The Mummy's Shroud

Rating:
Summary: Entertaining Mummy Saga from Hammer Studios
Review: "The Mummy's Shroud", is one of the lesser known efforts by the famed English Hammer Studios who were responsible for some of the greatest horror films of the late 1950's and 1960's. Their productions were responsible for reviving some of the most unforgettable Universal Studios horror figures like Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolfman, and The Mummy", in beautiful colour productions that are as popular today as they were 40 years ago. Here it is the Mummy's turn in an admittedly lesser effort than Hammer's classic "The Mummy", of 1959 starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing.

"The Mummy's Shroud", set in 1920 tells the story of a team of archaeology experts who come across the lost tomb of the boy Pharaoh Kah-To-Bey and unfortunately fall foul of the tomb protector in the guise of Prem, a manservant of the boy once the sacred words are read aloud off the shroud found covering the boy king by the team. The story begins with a flash back sequence to Ancient Egypt and we see the story of how Prem spirited away the boy when his father was killed in a palace coup and taken into the desert for protection where unfortunately the boy dies and is then buried. Returning to 1920 "The Mummy's Shroud", shows the expedition to find this tomb lead by scientist Sir Basil Walden (Andre Morell, a Hammer regular) and bossy business man Stanley Preston (John Phillips) where they not only find the tomb and remove the bodies and the sacred shroud but ignore the dire warning issued to them by Hasmid, a local Bedouin about the consequences for those that violate the tombs of Ancient Egypt. Resulting from this warning Sir Basil is bitten by a snake just after finding the tomb and after a number of days dies of the snake bite poison. Once placed in the Cairo Museum the mummy of Prem is revived when Hasmid chants the sacred oath on the shroud and then proceeds to go on a murderous rampage to kill off the remaining members of the expedition. One by one those who assisted in removing the contents of the tomb to Cairo are eliminated by such grissly means as strangulation, being thrown out of windows and in one terrible scene having photographic acid thrown in his face. Greedy Stanley Preston the real villian of the piece, after repeated attempts to evade the murder investigations and flee for his own safely is murdered in a Cairo sidestreet by the avenging mummy. All ends happily of course thanks to the intervention of remaining members of the party Paul Preston, Stanley's son and Maggie Claire de Sangre who succeed in destroying the Mummy in a very dramatic and beautifuly staged finale.

While the storyline of "The Mummy's Shroud",is the often used one of revenge against the violators of an ancient tomb it is staged in an entertaining manner which although not the best Hammer Mummy film, still retains the interest. The beautiful location photography gives the film an overall authentic look and the Mummy himself played by tall actor Eddie Powell is genuinely a frightening vision in particular during his brutal murders of the digging party. The film boasts some beautiful narration by the great Peter Cushing during the flash back sequences and any participation by this always letter perfect actor aids tremendously in creating the feel of the time. Hammer veteran Michael Ripper, who appeared in more productions for this studio than anyone else also shines in one of the largest and best written characters of his career as Longbarrow, Stanley Preston's nervous and very put upon assistant during his time in Egypt who eventually falls victim to the Mummy's revenge. A very talented character actor all too often playing poachers, inn keepers or grave diggers, Ripper had a long theatrical background that equipped him for far more demanding roles than those usually assigned to him.

While certainly a lesser effort by Hammer Studios and having the distinction of being the last of their productions to be filmed at the historic Bray Studios, "The Mummy's Shroud", does hold the attention and have the creepy atmosphere expected of any Hammer production. It can't compare with the 1959 Christopher Lee effort but in it's own right is an enjoyable horror film for those that like old fashioned thrills with a scary looking lead monster and plenty of background atmosphere. Beware "the beat of the cloth wrapped feet" when the monster seeks revenge in "The Mummy's Shroud".

Rating:
Summary: Underrated.
Review: Hammer made a handful of mummy movies, of which the very first one, 1959's "The Mummy", naturally is the best. This later one is usually quite underrated, and often treated like dirt by critics and many fans. To me it's actually the 2nd best Hammer mummy. I really don't know why some people say it's boring and slow, when it almost has more mummy-action than the dull "Curse Of The Mummy's Tomb" and the overrated "Blood From The Mummy's Tomb" combined. Stuntman Eddie Powell is (next to Christopher Lee) the most scary and effective "dustman". And in what is probably his largest role for Hammer, the excellent Michael Ripper shows us why he should have been given much bigger parts. The rest of the cast is very good too, especially the slimy John Phillips. This DVD is a must for Hammerphiles everywhere, and those good humanitarians at Anchor Bay deserve all the praise in the world for giving us another rare jewel from the studio that dripped blood.

Rating:
Summary: Underrated.
Review: Hammer made a handful of mummy movies, of which the very first one, 1959's "The Mummy", naturally is the best. This later one is usually quite underrated, and often treated like dirt by critics and many fans. To me it's actually the 2nd best Hammer mummy. I really don't know why some people say it's boring and slow, when it almost has more mummy-action than the dull "Curse Of The Mummy's Tomb" and the overrated "Blood From The Mummy's Tomb" combined. Stuntman Eddie Powell is (next to Christopher Lee) the most scary and effective "dustman". And in what is probably his largest role for Hammer, the excellent Michael Ripper shows us why he should have been given much bigger parts. The rest of the cast is very good too, especially the slimy John Phillips. This DVD is a must for Hammerphiles everywhere, and those good humanitarians at Anchor Bay deserve all the praise in the world for giving us another rare jewel from the studio that dripped blood.

