The Mummy (1959)

Another Hammer release directed by Terence Fisher was The Mummy, released in 1959. It cobbled together plot elements from the Universal Mummy films, and I must say it isn't a bad entertainment, and much more exciting than the original Universal film.

Like that film, a tomb is discovered by archaeologists, and a mummy (played by Christopher Lee) wreaks vengeance on those who would dare desecrate the love of his life's burial site. There is actually a strong, anti-imperialism message here, as Lee is controlled by an Egyptian man (George Pascell), who rails against the hubris and blasphemy of white interlopers.

Peter Cushing is once again our hero. He and his father and uncle find the tomb of Ananka, said to be the most beautiful woman in all of Egypt. In flashback, we see that Lee, as her high priest, carried his love a little too far and tried to resurrect her after her death. He had his tongue cut off, was wrapped in bandages, and buried alive. Pascell reawakens him 4000 years later to get even.

The Mummy is basically a few attacks with intervening dialogue, but it's fun. As with the original The Mummy, the dead queen is a dead-ringer for a woman in the story, this time Cushing's wife, Yvonne Furneaux. Unlike other mummy films, Lee can move fast and is incredibly strong, taking a few shotgun blasts and a harpoon through the gullet. Small children may have to sleep with the light on after seeing this one.

Hammer didn't make any more mummy pictures, sticking with Dracula and Frankenstein, mostly. It's too bad, as the picture ends with Lee sinking into a bog, riddled with bullets. They could have put up one of those end cards that reads, "The End?"