The Mummy's Curse

Universal made the original Boris Karloff film, THE MUMMY in the early 1930s. To date, I think it's by far the best of all the mummy films. The, starting in 1940, they made a series of four mummy films. While they were not as good as the Karloff one, they provided a lot of fun and entertainment. They were not designed to be cerebral or for snobs but to appeal to kids and adults alike as the B-picture in the Saturday afternoon lineup at the cinema. And, in this role, they did exactly what they were intended to do. This movie is the weakest and last of these films. Part of this is because of repetition--most of what occurs seems pretty old hat. Plus, the only real innovation was pretty silly--this Egyptian menace somehow made it to the bayous of Louisiana!! Yep, a decent film but it probably was time to stop making them when you had to resort to such plot devices because you ran out of ideas!

This entry in the "Mummy series" is unlike all the others, but that's what makes it interesting! One of THE most interesting sequences in this film is when the Princess awakens in the bog (due to the sunlight), and slowly rises to her feet, totally covered with mud, and staggers to town. A very dramatic scene!

For some reason, Mummies are being buried in the swamps of Louisiana. I don't know how people know this, but, sure enough, some excavation digs them up. And, once again, some idiot feels he has to brew those Tanna leaves. Mummies are interesting horror figures. The one quality they seem to have is that they only move at about a half a mile and hour, and yet people stop and let themselves be strangled. Lon Chaney, Jr. is the star here. I need to go back and see some of the other mummy movies after the first Karloff one. This is standard fare with very little new. But it does have that Louisiana atmosphere and it's certainly fun to see these things. Not great art, but no one said it would be.

From 'The Mummy's Hand (1940) through 'The Mummy's Curse (1944)' some interesting things but none more bizarre than the fact Kharis and Ananka sank into the Massachusetts swamps in the 'The Mummy's Ghost (1944) but end up rising in the Louisiana swamps in 'The Mummy's Curse (1944)'. How did they end up in Louisiana? All we know is the townspeople and the sheriff's office (supposedly) chased Kharis and Ananka to Louisiana but the last film was set in Massachusetts... they chased them that far??? LOL The one major flaw with The Mummy's Curse but the film is fine otherwise. If can go with or overlook the strange explanation given and can get into the idea of The Mummy ending up in Louisiana then you will find the film is is really just about as good of a B-Film as rest of the films in this series. Kharis can finally rest in peace. 7.5/10

There is still life in this curse, barely. The premise has ran its course. Too many familiar scenes and the thrill is just hanging on. This although is still creepy to watch and fun for a rainy night. The living mummy Kharis(Lon Chaney Jr)now seeks his lost love(Virginia Christine) in the bayous of Louisiana. Also notable are Kurt Katch and Jackie Lou Harding. A "mummy" fan's must.

The final entry in the Kharis the mummy series is also the weakest, although still a good watch. At the end of the last film, Kharis and Ananka disappeared into the swamp. Decades later, the swamp is drained. For some reason, this film moves the location of the swamp from New England to Louisiana! So obviously somebody didn't think continuity was that big of an issue. Anyway, Kharis is revived by yet another Egyptian high priest (Peter Coe). Meanwhile, Ananka resurfaces from the mud and we discover she is played by Virginia Christine. Why Ramsay Ames didn't return to the role I'm not sure, but Christine does fine. Needless to say, Kharis is once again anxious to find his lost love. This was Lon Chaney Jr.'s last turn as the mummy. This one's got some marks against it but it's a fun movie. Nice atmosphere and some creepy moments. Universal horror fans like myself will like it most.