Rating: 
Summary: Good Looking Mummy
Review: This is a movie that is easy to enjoy. It starts out with a young archaeologist unable to resist the urge to peek inside a crumbling box and translate from the parchment found within. His reading from the parchment awakens, I think, the best-looking mummy every made. All we see is the mummy's hand grabbing the parchment, notice the ring on his finger, and then slowly leaving the tomb with a single strand of bandage as he goes through the doorway. The rest of the movie has the mummy, not so mummy looking, looking for his reincarnated princess for whom he died.There are times where the movie is slow, but Boris Karloff gives another fine performance and the mummy's makeup is top notch.
Rating: 
Summary: "Never Saw a Mummy like That"
Review: The incomparable Boris Karloff is Im-Ho-Tep, a 3700-year-old Egyptian priest inadvertantly raised from the dead by an archaeological expidition. In the guise of Egyptologist Ardeth Bay, Im-Ho-Tep roams contemporary Egypt in search of his long-dead love Ankh-Su-Namun, who has been reincarnated in the form of Helen Grosvenor (played by Zita Johann). While Karloff does not evoke the same mix of sympathy and revulsion that made his portrayal of the Frankenstein monster so memorable, he still does a ripping good job at creating a frightening and convincing Im-Ho-Tep/Ardeth Bay. Karloff's performance is enhanced by the work of first-time Director Karl Freund--previously the cinematographer on 1931's DRACULA--who does an excellent job of exploiting both visual composition and off-screen (i.e., implied) thrills to create an atmostpheric horror show. And the contribution of make-up Artist Jack Pierce should not be underrated; he turns Karloff into a believable walking corpse that radiates a sense of death and decay. Though THE MUMMY is nearly 70 years old, it has aged well. In spite of the lack of the graphic gore that has become commonplace today, the imagery in this film still creates a sense of doom and terror, and Karloff and company are able evoke a true fright that clearly demonstrates why the classic horror flicks are often better and genuinely scarier than those cranked out in the Hollywood mills today.
Rating:
Summary: Great Classic has DVD Sound Shortcoming
Review: I bought 1932 version of The Mummy in DVD last year along with some of the other Universal horror classics from the 1930s that have been issued in this format. You can believe all the rave reviews here but I was disappointed with one technical aspect of the DVD version of The Mummy: the producers used some type of noise suppression to eliminate a slight hiss on the soundtrack. As a result, the track has a somewhat bassy sound that forced me to boast the volume to hear ordinary dialogue but then reduce the volume when music or other higher volume fxs are introduced. I did not have this problem with the other Universal DVDs in this series nor do I recall this problem with my earlier VHS editions.
I knew it wasn't my imagination when I watched the accompanying documentary. Clips from the film appear in crystal clear sound but with a slight hiss absent from the full-length feature. Obviously, one of the technical people producing the DVD made a judgment call that a bassy sound track was preferable to a slight hiss - and I couldn't disagree more. This MUMMY needs to be reissued someday with restored sound.
Rating:
Summary: Very Intense!
Review: Even though the violence and blood shed is at a minimum and especially if one compares it with recent horror movies; this movie in question, i.e., The Mummy VHS ~ Boris Karloff must be seen as a classic not only in the genre of horror movies, but as a classic achievement in the art of movie making. Karloff's mummy is very regal and the dialogue is very well written and not at all as contrite as some horror movies. The makeup is remarkable for the time period when the movie was made and is very authentic in its look and feel. Highly Recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Not to be confused with "The Mummy's Hand"
Review: The other reviews are pretty extensive but I just have to add that this is NOT the movie where tana leaves reawaken the well- known foot- dragging man-strangling mummy's-curse monster. THAT movie is "The Mummy's Hand", with Dick Foran and Tom Tyler. This is a considerably different affair with the rather suave former mummy, Imhotep aka Ardath Bey, played by Boris Karloff in one of his better speaking horror roles.
Rating:
Summary: Mum's the Word!
