BLOOD WORK: HALLOWEEN HORROR DAYS ~ DAY 10: THE MUMMY (1932)

A blast from the past! One of my favorite movie going activities is tracking the origins of particular kinds of films, mainly horror films. I have a great appreciation for the classic horror films of the early 20th century for without them we would not have the horror films we have today. One of the seminal horror films of the past, a tremendously influential monster movie was Karl Freund's 1932 classic THE MUMMY starring the original horror movie superstar BORIS KARLOFF. Need we say more?

A part of Universal Studios horror boom of the 1930's, a horror film renaissance in Hollywood only rivaled by the 1980's horror resurgence, The Mummy was the third film in what would be a long list of horror movies spanning several decades. In 1931 Universal released Tod Browning's DRACULA launching actor Bela Lugosi into stardom followed quickly by James Whale's FRANKENSTEIN turning Karloff into perhaps the greatest horror sensation in cinema history. The success and genre defining power of these films would only further be reinforced by The Mummy. It helped too that only a few years prior to this the tomb of King Tut had been discovered and as a result Egyptian culture was very popular and fascinating with the western world.

The original Mummy movie is quite different than the thoughts that usually follow every time someone speaks of mummies, namely that of bandaged wrapped, mute, shambling reanimated corpses with arms out-stretched (a motif that was appropriated in part later by zombies). That image of the mummy is probably the most well known and greatest defining quality of the mummy, something that makes the original film all the more curious in that it scarcely embodies these qualities. The other mummy movies, by modern comparison, are slasher flicks at their core. But the very first mummy was something entirely different.

THE PLOT

It is a story about love across time. During the time of the Pharaohs princess Anck-es-en-Amon and the mystic priest Im-Ho-Tep were madly in love. But their love was cut short by the princess's untimely death. Stealing the mystical Scroll of Thoth, an artifact with the power to raise the dead, Im-Ho-Tep secretly plotted to resurrect his lost love. But when his theft of the scroll was discovered he was sentenced to death. And there they remained for thousands of years until the tomb of Princess Anck-es-en-Amon was discovered in the dawning years of the 20th century. Along with the bodies of the mummified lovers, the Scroll of Thoth was unearthed as well. An archaeologist translating the scroll unwittingly revived Im-Ho-Tep. Immediately upon reawakening Im-Ho-Tep fled taking the scroll with him. His goal: to revitalized his lost love Anck-es-en-Amon.

Years pass and Im-Ho-Tep's body had since returned to its youthful form. While preparing to resurrect the princess he was suddenly taken aback by the meeting of a woman. The woman bore a striking resemblance to his long deceased lover. Peering into her soul Im-Ho-Tep discovered it was in fact his very own princess reincarnated in a new body, living her life as someone named Helen Grosvenor. What's more she was in love with another man. Im-Ho-Tep, using ancient Egyptian magics, set about revealing to Helen who she really was, killing her, and then resurrecting her as an immortal like himself.

THE GOOD

Doesn't sound like a typical mummy movie, does it? Well, there was no typical mummy movie at the time nor literary work to draw from like Dracula or Frankenstein. This movie was more of a fantastic love story rather than a horror film. Resembling Dracula in many respects this Mummy film is a retelling of the classic novel "SHE" by famous writer H. Rider Haggard. In SHE the roles are reversed. The immortal seeking the reincarnated form of her dead lover is the woman Ayesha. The lead male of the story is torn between two women, one of them being a 2,000 year old immortal. It's the cross genre of this story that helps The Mummy endure, turning it from simple exploitation into a timeless classic.

We can't forget the monster though! This is a horror film after all. Throughout more than 90% of this film the title monster looks just as human as you or me. His menace comes from Karloff's incredible performance. There is one scene however, near the beginning, with Karloff wrapped in bandages as a desiccated corpse: the reanimation scene. It only lasts a minute. You don't even get a full body view of the mummy. And all you get to see are his eyes opening and his hand moving. Understated and restrained. Simple yet undeniably powerful. The scene is unforgettable and perhaps the one true masterpiece reanimation sequence in film history.

The make-up effects by Jack Pierce reportedly took 8 hours to apply. The experience was supposedly excruciating for Karloff. But Boris was a professional and he endured it. The results were no less than legendary. James Whale's Frankenstein may have gave him his career but The Mummy cemented his legacy. And Jack Pierce, the father of Hollywood's make-up effects, may be known primarily for his work on Frankenstein and the Wolf-Man, but his Mummy is without a doubt his magnum opus.

THE BAD

This film really is above repute. If I had to say anything I wish was different it would be more shots of the Mummy wrapped in its bandages. The effects really are astonishing. There are plenty of production stills of Boris in full mummy wrappings but the camera work is so restricted in the film. We only get shots of the mummy from the chest up, mostly with him in the background and one close-up. I guess I'm just being greedy. The effect would no doubt lose its potency if the camera gave us everything. Less is more in this case... but I want to see the mummy!

THE VERDICT

The film buff inside me recognizes this movie for the masterpiece of horror cinema that it is. Boris Karloff shows in this film that he is every bit the man his illustrious reputation says. But if I had to speak truthfully I've always had a soft spot for slasher flicks and the kid in me wants more Mummy. I actually prefer the later Mummy films featuring the mummy KHARIS to this one. Even so this movie has done more for cinema than any of those. Where those films are simply horror exploitation Karl Freund's 1932 classic transcends mere genre conventions to become something more, something very few films ever get to be... legendary.