The Mummy's Curse

This was the fifth and last of the original series. We find the undead Mummy, Kharis (Lon Chaney Jr.) in the Louisiana swampland, how he got there from Egypt is weakly explained away as American archeologists accidently looking for Princess Ananka, instead finding the Mummy. Since this is horror, it's no big deal.

The problem is the whole thing looks like something Universal wanted to put out fast and cheap and be done with. The acting is wooden, with bad Cajun accents. Nothing really stands out. The only wrinkle is Ananka's anthropomorphism. The poor girl is being stalked by jealous boyfriend Kharis, so she hides out with the mortals, amazing everyone with her knowledge of Egyptology! In fact, Kharis isn't the worst villain; that honor belongs to the High Priest's acolyte, who becomes drunk with power upon learning the history of the Mummy and the elixir that are tana leaves. There is a positive though: the 63 minute running time.

Even in America we're not safe as bulldozers unearth the ancient Egyptian mummy and his favorite obsession, Princess Ananka

Kharis is on the loose again. Of course, being on the loose for this mummified foot-dragger means he's a danger only to those too dumb to run. Fortunately, these movies are loaded with slow-learners. Actually, this is one of the better of the series, with lots of shadowy atmosphere and a really nubile Mrs. Folger otherwise known as Princess Ananka (Virginia Christine). No wonder Kharis is so anxious to carry her off, especially in that flowing white gown. I'd trade for his bandages and gimpy foot any day. And catch her rising jerkily from the swamp. These moves are enough to make you doubt whether she's human or not.

Too bad the rest of the cast seems at times to be sleep walking, except for Addison Richards (Maj. Walsh) and Kay Harding (Betty) who manage some lively personality. Peter Coe is a particularly unfortunate choice as the high priest. He sounds about as scary and exotic as my next-door neighbor. But who cares. It's old tangle foot and the moody gloom that keeps fans like me tuned in.

The Mummy's Curse (1944)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Twenty-plus years after the events in the previous film, another high priest enters the Louisiana swamps to bring Kharis (Lon Chaney, Jr.) back from the dead. This time out Princess Ananka (Virginia Christine) comes back to life but can't fully remember why she knows so much about Kharis. Soon the mummy is trying to track her down and is willing to kill anyone who stands in his way.

THE MUMMY'S CURSE would be the last of the Universal mummy movies until Abbott and Costello would bring him back towards the end of their careers. I think the film is an improvement over the previous entry and thankfully the movie runs at an extremely fast-pace and manages to provide several good moments. There are several fun moments throughout but one of the highlights has to be the Louisiana setting. I thought the swamp setting added a lot of atmosphere to the picture and there's no question that it help the entertainment value. Another great scene happens early on when the priest and his servant brings the mummy back to life.

Chaney probably gives his best performance of his three mummy roles here, although that might not be saying too much since he's pretty limited as to what he can actually do. Instead of just stumbling around, at least this time out he appears to be into what he's doing. Peter Coe makes for a good lead and Chrstine certainly fits her role nicely. Another plus is the make-up from Jack Pearce who manages to make the mummy look a lot better than the previous two films.

THE MUMMY'S CURSE certainly doesn't have a great story or anything but there are still many good moments that make it worth seeking out. The most famous scene happens to be the one where Princess Ananka rises from her grave and it's still quite chilling to watch after all these years.

This entry in the "Mummy series" is unlike all the others, but that's what makes it interesting!

One of THE most interesting sequences in this film is when the Princess awakens in the bog (due to the sunlight), and slowly rises to her feet, totally covered with mud, and staggers to town. A very dramatic scene!

Coming after THE MUMMY'S GHOST, this limp and repetitive last entry in the Kharis series may be the weakest of all four, and it's kind of gratifying that Universal finally stopped the cookie cutter here. It's by no means awful, but by now there's a severe case of "been here, done that" festering about and there isn't much new to help us along. Lon Chaney merely goes through the motions to get his paycheck and gives the most listless of his three mummy performances. Peter Coe takes the award as the worst high priest, but Martin Kosleck is an okay choice as his treacherous assistant even though he isn't given enough to do. The script is little more than a plodding chase which has the clumsy Kharis always coming within inches of seizing his beloved princess, only to narrowly miss her time and time again as she manages to escape from his grasp.

One redeeming quality is Virginia Christine's first appearance as the reincarnated Princess Ananka. Her resurrection sequence from a muddy swamp is not only the high spot of this picture, but it's one of the best in the entire saga. By the way, what's interesting is that if keen viewers of THE MUMMY'S HAND recognized from a quick hotel receipt shot that the story began in 1940, and then you add up the "30 years" later of THE MUMMY'S TOMB & THE MUMMY'S GHOST, and top it off with the "25 years later" of THE MUMMY'S CURSE, you'd see that this entry would take place in 1995 ... !?!?

** out of ****