Rating:
Summary: Beware the beat of the cloth wrapped feet
Review: Hammer's third Mummy film follows a fairly typical script, but is overall better than most people give it credit for. A tomb is disturbed and a curse is put on all those who entered the tomb, sound familiar?The films is somewhat slow, but really picks up about a half an hour into it. The excavation set was better than I thought, but the museum looked more like a small storage area than a place where valuable artifacts would be housed. The mummy overall looked pretty good. There is one scene that always bothered me and that is when David Buck puts a hatchet into it's neck, you can tell it is a dummy that is maybe 2/3's the size of the guy playing the mummy. It is really kind of bad when you look at the earlier impaling scene which looks pretty good, but I would think that scene would have mush harder to do than a hatchet in the shoulder. I also got a little annoyed at the gypsy women who overacts to the hilt. Still, this film has a fairly good cast and it remains interesting. This is probably Michael Ripper's best role for Hammer and it certainly better than it's companion film Frankenstein created woman.

Rating:
Summary: creepy and horrific
Review: I have to say, this movie is pretty scarie for 1967! I've seen alot of horror movies, and I find this to be the scarest!!
I don't recomend this movie for kids under 7 years old.
The best part in the movie is when in the end when the mummy comes after Claire {Maggie Kimberly} but of course the hero {David Buick} comes to rescue her. The music in this movie really gets you into the horror mood when Sir Basil {Andre Morrell} is murdered by the mummy when he's in the gypsy's tent.
This is really spooky!!! I feel sorry for one of the expiditioners who was murdered by the mummy in his hotel room. He is so fat and chubby and that's why I like him. Alot of people die in this movie because of the mummy's curse. The only reason why all of them die is because, they distrubed the spirit of the tomb. I feel this is a great movie with good music and acting.

Rating:
Summary: "Beware the beat of the cloth-wrapped feet" and thrill!
Review: John Gilling's THE MUMMY'S SHROUD is perhaps one of the best of the late 60s Hammer films. I first saw this as a kid on Saturday afternoon TV over 20 years ago and it made a big impact. Though the premise of the film seems overused, the story is nonetheless gripping. The cinematography is quite stunning and the use of colors exquisite. There is a genuine sense of foreboding throughout the film. The casting for the film is decidedly low-key, but bigger Hammer stars may have diluted the script. As for the technical aspects of the DVD, its rates among the best of the Hammer series. The picture is clear and the color brilliant. The soundtrack is amazing in its fidelity. The extras of the DVD add even more value to this wonderful package. Highly recommended!

Rating:
Summary: Totally predictable but the Mummy's death is really cool
Review: Of the four Mummy films produced by Hammer Films, "The Mummy's Shroud" is the third and least of their efforts, although it does have the distinction fo being the last movie made at Hammer's Bray studios. Directed by John Gilling, this was the bottom of a double bill with a much better film, "Frankenstein Created Woman." The film begins with the inevitable flashback to Egypt 2000 B.C. and we learn of Prem, the faithful protector of Kar-to-Bey, son of the pharaoh. Prem protects his charge following a palace coup but the boy dies and is buried in the desert. Jump ahead to 1920 to the discovery of these ancient corpses by an archeological expedition led by a distinguished scientist (Andre Morell) and a cowardly businessman (John Phillips), both of who ignore the dire warnings of the local Bedouin (Roger Delgado). In a Cairo museum the mummy of Pern stands close to where the body of Kar-to-Bey is displayed. The rich guy cheats the scientist out of his glory and the Bedouin raises the mummy at which point murder and mayhem ensue until the lovely blonde (Maggie Kimberely) saves the day. The best moment of this rather weak film comes at the end when the Mummy bites the dust by literally ripping itself to bits and pieces. Otherwise the production design is nothing compared to the previous two Hammer Mummy films, the Mummy is apparently wearing a workout outfit instead of a whole lot of bandages, and the only sympathetic character is the first one to die. At least Peter Cushing does the opening narration, although he is uncredited.

Rating:
Summary: FAIRLY GOOD MUMMY MOVIE
Review: Ok movie if you like films made by HAMMER. The casting of this movie is weak. It could of used the talents of HAMMERS best horror actors, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. Cushing narates the film but to bad he didn't star in it. The Mummy looks will done but doesn't get that much screen time. The 3 stars is for The Mummy only. Everybody else is a 1 star.

Rating:
Summary: Another Mummy
Review: Once again the high quality of Anchor Bay and the extra features turn an otherwise average DVD into something special. The picture quality is quite good and if you like Hammer horror this one is worth a look. I do feel however, that its not one of the better Mummy pictures. The bonus "World of Hammer" episode narrated by Oliver Reed is quite entertaining.

Rating:
Summary: Honest mistake.
Review: Regarding my earlier review of this DVD. I think I was wrong in saying Hammer was the "studio that dripped blood". -I believe it was actually Amicus, wasn't it ?. Oh, well. (They both did, I guess.) Almost forgot: I like this movie - "The Mummy's Shroud" is a bloody good movie, now see it !.