Review of The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb (1964) by Kevin N — 23 Feb 2014

The small handful of unrelated sequels made by Hammer to its 1959 original are not thought of very highly at all, and at this point I have not seen them all, but I can say with great passion that I think this one gets an unfairly bad rap.

In fact, the absence of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee aside, I think this is a far more entertaining and interesting movie than its predecessor, which was often quite stiff. Here is a film that is unabashedly fun, utilizing to the fullest extent its widescreen scope and technicolor palette.

Michael Carreras, known best for his role as producer to just about everything Hammer put out in its most illustrious period, wrote and directed the film, and not only does he do a fine job taking over for previous MUMMY director Terence Fisher, but he directs with great artistry and a knowing for the movement of cinema, resulting in a picture full of life and energy.

His camera makes big movements here, tracking and craning to string relatively complex shots together. Even more impressive is the movie's cast, full of actors who nail both the film's dramatic scenes and its comic ones.

The triangular dynamic between Terence Morgan, Ronald Howard and Jeanne Roland is one that could have easily choked the picture in lesser actor's hands, but they keep it alive and tense for the film's brief running time.

I was very, very pleasantly surprised by this picture- a thrilling and humorous if less weighty stop for those on the journey through Hammer's storied filmography.