The Mummy (1959) by Terence Fischer

Director: Terence Fischer

Year: 1959

Country: United Kingdom

Alternate Titles: N/A

Genre: Mummy

Plot:

Returning home from an expedition, a team of British explorers experience a rash of strange deaths which points to a revived mummy brought back to avenge the team's entrance to a sacred Egyptian tomb and must try to stop its' controller from finishing the rampage.

Review:

This is one of the better entries in the genre with a lot to like. One of its better features is that there's a lot of screen time given to the mummy itself which prompts a lot of good parts along the way. Besides the fact that we get to really feel for its dangerous actions as well as the spectacular make-up for the being, some really well-done action scenes are rather enjoyable. The initial attack at the nursing home, as the mummy breaks into the room of one of his victims who has seen him coming and is desperately trying to get away only for a savage assault before the inevitable happens, the back-story fill-on flashback on the father where we see the creature coming to life in grand fashion.

The first assault in the study where it sneaks up on the victim who's completely unaware of its existence and then starts a vicious brawl before being distracted by the wife each provides this with rather enjoyable moments that keep this going along nicely. The nursing home sequence gives it a sense of ruthlessness, there's a great nod to the history of the culture by showing what really happened on the trip and the several attacks in the study not only give this a pretty rousing series of attacks but also display the kind of emotion and heart which is required for these kinds of stories as, despite being caked in layers of muddy bandages, his frame and body language combine into one perfect image.

As well, the extended and prolonged mummification flashback here is simply marvelous, far more detailed here than in the original version as well as a little more bearable in that it has new ideas in it that help separate this one as being not just another remake and give this a different identity. As well, the set design is perhaps the best part of the film, as is the case with so many mummy films simply because of what has to be done to the set to make it believable. You would have to create artifacts, sculptures, tools, paintings, and other details in the tomb, and what's seen here in the detail and design is the most striking part of the film. While this one does tend to revert too often to the clichés of the franchise and never really does anything too original in that regard, far too much here overcomes that.

Overview: *****/5

An overall excellent entry to the series, there’s so much to enjoy here that it makes for an incredibly entertaining time without much in the way of drawbacks holding it back. Give it a shot if you’re a fan of this kind of old-school fare, appreciate the studio’s other works, or are fans of the creative crew while most others out there should heed caution.