''The Mummy'' (1959)

By Crusader1307

Hammer Films 1959 first attempt in Mummy Horror Genre, it’s self-titled ‘’The Mummy’’ again paired Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing (Hammer staples), in a fairly good Movie. Actually -   a merging of story lines from no less than (3) previous Universal Studios ‘’Mummy Movies’’, it is strange to see Lee (the immortal Count Dracula) playing a 3,000 year old dead Egyptian Priest. The predictable Plot, deals with an Archaeological Team in Egypt, searching for a long dead Princess. In life, She was worshiped by a High Priest. When she died suddenly and young, The High Priest decides to tempt The Law and resurrect Her using ancient magic. Caught ‘’in the act’’, The Pharaoh punishes Him to be mummified alive and made to guard The Princess for all Eternity. When The Team find The Princesses Tomb, a zealous archaeologist reads ‘’aloud’’ from the same sacred text The High Priest used. It doesn’t resurrect The Princess, but DOES The High Priest. The Film proceeds with ‘’The Mummy’’ making His way to London? And seeing the Daughter of The Team Leader (Cushing) – who is the spitting image of the long dead Princess. The rest you can guess….. Fairly well received, The Film is still sought out (sometime more than the Universal Classic and even Big-Budget remake).  A series of (5) other Hammer Produced ‘’Mummy’’ Films would follow, but each were considered ‘’stand alone’’ and not real sequels. In Color, with good Orchestration – ‘’The Mummy’’ is a definite ‘’Watch’’…………..