The Mummy
1932  NR  HORROR  1h 13min
CAST— Boris Karloff, Zita Johann, David Manners, Edward van Sloan, Arthur Byron
MUSIC— James Dietrich  DIRECTOR— Karl Freund

     The original is still one of the best, as Boris Karloff plays even creepier than in Frankenstein (1931). A British-led Egyptian archaeological expedition in the 1920s unearths a sarcophagus containing not only a well-preserved mummy but also a cursed scroll that will raise said mummy back to some semblance of life. After the resident idiot reads from the scroll, Karloff (decked out in ancient toilet paper) returns to life and sets up a new identity, seeking the tomb of his (really) long-lost love. Some years later Karloff meets a young woman whom he believes to be his reincarnated love. After some threatening back and forth with an expert on ancient Egyptian tradition, Karloff puts a spell on the young woman, whom he intends to kill so that her inner Egyptian princess can live again. Or something. Never remains coherent but the film is still totally worth one’s time. Entertaining despite ancient Egyptian mumbo jumbo, this film gives Karloff a chance to do more than stumble and growl (not to say he doesn’t do that well). A fun throwback to the horror of yesteryear.
OUR RATING— ***
FOLLOWED BY— The Mummy's Hand (1940), The Mummy's Tomb (1942), The Mummy's Ghost (1944), The Mummy's Curse (1944)
REMADE AS— The Mummy (1959/1999/2017)