Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy (1955)
Director: Charles Lamont
Cast: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Marie Windsor,
Michael Ansara, Peggy King, Richard Deacon,
Dan Seymour, Ed Parker, The Mazzone Abbott
Dancers and Chandra Kaly & His Dancers
Unrated
Run Time: 79 min.
Bud and Lou are down-on-their-luck Americans who think they can make some money transporting a mummy to the United States. Instead, they find a zealous religious cult, murder, a cursed medallion, sacred treasure, and, of course, a Living Mummy.
Bud and Lou made this picture at the end of their careers, after they had met Frankenstein, the Invisible Man, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Nevertheless, of the Abbott and Costello movies released in the 1950s, this is one of their best. The picture includes some truly top notch routines, the cast delivers good performances, and the direction is light and brisk.
Alas, the movie offers little for the Mummy fan. Rather than involve Kharis in these proceedings, Universal introduces Klaris, perhaps a poor cousin to Kharis. The picture never reveals much about this new character. Klaris doesn't appear in the film for very long and during that time he doesn't do very much. In fact, during his few moments on screen, he waddles and gasps like a would-be gillman, A.K.A. Creature from the Black Lagoon (released one year earlier). Somehow, Klaris never appears as a threat to anyone. Mummy fans will delight in the Eqyptian trappings, but expectations for the Mummy himself are best kept to a minimum.
Overall, this movie is pleasant enough and no worse than "Meet the Invisible Man" or "Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." A nice change of pace.
Rating: 3 (of 5) tana leaves
Bloodlust - Subspecies III (1993 US/Rom.)
Director: Ted Nicolaou
Cast: Anders Hove, Denice Duff, Kevin Blair, Melanie Shatner, Pamela
Gordon, Michael Dellafemina, Ion Haiduc
Run Time: 83 min.
MPAA Rating: R
"Bloodlust" is primarily a vampire film about a bloodsucking antihero named Radu, whose story began with "Subspecies" (1991) and continued with "Bloodstone: Subspecies II" (1992). Radu's home, Castle Vladislas, happens also to be inhabited by a mummy, Radu's mother. She is ancient, decaying, and alive by the awesome power of sorcery and her will. Radu's weakness is an consuming love for Michelle, a beautiful young woman who has just become a vampire, and after Michelle and her sister, Becky, nearly destroy Radu, the mummy revives her vampire son and works to save him from his self-destructive attachment to Michelle.
This low budget, grade C motion picture has all the flaws you would expect: unispired script, wooden acting, and so on. Nevertheless, the picture does have a spirit of fun. The mummy in particular is convincingly realized, with a corpse-like appearance, frightening supernatural powers, and an unbending will that has sustained her through the centuries. The variety of gothic monsters also mix together well: a hideous and seemingly unstopable mummy (the most villianous character); a bizarre, complex, and lustful vampire; a sexy, young woman in the transition between human and vampire; and, briefly, a squad of minature demons. Overall, although this isn't great cinema, it is a pleasant diversion for die-hard gothic horror fans.
Rating: 2 (of 5) tana leaves
The Monster Squad (1987 US)
Director: Fred Dekker
Cast: Andre Gower, Robby Kiger, Stephen Macht, Duncan Regehr, Tom
Noonan, Brent Chalem, Ryan Lambert, Ashley Bank, Michael Faustino,
Mary Ellen Trainor, Leonardo Cimino
Run Time: 82 min.
MPAA Rating: PG-13
This is "Goonies" meets "House of Frankenstein." The "monster squad" is a self-ordained club of twelve-year-old gothic horror fans and their friends. Initially, they aren't certain that monsters like those in the movies exist. Their uncertainty disappears when they get their hands on the diary of Abraham van Heilsing, Dracula's arch-enemy, and when Dracula himself calls on them (under the psuedonym "Alucard"). Dracula, it turns out, has enlisted the help of three new vampire brides, the Frankenstein's Monster, the Wolfman, the Gillman, and the Mummy. With this entourage he plans to destroy an amulet that balances good and evil in the universe and, with the amulet out of the way, begin an unrestricted reign of terror. Armed with their knowledge of monster movies and little else, the kids set out to stop them.
This is film that could be truly bad but isn't. The production is relatively skillful, drawing on the talents of people like Richard Edlund (Star Wars trilogy, etc.) for visual effects, Bruce Broughton (Silverado, A Simple Wish, etc.) for the score, Stan Winston (Jurassic Park, Terminator 2, etc.) for the monster makeup, and Peter Hyams (The Relic, 2010, etc.) working as the executive producer. So, the film looks and sounds good. Perhaps more importantly, these artists respect the genre. In a manner similar to "Abbot and Costello meet Frankenstein," the monsters are played seriously. The result is a relatively competent (albeit mild) horror flick, with adventurous children thrown in, and some warm laughs that result from this juxtaposition.