Review: Ever see the new Mummy movie? That Mummy Man only knew one trick--gouging out people's eyes--and seemed to spend most of his time bellowing with his mouth open. What a tiresome fellow! Well, if you dislike that sort of thing, then THIS MUM'S FOR YOU. Karloff's mummy may start off swathed in bandages, but after initially being raised from the dead, he ever after sports a fez and a long robe. He keeps his mouth closed between sentences, but he does a lot of intense staring, especially at that lady who happens to be the reincarnation of his lost love, the princess for whom he committed "an unholy thing", and got buried alive for his pains. I thought it was great that the mummy was interested in getting on with his (after)life once he got reanimated. Ten years lapse between his own resurrection and the finding of the princess's tomb--I was curious to know how the mummy supported himself in the meanwhile, since he had a pretty nice house and had learned to speak British English so well--and he didn't even start out with the proverbial "clothes" on his back! Yes, he may exercise mind control from time to time, and even be able to induce heart attacks from a distance, but that was only because meddlesome folks tried to curtail his activities in raising up the princess again--he actually has modest ambitions compared to the later mummy who surrounds himself with an army. I found Karloff's mummy extremely sympathetic and was sorry to realize that he wasn't going to get his heart's desire after all. An especially interesting development is that the young woman who is the princess's reincarnation is quite obviously turned on by Karlloff when she meets him accidentally, even though the men in the movie find him creepy and dryskinned. But let's face it--he's much more intriguing than David Manners, the "hero" of the piece. Why, he can't even figure out a way to save her--she must do so herself by beseeching an ancient Egyptian goddess! Check out Karloff's Mummy for a surprisingly touching performance--a "mum"mentous achievement!
Rating:
Summary: Horror Classic that has withstood the Sands of Time!
Review: Karl Freund makes an impressive directorial debut after years of cinemaphotography for the German Silents (and DRACULA) with Boris Karloff starring as the undead Mummy Im-Ho-Tep, later rejuvenated posing as an Egyptian Prince Ardath Bey, once again proving his remarkable versatility as an actor in this creepy original 1932 classic THE MUMMY. The film is a wonderful mixture of horror and romance. Zita Johann is excellent in a dual role as young Helen Grosvenor whom Karloff mistakes for his long lost love. David Manners and Edward Van Sloan (from DRACULA) are a joy to see again as the heroes. Also memorable are Arthur Byron as the Museum Owner ever fearful of the curse awaiting those who disturbed the Mummy's resting place, as is Bramwell Fletcher as the student who breaks up in insane laughter after accidentally reviving Karloff "He went for a little walk. You should have seen his face!" DVD contains a fascinating documentary appropriately entitled "Mummy Dearest" hosted by Rudy Behlmer, and the film commentary by Paul M. Jensen is also guaranteed not to disappoint. If it's creepy terror you're in the mood for, simply turn off the lights, stay close to your loved one, and enjoy - THE MUMMY! PS: Don't miss the trailer!
Rating: 
Summary: Boris does it again.
Review: Boris Karloff was able to place another memmorable monster role along side his three roles as the Frankenstein creature, this time as an anicent Egyptian prince who awakens after centuries of sleep and tries to revive his long lost love, who now lives as a modern woman. It's a tale of love a bit more then horror, and this movie was certainly superior to all the Mummy films that came after it.
Rating:
Summary: 1000 Years of Longing
Review: This is perhaps Boris Karloff's finest performance. His resurrected Imhotep is tall & cadaverously thin. He moves with a carefully stilted walk, as if any misstep would cause his ancient bones to crack and crumble him to the ground. The finely wrinkled face is still and impassive, the lips barely moving as he speaks in a papery thin whisper of his yearning for his long ago lost love, for whom he has sacrificed everything. But the eyes burn in that masklike face, the same eyes that stared at us in mute terror at his living entombment. This is great stuff! Highly romantic with a marvelous mood and atmosphere, this is a Mummy with class. The movie has great moments such as the above-mentioned living burial and that unforgettable stare of terror, the insane cackle of the unsuspecting perpetrator of Imhotep's resurrection, Karloff & Johann staring into the pool, and so on. And, in Zita Johann, Karloff has a beautiful, exotic woman worth loving across centuries. This is The Mummy for grownups. The Brendan Fraser version is more for the kids, which is perfectly okay. It's about noise and action. This Mummy is about subtlety, mood, and eternal desire, and it is a quiet Classic.
Rating:
Summary: The Mummy (Boris Karloff)
Review: This is the one, folks. All other mummy movies are lame in comparison. Brilliantly directed. Karloff is priceless as usual.
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