The Mummy’s Ghost (1944)

The Mummy franchise sprouted a third sequel with the release of 1944’s The Mummy’s Ghost, with Lon Chaney reprising his role as the marauding Mummy and George Zucco making a final appearance as the devilish Egyptian High Priest.  The film starts with the ailing High Priest handing over the responsibility of continuing the mission to avenge the desecration of Princess Ananka’s Tomb to his most trusted disciple, played by John Carradine.  There are the usual instructions about the Taana leaves and the movement of the moon, and soon enough, there are sightings of a deathly shadow moving through the sleepy town of Mapleton, just as there had been a quarter of a century before.  It doesn’t take long for the police to suspect that the Mummy has been resurrected somehow and is once again spreading terror through the community, as it had done all those years ago.

Early suspicion falls on an unlikely research assistant at the local college who is of Egyptian origin and who has a difficult time explaining her whereabouts at the time of the murder.  Each time there is a mere mention of the word Egypt, the woman seems to feel woozy and feint and each time the Mummy strikes, she lapses into a dreamlike state, almost mesmerised.  Clearly, she has some bond or tie to Princess Ananka, or indeed could she be the reincarnation of Ananka herself?

The Mummy continues its killing spree and then makes off with the Egyptian beauty (Ramsay Ames) and heads for the swamp.  The climax arrives with scenes reminiscent of the original Frankenstein film, with villagers arriving with torches and cornering the monster into a showdown.  The question is, will the lovely Amina be saved from the deathly clutches of Kharis in time, or will she have to pay the price for her connection to the great Amon Ra?

This time around, there is a satisfying amount of Mummy action as Lon Chaney staggers around menacingly and relentlessly, brushing off bullets as though he were swatting a fly.  The townsfolk appear to have forgotten that bullets may not work against this monster, but fire certainly ended his reign in the two previous movies rather swiftly.  This time, the thought that they might just throw a match in his direction doesn’t seemingly occur to them, or maybe Kharis has developed some immunity to fire.

The Mummy’s Ghost is pretty much more of the same, with no new surprises or punches for the audience, and by the third sequel, one can imagine that audiences were beginning to feel a sense of déjà vu with the same plot and scenario being repeated over and over again with diminishing box office results.  The Mummy legend was beginning to feel more than a little repetitive by now, and a shuffling Egyptian relic not quite so threatening in a world about to witness the detonation of Nuclear Bombs.  Yet Universal Studios remained quite happy with the returns they were making from the Mummy series, and a further sequel was in production almost as soon as this one was completed.

This instalment is perfectly entertaining, clocking in at just 60 minutes, but it contains nothing new to excite audiences with and is basically the same old wine in the same old bottle.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the film was that the deliciously named Acquanetta was to play the role of the Egyptian girl, but fell on a rock, which she mistakenly thought was Papier Mache, and was injured and thus ruled out of the movie as the producers refused to wait until she recovered.  Any film starring someone with a name as exotic as Acquanetta, AKA The Venezuelan Volcano, has to be worth watching!The Mummy’s Ghost saw the Mummy franchise lumber onward into its third sequel, with Lon Chaney Jr. reprising his role as the marauding Kharis and George Zucco making a final appearance as the devilish Egyptian High Priest.

The film opens with the ailing High Priest handing over responsibility for continuing the mission of avenging the desecration of Princess Ananka’s tomb to his most trusted disciple, played by John Carradine. There are, naturally, the usual instructions concerning the sacred tana leaves and the movement of the moon, and before long there are sightings of a deathly shadow moving through the sleepy town of Mapleton, just as there had been a quarter of a century earlier.

It doesn’t take the local authorities very long to suspect that the Mummy has somehow been resurrected and is once again spreading terror through the community as it had done all those years ago.

Early suspicion falls upon an unlikely research assistant at the local college who happens to be of Egyptian origin and who struggles to explain her whereabouts at the time of the murders. Every time the mere word “Egypt” is mentioned, the poor woman becomes woozy and faints, and whenever the Mummy strikes, she lapses into a strange dreamlike trance, almost mesmerised.

Clearly, she shares some mysterious bond with Princess Ananka — or could she actually be the reincarnation of Ananka herself?

The Mummy continues its killing spree before eventually making off with the Egyptian beauty, played by Ramsay Ames, and heading into the swamps. The climax arrives with scenes strongly reminiscent of the original Frankenstein, as villagers carrying flaming torches descend upon the monster and corner him for the inevitable showdown.

The question is whether the lovely Amina can be rescued from the deathly clutches of Kharis in time, or whether she must ultimately pay the price for her connection to the great Amon-Ra.

This time around there is at least a satisfying amount of Mummy action, with Lon Chaney staggering about menacingly and relentlessly, brushing off bullets as though swatting flies. The townsfolk, however, appear to have completely forgotten that bullets may not work terribly well against this monster, whereas fire dispatched him rather effectively in the previous two films. This time, the notion that someone might simply throw a lit match in his direction never seems to occur to anybody — though perhaps Kharis has somehow developed immunity to fire between sequels.

The Mummy’s Ghost is pretty much more of the same, offering few new surprises or thrills for audiences, and by this third sequel one imagines viewers were probably beginning to suffer from a creeping sense of déjà vu as the same basic plot and scenario repeated themselves with steadily diminishing returns.

By this stage, the Mummy legend was beginning to feel more than a little repetitive, and a shambling Egyptian relic perhaps not quite so terrifying in a world on the brink of witnessing the detonation of nuclear bombs. Yet Universal Pictures remained perfectly happy with the profits generated by the series, and another sequel was already heading into production almost before this one had wrapped.

Still, this particular instalment remains perfectly entertaining, clocking in at a brisk 60 minutes, though it offers little genuinely new to excite audiences with and ultimately amounts to the same old wine in the same old bottle.

Perhaps the film’s most interesting aspect lies behind the scenes rather than on screen. The deliciously named Acquanetta had originally been cast in the role of the Egyptian girl but reportedly injured herself after falling onto a rock she mistakenly believed to be papier-mâché. The producers refused to delay production while she recovered, and she was subsequently replaced.

Frankly, any film starring someone with a name as gloriously exotic as Acquanetta — AKA “The Venezuelan Volcano” — has to be worth watching on principle alone.