 1895, British archaeologists find and open the tomb of Egyptian Princess Ananka with nefarious consequences.
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Classic Hammer Horror
Story: The Mummy starts in 1895 when British archaeologists John (Cushing) and Stephen Banning (Aylmer) searching for the ancient Egyptian tomb of Princess Ananka which they do discover only for Stephen the father finding himself in a retirement home believing a Mummy Kharis (Lee) came to life furious for disturbing the resting place of Princess Ananka.
3 years later John finally gets some sense out of his father who gives him an ominous warning that the mommy is coming for him and anyone who was involved in the opening of Ananka tomb.
Thoughts on The Mummy
Story – As the only Mummy films I had seen were the Rick O’Connor ones I did know the basic outline of the story and this is a very much watered down version of that. We have the archaeologists who discover the tomb and get caught in the middle of the curse which for the 1950s was still around because of the Tutankhamun discovery. This doesn’t get too over the top which let’s face it is why we all love the 1999 version of the film. this does have a simple enough story to follow and can be enjoyed by all the Hammer Horror fans.
Adventure/Fantasy/Horror – We are thrown into the fantasy horror world of the undead of Egyptian God coming back to avenge the people who opened their resting place. This doesn’t have the biggest scares but is also using the music to create the tension and fear involved in the film.
Characters/Performance – The characters come off fitting what would be considered upper class archaeologists which are used to make us not care for them like later editions. We also have the extremist Egyptian who still believes in the God that is guarding the tomb. The performances are all good but when it comes to looking at the characters they all suit the timing of the film.
Settings – The settings are mixed between the Egyptian tomb which the body was found and what is made to look like the English countryside where the Banning’s live. The settings are not used to the full extent of the scenes going on.
Final Thoughts – This is an easy watch and shows how Hammer Horror really knew how to make horror.
Overall: Classic Hammer Horror that can be enjoyed by all the fans out there.
Rating
