The Mummy's Tomb (1942)

Sick Product of a Sick System

Just what I expected

Wow! What a bizarre film! Unfortunately the few funny moments there were were quite overshadowed by it's completely weird and random vibe throughout.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Copyright 19 August 1942 by Universal Pictures Co., Inc. New York opening at the Rialto: 25 October 1942. U.S. release: 23 October 1942. Australian release: 11 March 1943. 6 reels. 5,515 feet. 61 minutes.NOTES: Number three of the seven "Mummy" pictures.COMMENT: Yet another variation on The Mummy with sequences at the beginning ineptly paralleling those of the original. Inter-cutting with wipes back and forth from past to present effectively dissipates what little suspense has been built up. Still, Chaney's mummy is mildly effective and there's a fair climax in a blazing house.Foran is killed off rather early in the piece and - aside from one or two cameos like Frank Reicher's knows-his-stuff scientist, - the cast is second-rate with the "B"-grade shuffle much in evidence and a tight budget witnessed by the fact that Miss Knox is required to wear the same dress in two scenes that were obviously lensed on the same day. Mr Bey with all his chatter about the priests of Isis is a bore, as is Mr Hubbard and Mary Gordon. Miss Knox is fairly pretty but colorless. Despite a few striking compositions and effectively atmospheric touches, the direction generally varies from the routine to the inept and the dialogue is often as fatuous as the plot. Characterization is non-existent. Credits are no more than serviceable and production values are not much above the average "B".

This is a sequel to The Mummy's hand. It is scarier then The Mummy's hand and that is not easy to do. The Mummy's ghost is scarier. The Mummy cures is also scarier. This is a horror classic. 5.8 is a good ratting. But this such a great movie 5.8 is underrating it. This is a 9. It has great acting. It also has a great story line. It also has great special effects. If this movie does not scary you no movie will. This is scarier then The Shining and that is not easy to do. This is scarier then A Nightmare on elm street and that is not easy to do. This is scarier then Friday the 13th and that is not easy to do. Harold Young is a great film maker. This is one of the his best movies. See it.

I loved the very first Universal Mummy movie with Boris Karloff in all his spookiness. It has a connection to mysteries of Egypt and Books of the Dead. Most of the other films from this genre have a real sameness to them. There is the man who travels with Kharis, the poor creature, buried alive and wrapped in cloth. His agenda seems to be to protect Kharis but he fails sometimes. This one hearkens back to the Mummy's Hand where the characters have now aged and gone on to a new generation. There is lots of death in this one, where people who the mummy realized were responsible for his struggles are done in. Soon the mummy has found a new love, and so he sets out to make things happen. Jealousy plays a role in this offering and sets the scene for another movie.

This sequel in Universals' franchise takes place *supposedly* 30 years after the events of the previous sequel, "The Mummy's Hand". The people in that story are now being targeted for destruction for their foolhardy entrance into Egyptian tombs. A young high priest, Mehemet (Turhan Bey), travels with the still living mummy Kharis (Lon Chaney Jr.) to America to carry out the mission. John Banning (John Hubbard) must now deal with the mess created by his dad Stephen (Dick Foran) and his associates decades ago.It's just not the same seeing our slow and stubbornly determined mummy shamble his way through American suburbs. The atmosphere of African settings is sorely missed, and quite frankly the mummy really looks out of place in this sort of setting. The presentation lacks any sort of style or interesting features, although it's amusing to note the way that so many of these Universal horrors need to include torch bearing angry citizens. Also, this would be QUITE the short movie indeed if it didn't start with such heavy use of stock footage.The cast gives it some entertainment value. Lon Jr. is basically adequate as the title character; Bey leaves the bigger impression as the villain who changes his mission somewhat when he lays his eyes on the lovely Isobel (Elyse Knox) and decides that he must possess her. It's nice to see Foran, George Zucco (whose screen time is much too brief), Wallace Ford, and Frank Reicher, as always.Painless to watch for 61 minutes but definitely minor Universal horror from this period.Five out of 10.