The Hot Spot Rating
Title: Mummy’s Curse, The
Cast: Lon Chaney, Dennis Moore, Kay Harding, Peter Coe, Virginia Christine, Addison Richards
Director: Leslie Goodwins
Nutshell: Death stalks the sleepy town of Mapleton once more as we find that “Draining The Swamp” has some deadly after effects, and the arrival of a weird foreigner is always an ominous sign.
“One of the eeriest of the Universal mummy films.” — classic horror retrospective
“A fog-shrouded fever dream.” — cult horror review
“Beautifully photographed and wonderfully atmospheric.” — monster movie criticism
“The most visually striking of the Kharis sequels.” — classic horror commentary
“A delirious slice of wartime horror escapism.” — retrospective review
“Lon Chaney Jr. brings genuine melancholy to the monster.” — classic film criticism
“Moody, strange and surprisingly dreamlike.” — cult cinema review
“Packed with swampy atmosphere and gothic dread.” — horror retrospective
“A classic Universal chill-fest.” — monster magazine review
“An enjoyably bizarre entry in the Universal horror cycle.” — modern genre review
The Mummy’s Curse, the fourth sequel in Universal Pictures’ Mummy series, arrived rapidly on the heels of The Mummy’s Ghost. This time around, however, rather than simply regurgitating the previous entries yet again, The Mummy’s Curse at least attempts a few twists on the established formula, with fairly satisfying results.
It has been over twenty-five years since Mapleton was terrorised by the Mummy, but fortunately for the locals, the nightmare seemingly ended when Kharis was submerged in the murky depths of the swamp bordering the town, taking poor Ananka with him.
Ever since then, Mapleton has enjoyed a prolonged period of peace and calm, alongside what appears to be a sudden influx of Southern colour thanks to the arrival of Cajun workers who spend their evenings drinking and socialising at a tavern known as Berthe’s.
A heated debate is now taking place in Mapleton over plans to drain the old swamp. The workers hired for the task are adamant they want absolutely nothing to do with the place, believing it to be haunted by the Mummy itself. They are convinced that draining the swamp will unleash Kharis’ wrath upon the community all over again, particularly after one of their fellow workers is found brutally murdered nearby.
Soon enough, the tractors roll onto the site and the draining operation begins as planned.
Meanwhile — unfortunately for the residents of Mapleton — another slimy-looking foreigner from Egypt arrives in town wearing a particularly spiffing fez, though otherwise appearing fairly civilised in tie, jacket, and trousers. Sadly, Mapleton’s previous experiences with immigrants have not exactly been positive, because every time somebody wearing strange robes, funny hats, and sporting an odd accent has arrived upon these shores, terrible things have tended to follow, with the good MAGA way of life threatened by bizarre pagan rituals from far-flung foreign lands.
Before long, we discover that this outwardly mild-mannered foreigner soon sheds his respectable Western attire, dons robes and mystical amulets, and reveals himself to be the new High Priest of Arkam. It is he who has instructed his ferret-like accomplice Ragheb to murder the Cajun worker and locate a suitable resting place from which Kharis can once again be resurrected through the power of the sacred tana leaves.
Naturally, it is not long before Lon Chaney Jr. is once again shuffling about in signature fashion, stalking one hapless victim after another in search of his beloved Princess Ananka, whom he eventually discovers has emerged from the swamp and is now being cared for by the local doctor.
The sequence in which Ananka emerges from the freshly churned earth remains one of the film’s most memorable moments and feels like a clear precursor to many of the classic zombie resurrection scenes that would follow decades later. The soil begins to shift, a human hand slowly emerges from the mud, and eventually a chalk-white figure covered in silt drags itself from the earth before slowly regaining strength beneath the warmth of the sun.
She wanders aimlessly until cleansing herself in a nearby stream and is eventually rescued by a worker who takes her to Madame Berthe, where the traumatised girl — seemingly unable to speak and still in deep shock — is cared for and protected.
Once Kharis learns that Ananka has returned from the swamp and is currently under the protection of the local town doctor, his sole purpose becomes reuniting with her, killing anyone unfortunate enough to stand in his path.
As the climax approaches, there is the usual mixture of lust, deceit, and treachery, with Ragheb ultimately betraying the High Priest. Unfortunately for him, Kharis responds with righteous fury. Ragheb attempts to lock himself safely inside a cell, but neither metal, brick, nor stone can restrain the enraged Mummy, who proceeds to tear the structure apart, burying both himself and Ragheb beneath the collapsing rubble.
Though the film undeniably suffers from several plot issues — including the rather baffling “Southern” atmosphere that suddenly engulfs Mapleton despite making very little logical sense — along with the recycling of footage and passages from earlier Mummy films, something critics at the time certainly did not appreciate, the movie nevertheless deserves some credit for attempting to introduce at least a few variations into the increasingly repetitive Mummy formula.
Most importantly, Ananka’s resurrection from the depths of the swamp remains genuinely striking and surprisingly atmospheric.
On the whole, The Mummy’s Curse holds up perfectly well and certainly does not pale in comparison to the sequels that preceded it. Chaney remains perfection itself with his lumbering gait and mournful body language, while Peter Coe makes a strong impression as the mild-mannered yet deeply deceptive and magnificently named Dr. Ilzor Zandaab — AKA the High Priest of Arkam.
