La Momie sanglante

Which is what you'll be wondering as Blood From The Mummy's Tomb concludes with just about all the cast members meeting a grisly end.

Andrew Keir was the leader of an expedition to Egypt where the tomb of an evil sorceress Queen is uncovered and the body looks like it was fresh from the morgue, no wrappings on it at all. She was one beautiful queen with only a hand cut off and buried separately.

At the same time in the United Kingdom Keir's wife dies in childbirth and it turns out he gives birth to a bouncing baby sorceress though that's not known at the time.

When I say bouncing I mean that literally. Valerie Leon has some really ample bosoms which Hammer Studios took every opportunity to show off during the film. It was one way to keep the audience interested. Leon also does well as the sorceress and the modern role.

James Villiers and George Coulouris have good supporting parts. Villiers is our villain who has some cockeyed notion he can control the sorceress and guide her through the modern world. And Coulouris has a fine mad man act as a scientist locked in an asylum driven mad by what he's seen and unleashed.

It's a good horror flick without use of monsters by Hammer, a rare exception for them.

Blood from the Mummy's Tomb is the 4th and final movie from Hammer Horrors "The Mummy" franchise and stands out from the rest due to the distinct lack of erm....a mummy!

The plot is a bit of a mess but the creators do a competent enough job of making the best of it and to their credit it comes off passable.

Starring the alarmingly beautiful Valerie Leon it barely feels like a mummy movie at all.

With the questionable storyline, the baffling ending and some seriously hokey performances it's sad to see a franchise end on such a note.

It however is not bad, it's just unusual, unexpected and an odd choice.

Passable Hammer Horror effort, but more of a standalone film than the rest of The Mummy franchise.

The Good:

Valerie Leon

The Bad:

Muddled story

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

I get the impression Valerie Leon would be a big big star right now if she were this age

At the exact moment that Egyptologist Professor Fuchs (Andrew Keir) and party are opening the tomb of the Egyptian Queen of the Darkness, Tara, Fuchs' daughter is born dead in a London hospital. The two events are connected as Tara's spirit enters young Margaret Fuchs (Valerie Leon) and bring her back to life. Unaware of their connection, Margaret grows up to be the spitting image of Tara. Nearing her 21st (?) birthday, Margaret begins having unsettling dreams of Tara. Thus begins Tara's resurrection. To complete the transformation, Margaret/Tara must collect the artifacts from her tomb that are now in the possession of Professor Fuchs' colleagues who assisted in the original expedition. Collecting the objects will lead to a trail of bloody bodies, each with its throat ripped out.

Writing that poorly worded plot synopsis was much more difficult that it should have been. The problem is that the plot in Blood from the Mummy's Tomb is a mess of ideas going in several different directions. It's entertaining, but it is admittedly a mess. I quite enjoy the story, but as I've written before, I'm a sucker for Egyptian mumbo- jumbo. Throw in some hokum about an evil queen, possessed artifacts, stars aligning in just the right way, and a traveling, disembodied hand and I'll eat it up. So, despite the many flaws in the plot, none of it really matters to me as I always have great fun watching Blood from the Mummy's Tomb.

Watching the film last night for the first time in about 10 years, I realized I had forgotten much about the plot and really most everything else. One thing I hadn't forgotten was Valerie Leon. I defy anyone to watch this movie and not remember Ms Leon. I realize she wasn't hired for her acting ability, but she isn't all that bad. She may be a bit wooden in some scenes, but at worst, she's always watchable. I know Hammer used young women like Ms Leon, but at least Hammer provided her and others the opportunity to star in film. Hammer gave actresses like Ms Leon, Yutte Stensgaard, and Jennifer Daniel a chance for a role with some meat to it. None will be remembered as award caliber actresses, but all are memorable to fans in the various Hammer films/roles.

Beyond Ms Leon, the rest of the cast is surprisingly strong. Andrew Keir was a real pro and is quite good as Professor Fuchs. James Villers, as the scheming Corbeck, is a scene-stealer. He's one part smarmy and one part evil. An entertaining combination. The rest of the cast is solid with Aubrey Morris, George Coulouris, and Mark Edwards giving memorable performances.

To summarize, Blood from the Mummy's Tomb features a messy but very fun story, the memorable Valerie Leon, and a solid supporting cast. I'm keeping the 7/10 rating I gave it 10 years ago.

It's been many years since I read Bram Stoker's 1903 novel "The Jewel of Seven Stars," but what I mainly recollect is a feeling of great disappointment; the book is all buildup, with very little in the way of payoff. The 1971 Hammer filmization, renamed "Blood From the Mummy's Tomb," can be accused of the same unfortunate misdemeanor, but still has much to offer. It tells the tale of Tera, an ancient Egyptian sorceress who had been executed back when, had her hand dismembered and her body encased in a tomb. Centuries later, that tomb is discovered by a researcher named Fuchs, whose daughter is the very image of the priestess. It would seem that Tera is about to be finally reincarnated.... Taking place in an indeterminate year (the clothing and furnishings are modern, yet the automobiles are vintage), "Blood From" boasts some mild gross-out FX (that severed hand, and Tera's many throat rippings), an interesting enough story, adequate sets and--typical for a Hammer film--fine acting from its second-tier cast. In her dual role as the "slumbering" Tera and Fuchs' possessed daughter, Margaret, actress Valerie Leon literally stands out in this cast. A stunning-looking woman even today, her, um, mUmmarian protuberances are amply brought to the fore here in any number of negligees and low-cut gowns. As Tera, she is found completely unswathed; I suppose even the ancient Egyptian priests felt that her body was too impressive to be kept under wraps! In any event, Valerie's presence is reason enough to give this film a recommendation. The film's story line presents some unanswered questions (Just how does the Corbeck character plan to control Tera once she "awakens," for instance? And that ambiguous ending is anybody's guess!), but I must say that I enjoyed this film more on a repeat viewing, with lowered expectations. It's a fun latter-day Hammer flick, shown to good advantage on this great-looking Anchor Bay DVD.

As almost always was the case with Hammer, this is a rather studiobound, but still lavish-looking movie (shot by the always reliable Arthur Grant who had almost a midas-touch when it came to cinematography), despite it's low budget. You also get a long list of old pros like Andrew Keir and Rosalie Crutchley in important parts plus the sultry charms of Valerie Leon, former model and star of british sex-comedys. She is not the greatest actress in the world but does a very competent job with her part, managing the sudden moodswings convincingly. The story is based on a lesser-known Bram 'Dracula' Stoker novel, filmed two more times ('The Awakening' is big-budget but does nothing with all those bucks, just manages to be mostly boring even in the murder-scenes). It does not feature the usual, gauze-wrapped, mummy but it is instead a tale of possession. It is maybe a bit talky in places, but the atmosphere is always right and menacing. Main director Seth Holt died during the last days of shooting so producer Michael Carreras had to do the scenes in the asylum and they are among the most impressive. Horrormovie-fans today will probably find this movie incredibly old-fashioned, but if you are tired of the hundreth film about Jason, Freddy or your average neighborhood slasher, give this a second glance.