The Mummy's Curse

Starring: Lon Chaney Jr., Peter Coe, Virginia Christine, Kay Harding, Dennis Moore
Directed by: Leslie Goodwins
Rating: Not rated
Genre: Horror, Thriller
1944

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: In Louisiana, Kharis (Lon Cheney, Jr.) emerges from his swampy grave to once again wreck havoc.

Review:

Tim: How lucky were audiences in 1944? Universal released not one, but two Mummy movies. The Mummy's Ghost improved on the previous film, but unfortunately, The Mummy's Curse reverses that trend. This is a pretty bad film, and it's no surprise that this was the last Mummy movie for 11 years, and the next film was a comedy. This movie has a ton of flaws.

The first thing that frustrated me is the timeline. If the previous film took place in the 1970s, this film takes place 25 years later. That means this 1944 takes place in the 1990s. Apparently, they expected clothing to remain the same and technology not to improve at all. The timeline is completely out of whack. What's the point of fast-forwarding 25 years? Why couldn't they move forward 5? It's all ridiculous.

The second major issue is that the last two films took place in Massachusetts. Suddenly, for inexplicable, indescribable reasons, this movie takes place in Louisiana. How in the world the submerged bodies of the mummy and Ananka moved from New England to Louisiana, and why this decision was made? There's no explanation for this switch, but it made no sense and really frustrated me. It ruins the overall quality of this franchise.

Another huge problem I had with this film is that there's very little particularly new in this film. So much of the story and the events we've seen before. This felt like an especially redundant film. The whole thing suggested this franchise is creatively bankrupt.

Now, I don't want to suggest this movie is all bad. There's a few good points. While we've seen this all before, it's still fun to see a mummy go around killing people. There is an especially stunning sequence where Princess Ananka emerges from the mud in the swamp- this was the highlight of the film. It was creepy, mesmerizing, and unforgettable. It was incredible. I also thought the film sequence was pretty strong- a character locks himself in a cell, and Kharis breaks through the bars and the door. That was very well done.

While The Mummy's Curse has a few strong points, it has far too many flaws. I enjoy this franchise, but it just felt like no one involved had any creative ideas left. It's not a surprise to me that this effectively ended this franchise for a long period of time. That was unfortunately the right call- this film is pretty bad.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 5.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Mummy (1932), The Mummy's Hand, The Mummy's Tomb, The Mummy's Ghost, Dracula, Frankenstein