With the success that Hammer Horror had had with their previous two outings for Frankenstein and Dracula, it was the turn of the Mummy to get the cinematic treatment. Hammer took some of the best bits from the Universal Mummy films, now that they possessed the rights to them, and gave it the gothic horror treatment that Hammer has always been famous for.
In Egypt at the end of the late nineteenth century, a family of archaeologists finally break into the tomb of Anaka, high priestess of the god Karnak. The family, made up of the father Stephen, Uncle Joe and son John, played by Peter Cushing soon find themselves on the receiving end of a terrible retribution for their entering the tomb. Stephen sees something that would turn even the staunchest non-believer in the paranormal, mad and when the family return with their acquired treasures, they have no choice but to place Stephen into an asylum. When the guardian of the tomb arrives in England, a number of Egyptian relics find themselves at the bottom of a swamp thanks to some drunk drivers. Luckily, or unluckily depending on your point of view, the scroll of life wasn't amongst those relics and soon the titular Mummy, Kharis, is up and about bumping off members of the family who desecrated the tomb of his beloved.
Despite being made in 1959, The Mummy still feels like one of the best films of all the many mummy movies we've had throughout the years. Following on from the success of The Curse of Frankenstein and Dracula, The Mummy saw a lot more money thrown at it and it shows. You wouldn't believe that this was filmed in some sheds near Windsor. This movie feels much bigger than the previous two, with much more location work and 'real-world' input, there is a much larger cast with many extras and side characters, and the soundtrack is one of the best that Hammer ever produced.
The script manages to successfully condense the tropes from the Universal horror films and many of the beliefs of Egyptian curses and myths into a well written and paced story, which doesn't feel like it drags at any point, and we can forgive author Jimmy Sangster's misunderstanding of Karnak actually being a place in Egypt and not a god, because it still works brilliantly. The directions allow for some brilliant sequences especially around the swamp, always shrouded in fog so you're never sure where it actually starts giving the characters some danger when they around. Also there is something pretty creepy about seeing a Mummy lumbering through the English Countryside.
Hammer had hit the nail on the head in their first outing with the casting of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. They had quickly become very recognisable as Van Helsing and Dracula and so in scenes where the two are tussling here, it feels like Van Helsing VS The Mummy. Cushing feels like his accomplished self here, having fun playing the heroic professor type that he became pretty famous for. Lee for his part has a much tougher time, being hidden under a bulky costume and makeup, really only his eyes are left for us to see of the original actor. But his history in mime allowed the character to have some, well, character. This Mummy might lumber through the countryside, but it can be a ruthless killing machine when it needs to be, but when he is reunited with the reincarnation of his lost love, in the form of Cushing's bride, the look in Lee's eyes makes it hard not to feel sorry for the fate that befell his character.
The Mummy is an elegant final product. Compared to some of the later Hammer outings, it might feel a little like painting by numbers, but there is so much to enjoy. The script is tight the direction unobtrusive, the film feels like it is taking place and we are just flies on the wall, not being able to help any of the characters. Looking at the tropes used in mummy films, this one is full of them, ancient curses, reincarnated people, lumbering bandaged monsters and ancient tombs. But in amongst that there is so much to enjoy and its done with such gothic flare that any mummy films that have come after this haven't been as good as this.
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