I give Terror in the Pharoah's Tomb the highest rating because I appreciate and admire so much what director and editor Susan Svehla has done. As a person devoted to the 1930s and 40s Universal horror classics, this film may as well be Ms. Svehla's personal gift to me.
The plot is basic poverty row horror. An archaeologist is missing in the Middle East and a motley, thrown together team of colorful people are dispatched to find him. (Students of classic horror will see a mixing of story lines and plot from several of the old classics and enjoy frequent insider joke dialog). Along the way, we encounter "guest appearances" by several famous actors and actresses of the bygone golden era of Hollywood, including Barbara Stanwyck and Peter Lorre, just to name a couple.
But, the real story is the story behind the story. The DVD audio commentary is fascinating for students of both horror and modern day film production. I cannot say enough about the use of stock footage and how clips from yesterday's heroes were interwoven into a modern production. I have many of those public domain source films in my personal library and look forward to viewing them again with Terror in the Pharoah's Tomb in mind.
Although everyone in the cast was marvelous, (Indeed the entire cast did a tremendous job. From what I know of blue screen technology, which is not much, it seems to me it is no small challenge to act in character without the aid of a realistic set to assist in maintaining mood), a special nod goes to the evil Queen Amanetor, excellently portrayed by the lovely Leanna Chamish. (For some reason I kept thinking of Zita Johann in 1932's The Mummy, although their characters were different from each other in many ways). "Stealing" a unique film such as this is no small task, but steal it she did. Her over the top performance as the evil queen is definitely one to be remembered. As one who has had a fondness and admiration for scream queens going back to Carolyn Craig in the original House on Haunted Hill, viewing her performance was delightful beyond description. I do not recall anyone else within this genre who projects to the viewer at the same time the interesting mixture of wholesomeness and evil sensuality.
I obtained my DVD through Oldies.com. At $7.95 it is a real bargain. Add it to your library and watch it late on Saturday night after everyone else has gone to bed. Trust me, if you are of the over 50 generation, wonderful memories of Shock Theater and Universal horror will come flooding back to you. View the feature film first, then again with Ms. Svehla's commentary. You won't be disappointed.