The monsters are handled well. Dracula is played as a cross between Christopher Lee and Bela Lugosi, with an adequate touch of menance. The Wolfman, in human form, could be Lawarence Talbot -- he rants incessantly to people who don't believe him about turing into a wolf, not having enough time, and the threat of Dracula. The Frankenstein Monster, appropriately, befriends the children after discovering a little girl playing with flowers beside a pond. Mummy aficionados will be somewhat disappointed that Dracula, the Wolfman, and the Frankenstein Monster are given much more to do than the Mummy. Nevertheless, Stan Winston's mummy makeup is wonderful, and the Mummy is introduced by his gait, which immitates the crippled walk of Universal's Kharis. Alas, he is too easily dispatched (although perhaps not destroyed?) when his wrappings are unraveled.
Overall, the film is a bit better than I would have expected. Although it is no where near a classic, it is entertaining to see the classic monsters together again.
Rating: Three (of five) tana leaves
The Mummy (1959 UK)
Director: Terence Fisher
Cast: Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Yvonne Furneaux, Eddie Byrne,
Felix Aylmer, Raymond Huntley, George Pastell
Run time: 86 min.
Drawing heavily on Universal's Kharis series, this Hammer film tells the story of a mummy (Lee) who is awakened when an archeologist (Cushing) leads his team into the tomb of Princess Anaka. An Egyptian priest (Pastell) sends the mummy to destroy the desecraters. It happens that the archeologist's wife (Furneaux) looks so much like Anaka that she could be her reincarnation. The mummy, who is virtually immune to physical harm, is stopped ultimately by his undying passion for Anaka.
Mummy devotees will enjoy Lee's portrayal of Kharis. Unlike his predecessors, this mummy adds speed to his terrific strength and physical invulnerability. The effects are excellent for the time, especially the scenes where bullets and other weapons rip through the mummy without harming him. And in addition to being physically imposing, the mummy has a chance to be emotional, as when he looks at his beloved longingly, or when he is torn between service to his master and following his heart.
This picture is one of Hammer's finest and one of the best mummy movies. The production is lavish, the score is exquisite, and the performances are appealing and entertaining. The script takes many of the best elements from Universal's 1932 masterpiece as well as the four film Kharis series and boils them down to a tight story. Overall, a successful film.
Rating: 5 (of 5) tana leaves
The Mummy's Hand (1940 US)
Director: Christy Cabanne
Cast: Dick Foran, Peggy Moran, Wallace Ford, Eduardo Cianelli,
George Zucco, Cecil Kelloway, Charles Trowbridge, Tom Tyler,
Siegfried Arno
Run time: 70 min.
The first entry in Universal's Kharis series is a wonderful picture about obsession, passion, and posession. George Zucco plays an Eqyptian priest, Andoheb, who is choosen to succeed the High Priest of a mysterious sect. The High Priest reveals to Andoheb the story of Kharis, eternal guardian of Princess Anaka's mummy, and entrusts to him the magical Tana leaves that give Kharis his undying lifeforce. Thus, Andoheb becomes the secret master of a Living Mummy.
Meanwhile, an archeologist (Dick Foran) and his buddy (Wallace Ford) find a clue to the hiding place of Anaka's tomb. They are joined by a stage magician (Cecil Kelloway) and his beautiful daughter (Peggy Moran) on an expedition to find Anaka. As you might expect, they enter Kharis's tomb first; under Andoheb's control, Kharis makes manifest the curse of the ancient gods by killing party members off one by one.
Mummy movie fans will find "Hand" intriguing for many reasons. This was the first feature that kept the Living Mummy wrapped in bandages; unlike Im-Ho-Tep, Kharis never assumes an unremarkable form. This film also introduces a mysterious elixir, brewed from tana leaves; the mummy's vulnerability to fire; and, victims marked by "mummy mold." In addition, true to the best mummy themes, it is not goodness that ultimately conquers the monsters. Instead, the monsters are conquered by lust, Andoheb for a beautiful woman and Kharis for the tana leaves.
I am amazed at what the picture accomplishes given its production constraints. "Hand" was made for $80,000 with principle photography lasting just 14 days. Overall, the production value is quite high. The score, although much of it borrowed from "Son of Frankenstein" and "Bride of Frankenstein," is emotionally evocative. The mummy himself is convincingly realized, with Im-Ho-Tep's makeup recreated for close-ups and a rubber mask unnoticeably swapped in for the long shots. Similarly, footage from "The Mummy" suffices for much of the telling of the back story. The albeit rushed story does present some interesting elements. Foran and Ford have an likable, almost homoerotic chemistry that puts an unusual spin on the plot, especially as much of the male cast becomes increasingly drawn to the leading lady.
This is an unexpectedly fun motion picture and a great way to start off a Kharis marathon.
Rating: 4 (of 5) tana leaves
The Mummy (1932)
Director: Karl Freund
Cast: Boris Karloff, Zita Johann, David Manners,
Arthur S. Byron, Edward Van Sloan, Bramwell Fletcher
Unrated
Run Time: 72 min.
