Contents
Reviews
How
Discs Are Rated
#
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z
News
Archives
DVD
Guide
Contest
Video
Game Reviews
About
DVDlaunch
Meet
The Staff
Contact
|
Click above to purchase "The Mummy's Ghost/The
Mummy's Curse" at amazon.com
The Mummy's Ghost/The Mummy's Curse
review by Anthony D.
Starring Lon Chaney, John Carradine, Ramsay Ames,
Virginia Christine
Running Times: 61 minutes each
Written by Griffin Jay, Henry Sucher and Brenda
Weisberg; Bernard Schubert
Directed by Reginald Le Borg; Leslie Goodwins
Studio: Universal
Retail Price: $29.95
Features: Theatrical Trailers, Production Notes, Cast
and Filmmakers, Recomendations DVD-ROM: Weblink, DVD
Newsletter
Specs: 1.33:1 Full Frame, English Dolby Digital 2.0
Mono, Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono, French Subtitles,
English Closed Captioning, Chapter Search
These are to use an overused paraphrase, "your father's
mummies," these non-computer-generated, slowly shambling
incarnations of Kharis, now running on empty as the
successful Universal Mummy movies reach their fifth and
sixth treks to the silver screen. Both "The Mummy's Ghost"
and "The Mummy's Curse," starring the inestimable Lon Chaney
as Kharis, were released in 1942; today's audiences can find
them joined together on one Double Feature disc as part of
Universal's continued dedication to their classic monsters.
Neither film will ever be mistaken for a true classic, they
both exhibit clearly that the Mummy series were quickly
grinding to a halt - - proving once and for all that
"sequelitis" is not a recent discovery.
These are to use an overused paraphrase, "your father's
mummies," these non-computer-generated, slowly shambling
incarnations of Kharis, now running on empty as the
successful Universal Mummy movies reach their fifth and
sixth treks to the silver screen. Both "The Mummy's Ghost"
and "The Mummy's Curse," starring the inestimable Lon Chaney
as Kharis, were released in 1942; today's audiences can find
them joined together on one Double Feature disc as part of
Universal's continued dedication to their classic monsters.
Neither film will ever be mistaken for a true classic, they
both exhibit clearly that the Mummy series were quickly
grinding to a halt - - proving once and for all that
"sequelitis" is not a recent discovery.
These two features somehow forget the roots of John
Balderston's original "The Mummy's" script, which though
focusing on the fantastic, was rooted in the reality of
Balderston having been one of the on-site journalists who
covered the unveiling of King Tutenkhamen's tomb in the
1920's; thus creating the mythology associated with mummies
and curses. Her you might just as well have called the films
(either one of there are remarkable interchangeable)
"Mummies Across America," for in the first installment, "The
Mummy's Ghost" we're in the tranquil suburban college town
of Mapleton, somewhere in New England; while the latter
takes us to the swamps of Louisiana twenty-five years later.
"The Mummy's Ghost" has Yousef Bey, a high priest,
seeking the remains of Kharis and the Princess Ananka, in
order to return them to Egypt. He arrives with his tana leaf
tea a tad too late, however, as a certain college professor
has already brewed a batch, which awakened Kharis, and
proved deadly to himself. One of his students, the lovely
Ramsay Ames, seems to have a psychic connection to Kharis -
- as she also heeds the call of the tana leaves. This
doesn't sit well with her over-eager boyfriend, or the
police force, who find her roaming in a daze outside of the
house where Kharis has killed the professor. It doesn't take
a degree in rocket science to figure out that Amina is the
reincarnated Ananka, or that the rest of the movie will have
the usual vigilante groups chasing down Kharis. Bey however,
once arriving on the scene, forskakes his vows to Karnak,
and wants Amina for his very own. A struggle ensues between
the priest and the mummy, which ends with the mummy carrying
off his true love into the swamps of Massachusetts.
Twenty-five years later, in "The Mummy's Curse," the
loving couple are awakened by laborers draining the bayou
swamp somewhere in the Deep South. What is the logic behind
this move? How in the world did these remains float from
Massachusetts all the way down to the Delta? Who knows?
Ananka certainly doesn't. As embodied by Virginia Christine,
she is suffering from memory loss. Baby boomers will
certainly be suffering from a caffeine attack while watching
her, for it isn't a subliminal message thrown into "The
Mummy's Curse" that causes caffeine cravings in viewers,
it's the subconscious memory of Miss Christine's foray into
television land as Mrs. Olson, spokeswoman for Folger's
Coffee. ! Once again, defying logic, a priest of Arkam is
seeking the remains of Ananka and Kharis. Just how many
religious sects were there worshiping this duo? What
happened to Karnak? Thank God this movie has the divine
Tante Berthe as a character for a while...even though her
ditty at the beginning may not make much sense, at least she
is the only voice of reason in the film! With and ending
that paved the way for yet another installment, "The Mummy's
Curse" finally saw the sad demise of Universal's mummy
franchise...until Stephen Sommers came along with Brendan
Fraser and Arnold Vosloo a couple of years back.
As befitting the year of their birth, these mummies are
coming at you in a full-framed, balck and white transfer.
Neither one looks bad at all, both possessing a great
gray-scale. Of the titles in this collection, these two are
by far the best looking presentations. Universal surely
didn't do a restoration on these monstrous mummies, perhaps
1942 was a very good year for film stock as well as for tana
leaves, or tanna (which is how the English closed captions
read). Creepy shadows are well-defined with a bare minimum
of grain. I noticed very little enhancement, though at
times, there is haloing. Of course, there are minor
instances of print wear and tear, and an occasional speckle.
As always with the double feature discs, the mummies are
in mono. Tante Berthe's song at the opening of "The Mummy's
Curse" is quite a bit of frivolity, and presented
faithfully. Only on occasion, the musical stems are a bit on
the harsh, thin side; but dialogue remains remarkably
understandable. Sound effects sound obviously manufactured.
It's odd, with the Creole setting of the latter film that
there is no French audio track. These mummies are only
available in English or Spanish with Closed Captioning for
the Hearing Impaired in English.
Tom Weaver once again contributes knowing factoids about
the films under Production Notes and "Cast and
Filmmakers,"offer up tidy factoids, but no in depth
analyses. Trailers for both films, both for subsequent
re-issues, and amusing in their own way are the only real
bonus. Universal also includes a page of recommendations,
featuring four of their double feature series titles, as
well as information as to how to subscribe to the studio's
online DVD newsletter.
If you've been following the release of these Universal
Double Feature discs, then you already know that the value
is in the entertainment. Both films are very entertaining,
though neither approaches any of the previous mummy movies.
The top-notch talent on screen - as well as the character of
Kharis - deserve better. It's also quite a treat to see the
very young, very appealing Virginia Christine and Ramsay
Ames as the mummy's reincarnated love.
 (2.5/5 - both)
 (3.5/5 - both)
(3/5 - both)
 (1.5/5)
 (3/5,
NOT an average)
|
