The Mummy (1932)

by Robbo

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Posted on 30 October 2021

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Rating -

The Mummy is a 1932 American pre-Code horror film directed by Karl Freund from a screenplay by John L. Balderston, which was in turn adapted from a story by Nina Wilcox Putnam and Richard Schayer.

The Mummy was Universal’s first horror not adapted from source material, in fact it was inspired by the 1922 opening of Tutankhamun’s tomb and the curse attached.

When Howard Carter opened the sarcophagus of King Tut in 1925, screenwriter John L. Balderston was present as a reporter for the New York “World.”

The film opens in 1921, where an archaeological expedition led by Sir Joseph Whemple finds the mummy of an ancient Egyptian high priest named Imhotep (Boris Karloff).

An inspection of the mummy by Whemple’s friend Dr. Muller (Edward Van Sloan) reveals that although Imhotep had been wrapped like a traditional mummy, he had been buried alive along with a casket with a curse on it.

Despite Muller’s warning, Sir Joseph’s assistant Ralph Norton opens it and finds an ancient life-giving scroll, the “Scroll of Thoth”. He translates the symbols and then reads the words aloud. Imhotep rises, the sight of which snaps Norton’s mind and causes him to laugh hysterically as the Mummy shuffles off with the scroll.

Ten years later, Imhotep has assimilated into a mysterious Egyptian historian named Ardeth Bey. He calls upon Sir Joseph’s son Frank and Professor Pearson and shows them where to dig to find the tomb of the princess Anck-su-namun. After locating the tomb, the archaeologists present its treasures to the Cairo Museum, and Ardeth Bey disappears.

Ardeth soon encounters Helen Grosvenor, a half-Egyptian woman bearing a striking resemblance to Anck-su-namun and reveals to her that his horrific death was punishment for sacrilege: attempting to resurrect the Princess who was his forbidden lover.

Believing her to the reincarnation of the Princess, he attempts to kill her, with the intention of mummifying her, resurrecting her, and finally making her his immortal bride.

Helen is rescued when she remembers her ancestral past life and prays to the goddess Isis to come to her aid, suddenly the statue of Isis raises its arm and emits a flash that sets the Scroll of Thoth on fire which breaks the spell that had given Imhotep his immortality, causing him to crumble to dust.

Frank then calls Helen back to the world of the living while the Scroll of Thoth continues to burn.

Of all the Universal monsters, The Mummy was always my least favourite. I don’t know why, it just didn’t have the same appeal as The Wolf Man or Frankenstein’s Monster.

The film is very well made and well acted, and the makeup, once again created by Jack P. Pierce, based on the appearance of Ramses III is extremely convincing, but for me it just didn’t elicit the same chills that I got from the other classic horror films I watched as a child.

It’s still good, but to me not great but I would still highly recommend it.

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