The Mummy (1932)

The Mummy is a 1932 black and white horror film that's part of the Universal Classics series. It was directed by Karl Freund, written by Nina Wilcox Punam and Richard Schayer, and produced by Carl Laemmle Jr. It starred Borris Karloff, Zita Johann, David Manners, Arthur Byron, and Edward van Sloan.

Plot
In 1931, team of British archaeologists led by Sir Joseph Whemple (Arthur Byron) discover the mummified remains of the ancient Egyptian prince Imhotep (Boris Karloff), along with the legendary scroll of Thoth. When one of the archaeologists recites the scroll aloud, Imhotep returns to life, but escapes. Several years later, Imhotep has taken on the guise of a wealthy man, as he searches Egypt for his lost love, who he believes has been reincarnated as the lovely Helen Grosvenor (Zita Johann).

Why It Rocks

 * 1) Specactular performance by Boris Karloff.  This was his first major role where he got to show off his vocal talents.
 * 2) This movie helped to popularize The Mummy as a popular Mummy character.
 * 3) Unlike it's contemporaries at the time, such as Dracula, Frankenstein, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, this movie wasn't based on any direct literary source; it was a fresh, original idea.
 * 4) It broke new ground with the flashback scene for showcasing possibly the first impaling on screen.  While it's not graphic by today's standards, it was still interesting to see in a film from 1932.
 * 5) Unlike most films, even from back then, this one had no direct sequel.  This could be considered a positive, because they sequels usually got worse and worse anyways.  The Mummy was a great idea that they did once and didn't feel the need to continue.
 * 6) Similar to Dracula, Swan Lake is played during the opening.
 * 7) Some viewers might be surprised to find out that this movie doesn't contain a lot of the tired clichés that are common with Mummy characters.  The typical Mummy goes around wrapped up in bandages, is pretty shallow, never talks, and mindlessly stalks and kills people.  But this Mummy is never seen wrapped up, talks, and has a more complex agenda.
 * 8) While there's no direct literary source for this movie, it did have inspiration. It was inspired by the discovery of King Tutunkhamen's tomb in 1922 and the curse attached to it.
 * 9) Another stand-out actor is Bramwell Fletcher.  He does a very convincing job of making you believe that he's going insane.
 * 10) The movie manages to be creepy while being very minimal and subtle, you don't even see The Mummy walk.
 * 11) Like many films from this time period there's very little music, which only goes to enhance the mood.
 * 12) The Mummy has a more interesting motive than you'd expect. All he wants to do is to retrieve his Mummy princess.  The only people he kills are those who get in his way.

The Only Bad Quality

 * 1) Bramwell Fletcher's scream after seeing Imhotep walk was could have been better-acted.

Video
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