A Praga da Múmia

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.

There is still life in this curse, barely. The premise has ran its course. Too many familiar scenes and the thrill is just hanging on. This although is still creepy to watch and fun for a rainy night. The living mummy Kharis(Lon Chaney Jr)now seeks his lost love(Virginia Christine) in the bayous of Louisiana. Also notable are Kurt Katch and Jackie Lou Harding. A "mummy" fan's must.

1944's "The Mummy's Curse" was the fourth and last of the Kharis series, third to star Lon Chaney in the title role, and the only one not included in Universal's popular SHOCK! television package, having to wait for 1958's SON Of SHOCK, the same fate that befell beloved classics like "Bride of Frankenstein," "The Ghost of Frankenstein," and "House of Dracula." Going from a Massachusetts swamp to the Louisiana bayou is certainly a stretch, but not as much as setting the date an incredible 25 years later. The unexceptional Peter Coe ("House of Frankenstein") is this film's bland High Priest of Arkham, Ilzor Zandaab (his screen time quite limited), his recent disciple, the lascivious Ragheb (Martin Kosleck), providing all the knife wielding villainy to spice up the proceedings. An excavation of the swamp leaves one man dead, the knife still in his back, and a space just large enough for a mummy; shortly afterwards, another finds a hand emerging from its burial place, revealing the now revived Princess Ananka (Virginia Christine), who had gone down with Kharis at the conclusion of "The Mummy's Ghost." Making her way to a nearby lake, the Princess emerges perfectly coiffured (every hair in place!), if a bit wet and amnesiac, spelling death for all those who take her in. There are solid roles for veterans Addison Richards, Holmes Herbert, Kurt Katch, Charles Stevens, William Farnum, and Ann Codee, criminally unbilled as Tante Berthe. Popular years later playing Mrs. Olsen in the Folgers commercials, Virginia Christine scores impressively as Ananka (her natural blonde locks hidden under a jet black wig), light years better than the insipid Ramsay Ames in "The Mummy's Ghost" (her other Universal horror was the doomed prostitute who encounters Rondo Hatton's Creeper in 1946's "House of Horrors"). This marked the end of Kay Harding's brief stardom at Universal ("Weird Woman," "The Scarlet Claw"), while Martin Kosleck, previously seen in the still unissued "The Frozen Ghost," continued his scene stealing ways in "Pursuit to Algiers," "House of Horrors," and "She-Wolf of London." For a role he so fervently despised, Lon Chaney's Mummy again fares well, his frustration palpable, continuously (even comically) one step behind his beloved Princess (the climax finds them both headed permanently to Manhattan's Scripps Museum). This appears to have been the most popular of his three outings, reprising the role in 1959's Mexican "La Casa del Terror" and on television's ROUTE 66 (the 1962 Halloween broadcast "Lizard's Leg and Owlet's Wing," opposite Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre). "The Mummy's Curse" made a total of six appearances on Pittsburgh's Chiller Theater- Sept 25 1965 (following 1963's "Battle Beyond the Sun"), Feb 10 1968 (following 1933's "The Invisible Man"), Sept 30 1972 (following 1944's "House of Frankenstein"), Jan 25 1975 (following 1960's "The Lost World"), Sept 20 1975 (following 1969's "Godzilla's Revenge"), and Apr 23 1977 (following 1935's "Bride of Frankenstein").

The final entry in the Kharis the mummy series is also the weakest, although still a good watch. At the end of the last film, Kharis and Ananka disappeared into the swamp. Decades later, the swamp is drained. For some reason, this film moves the location of the swamp from New England to Louisiana! So obviously somebody didn't think continuity was that big of an issue. Anyway, Kharis is revived by yet another Egyptian high priest (Peter Coe). Meanwhile, Ananka resurfaces from the mud and we discover she is played by Virginia Christine. Why Ramsay Ames didn't return to the role I'm not sure, but Christine does fine. Needless to say, Kharis is once again anxious to find his lost love. This was Lon Chaney Jr.'s last turn as the mummy. This one's got some marks against it but it's a fun movie. Nice atmosphere and some creepy moments. Universal horror fans like myself will like it most.

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.