The
Mummy's Curse (1944) represents the almost last gasp for Universal’s
original classic horror cycle before its final coda with Abbott and Costello
meet Frankenstein in 1948. That film saw Lon Chaney, Jr., give his final
performance (in continuity) as Larry Talbot, the Wolfman, as well as Bela
Lugosi’s only other performance as Count Dracula since his 1931 debut in the
role.
Although Universal cranked out the oddball House of
Dracula in 1945 (again with Chaney as Larry Talbot), and She-Wolf of London (1946),
as the tangentially last tread in the Wolfman tapestry, after this the Mummy
would be put to rest until being re-exhumed in Abbott and Costello Meet
The Mummy (1955). That film has little
to recommend it, except for the novelty of seeing the Dick Van Dyke Show’s put upon,
Mel Cooley (Richard Deacon), as the head of an ancient Egyptian cult. Deacon
turned up in a surprising number of genre films, including This Island Earth
(1955), The Birds (1963), and The Invasion of The Body Snatchers (1956) that
also features this film’s Princess Ananka as a pod person!
Peter Coe & Martin Kosleck
The Mummy’s Curse was directed by Leslie Goodwins and
stars bland Dennis Moore as Dr. James Halsey, Virginia Christine as Princess
Ananka, and Chaney in his third and last outing as the Mummy, Kharis. By this
time, the franchise has thrown logic and continuity to the wind, e.g., the
previous film, The Mummy’s Ghost (1944) ended with the Mummy sinking into a
swamp in Massachusetts, only to turn up here in a swamp somewhere in the deep south.
For The Mummy’s
Curse, the viewer only needs to know that Kharis is again brought to life by an
Egyptian priest (Peter Coe) to recapture the ever-illusive Princess Ananka
(Virginia Christine) so that the two ancient souls can be returned to their
rightful burial places in Egypt. Of course the plan goes off the rails when
priest’s acolyte, Ragheb (the ever reliably evil, Martin Kosleck), gets the
hots for Ananka leading, ultimately, to the ‘demise’ of the ancient lovers. Christine
makes an effective Ananka, regally beautiful and blessed with the knowledge of
the past, but she is given little to work with in this by-the-book script.
By now, Kharis has been reduced to a shambling, almost mindless
henchman who is about as threatening as an incapacitated senior in a
wheelchair. It’s farcical how this crippled mummy, with only one good leg, can carry
out any of his missions, let alone murder as many people as he does. Every time
that Ananka runs past or away from him, you can almost see Kharis sigh with
resignation as he turns to shamble off after her – again! In the finale, the script finally allows Kharis
to through off his enfeebling shackles to unleash a hitherto suppressed power
as he tears the Princess’s tomb apart to destroy the turncoat acolyte. Always
give the kids a rousing finish!
Buried under bandages and make up, Chaney is so
unrecognizable that any stuntman could have performed the role; indeed, some
critics have made the case that Chaney was employed only for his name
recognition, and that he actually was only in his Mummy make up for some key scenes.
Given how humiliating such a role must have been, it’s no wonder that all
reports from the making of the film indicate that Chaney was perpetually drunk
on the set. Such a fall from his highpoint in 1941’s, The Wolfman! As a side
note, I’m sure the opening credits for The Mummy’s Curse are played over a
panning shot of the forest set from The Wolfman.
However, it does contain one of the eeriest scenes in any
Universal horror film – Princess Ananka clawing her way out of her bogy tomb.
This scene can still raise the hairs on the back of one’s neck even after all
these years. Its legacy can be seen in films like Night of The Living Dead, and
many others. Even if you decide to skip watching the whole movie, at least fast
forward to this classic scene.
Finally, sadly, this is the only entry in the
four film "Kharis" series (post Karloff’s 1932 Mummy film) in which
perennial horror-favourite, George Zucco, does not appear.
