Movie Review: The Mummy (1932)

The Mummy (1932) directed by Karl Freund

A 1921 British Museum archeological dig uncovers the mummy of Imhotep and another mysterious box buried with him. This particular mummy wasn't in a pyramid or a special tomb, it was off by itself. An Egyptian occult expert (Edward Van Sloan) deciphers the writing on the box which says that anyone who opens it will be cursed. He and the head of the dig, Sir Joseph Whimple (Arthur Byron), go off to discuss what to do while they leave the novice archeologist to catalog stuff. The novice can't resist opening the box. Inside he discovers an ancient papyrus (The Scroll of Thoth) which he starts reading. It's an incantation to raise the dead which has the predictable effect on the mummy behind him. Off screen, the mummy stalks forward. He takes the papyrus from the novice who bursts into hysterics. The mummy leaves.

The story jumps forward ten years when Whimple's son Frank (David Manners) is conducting a fruitless dig in Egypt. As they are wrapping up, a slightly wrinkled Egyptian man who calls himself Ardath Bey (Boris Karloff) shows them a new spot to dig. They find the sealed tomb of a princess. Sir Joseph comes back to Egypt to help open the tomb and identify the items inside. They have to give everything to the Cairo Museum. Ardath Bey shows up at the museum interested in the find, especially the female mummy. He is, of course, Imhotep raised from the dead. He was a temple priest 3700 years earlier who fell in love with the Pharaoh's daughter. She died young and he tried using the Scroll to bring her back. The Pharaoh was naturally upset and had Imhotep buried alive with the Scroll so no one else could use it. As the modern-day mummy tries to revive his girlfriend, the ceremony casts a sort of spell over a young woman (Zita Johann) who becomes possessed by the princess's spirit. He obsessively stalks her as the archeologists try to unravel the mystery of what is going on and stop Imhotep's plan.

The movie has a good amount of complications as Karloff's character comes into conflict with the modern people. I was surprised to see him in modern dress and not all wrapped up in bandages as is the standard for mummies in movies. Karloff has an ominous presence that he uses quite well. The flashback is harrowing, especially the part where Karloff is wrapped up in bandages against his will. Being buried alive is a horrible fate regardless of what he did to deserve it. The enthralled maiden gives a good performance switching back and forth between the princess and the modern woman.

This is a good horror movie, but not as good as the other classic Universal monster movies. It doesn't have the visual style of Frankenstein or Dracula or the amazing special effects in The Invisible Man. The plot feels slow, even though the film is a trim 75 minutes long. The other films packed a lot more into their running times.

Recommended.