The Mummy

Rating:
Summary: Death shall come on swift wings to those...
Review: Peter Cuching portrays an archeologist in this classic Hammer film about a descendant of the ancient Egyptian Magiicians who manage to enlive an ancient Sorcerer of his kind, by the necromantic rites of The Egyptian Book of The Dead. The ancient sarcophagus was unearthed from its tomb anf taken to England, which is seen as a terrible blasphemy, and the inevitable Curse begins to unfold.

The Mummy is reminiscient of the actual story of "Iye" {pronounced "eye"}, whose tenacious deceit brought him the Pharaoh's title for a time, after the murder of Tutenkamun and whtat would have been his Princess. The Egyptian is determined to kill the Anthropologist and almost succeeds through the Mummy, but the monster is distracted by the beauty of his Grand daughter {I will attest to her exquisiteness}, who reminds him of the beauty of the ancient princess. Twice her beauty thwarts the elimination of the Archeologist, until the Mummy finally takes her up in classic style, and runs off with her down to the swamp {romantic in an Addams sort of way}, where he is summarily destroyed.
It was actually quite a romantic scenario which brought the Mummy nigh. He was determined, in his original priestly mortal form, to bring his love back from the dead - so he stole away into her tombwhere the embalming process was already under way, and uttered the Word of Spell , but was found out by the Elder Priests, who then sentenced him to be sealed up alive in the sarcophagus to be her guardian for all time.

Karloff plays a most excellent Mummy, every bit as good as his portrayal of Frankenstein. A classic must-see