This is the motion picture that started it all. In 1921 Sir Joseph Whemple (Arthur S. Byron) leads a team of British archeologists into Im-Ho-Tep's tomb. When a member of the team inadvertantly reads the Scroll of Thoth, the mummy Im-Ho-Tep (Boris Karloff) is brought back to life. A decade later the mummy has taken on a nearly normal appearance and exists in society as the mysterious eqyptologist, Ardeth Bey. When Sir Joseph and his son Frank (David Manners) return to Eqypt, Ardeth Bey joins them in a expedition to find the tomb of his ancient love. As it happens, he finds her spirit reincarnated in Helen Grosvenor (Zita Johann), and begins to use his arcane powers to lure her to become one with him in an eternal union of Living Death. Frank Whemple and Doctor Muller (Edward Van Sloan) must uncover Ardeth Bey's true identity and battle against his awesome mystical powers to save Helen.
Mummy director Karl Freund had worked as a cinematographer, starting in Germany in 1914 and then in the US, making pictures such as Metropolis (1926), Dracula (1931), Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932), Green Hell (1940), and Key Largo (1948). Together with director of photography Charles Stumar (The Raven, Werewolf of London), Freund tells this story almost exclusively through unforgettable images: the mummy coming to life, Ardeth Bey's mesmerizing stare, Helen in full regal adornment preparing to be sacrificed, and so on. The Mummy has been criticized for being slow moving, and admittedly it does have little in the way of music, humor, or dialogue to draw the viewer inside its story. What it does have however is a rich visual poetry that works non-stop to create the perfect emotional atmosphere.
Boris Karloff's mummy is one of the most satisfying gothic heroes in cinema. He is otherworldy and yet very human, chilling and yet seductive, evil and yet sympathetic. Also entertaining is the emdodiment of reason, Dr. Muller, whose character is nearly identical to Sloan's Dr. Waldman in Frankenstein (1931) and his Van Helsing in both Dracula (1931) and Dracula's Daughter (1936). Similarly, David Manners plays a character similar to his Jonathon Harker in Dracula (1931) and his Peter Allison in the Black Cat (1934), once again facing unfathomable horror with heart, optimism, and perhaps more than a little luck. Finally, Zita Johann brings an unusual beauty to the film that makes it easy to believe that a 3700 year old princess has been reincarnated.
Im-Ho-Tep is a welcome contrast to the Living Mummies are who nothing more than nearly unstoppable killing machines. Like Anne Rice's Ramses, this is a mummy that co-exists with us in society. The horror of these stories draws much of its power from the uneasy feeling that perhaps modern people have forgotten how to cope with the forces that really control our lives. All of our technology is useless in the face of primordial passion. Universal's mummy masterpiece is a worthy member of the classic triptych (along with Frankenstein and Dracula) and will remain the standard by which all mummy movies are measured.
Rating: 5 (of 5) tana leaves
The Mummy's Revenge (1953)
Director: Carlos Aured Alonso
Cast: Paul Naschy, Jack Taylor
Run Time: 91 min.
Summary: An Eqyptian mummy is revived by the blood of virgins and
then goes on a violent rampage. English dubbing.
Time Walker (1982)
Director: Tom Kennedy
Cast: Ben Murphy, Nina Axelrod, Kevin Brophy, James Karen,
Robert Random, Austin Stoker, Clint Young, Shari Belafonte-Harper,
Antoinette Bower, Jason Williams, Melissa Prophet, Sam Chew, Jr.,
Gerard Prendergast, Jack Olson
Run Time: 83 min.
Summary: An extraterrestrial, buried in King Tut's tomb, is reawakened and kills
victims with the touch of an alien green fungus.
Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990)
Director: John Harrison
Cast: Debbie Harry, David Forrester, Matthew Lawrence, Christian Slater,
Robert Sedgwick, Steve Buscemi, Donald Van Horn, Michael Deak (The Mummy),
Julianne Moore
Run Time: 93 min.
The feature is an anthology of four short subjects, similar in structure to
"Twilight Zone: The Movie." The first featurette is "Lot 249," a story about
a mummy who murders students by mummifying them. Bssed on a Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle story. For more details, see
this review.
The Mummy's Dungeon (1993)
Director: Unknown
Cast: Michelle Caporaletti, Amanda Madison, Dawn Lewis, Clancey
McCauley, Launa Kane, Cristie Clark, and Dave Castiglione as "The Mummy".
Run Time: 83 min.
Summary: Models are sacrificed to bring 2,000 year old mummies to life.
The Mummy A.D. 1993 (1993)
Director: David "The Rock" Nelson
Cast: Unknown
Run Time: Unknown
Summary: Unknown
The Mummy Lives (1995)
Director: Gerry O'Hara
Cast: Tony Curtis, Gregg Wrangler, Jack Cohen, Leslie Hardy
Run Time: 93 min.
Summary: Buried alive for his sins, Aziro (Curtis) is reawakened and
finds an American who looks just like Kia, the woman of his obsession.
Copyright 1997-1998 by Karnstein
karnstein@geocities.com
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