Review of The Mummy (1959) by Brad S — 28 Apr 2014

From Hammer, after the success of The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) and Dracula (1958), Hammer turned to another of Universal's horror staples to make into a film, and they decided to do The Mummy. With Hammer Veterans Terence Fisher directing and Jimmy Sangster writing, and although the Hammer version borrows from a few of Universal's Mummy horrors, it makes for entertaining viewing, and it is effective.

In 1895, archaeologists John Banning (Peter Cushing), his father Stephen (Felix Aylmer) and his uncle Joseph Whemple (Raymond Huntley) are searching for the tomb of Princess Ananka in Egypt. They manage to enter the tomb, even though local man Mehemet Bey (George Pastell) warns them not to go in.

Stephen reads from a scroll he finds in the tomb, and is left in a state of catatonia. 3 years later, back in England, Stephen snaps out of his catatonia, to tell John that when he read the scroll, he brought back to life the Mummy of High Priest Kharis (Christopher Lee), who is looking for him, and plans to avenge those who desecrated the tomb.

It's the usual Hammer fare, but it's worth watching, and it's beautifully filmed, and even though it's a little tamer than Frankenstein or Dracula, it has it's moments, and Lee relishes the part of the Mummy brilliantly, bringing to life another famous movie monster in his own inimitable style.

Hammer were on a roll here and unstoppable.