THE
MUMMY'S GHOST (1944)/THE MUMMY'S CURSE (1944)Directors: Reginald Le Borg, Leslie Goodwins
Universal
THE
MUMMY'S GHOST (1944)/THE MUMMY'S CURSE (1944)By the mid 1940s, Universal Pictures was rapidly unleashing formulaic sequel after sequel to capitalize on the success of their classic old monster movies. After THE MUMMY'S HAND and THE MUMMY'S TOMB came these next two installments in the saga of Kharis, now issued together on one Double Feature DVD from Universal Studios Home Video.
THE MUMMY'S GHOST introduces a new Egyptian high priest named Yousef Bey (John Carradine) who journeys to (presumably 1970) America intending to recover the bodies of Kharis and his Princess Ananka, with the goal of returning them to their rightful resting places back home. Brewing the sacred fluid of nine tana leaves, Yousef lures Kharis (Lon Chaney) to his side and together they break into a local museum where Ananka's mummified body lies on display. When the lovestruck Kharis lays hands on her lifeless form, the Princess crumbles into dust. It comes to light that Ananka's spirit has entered into the luscious figure of Ramsay Ames (acquiring the part after intended CAPTIVE WILD WOMAN star Acquanetta got injured) and so Kharis and Yousef kidnap the girl, leaving her 30 year-old college boyfriend (Robert Lowery) to play hero in hot pursuit. In the grand finale, the mummy and his beloved are eternally reunited when Kharis carries his lady into a swamp and the romantic duo disappear below its murky waters forever.
Adding much to THE MUMMY'S GHOST is John Carradine's commanding presence, and the fact that Chaney puts more effort into this stint as Kharis for a change. The mummy actually manages to appear not only deadly and frightening, but emotionally touching as well. The new reincarnation plot provides fresh ground for the series, and if not for the two weak leads (Lowery and Ames) this would be even better than it already is.
Later that same year, THE MUMMY'S CURSE hit the theaters. Taking place 25 years after the last couple of entries (that makes it 1995!) the mummy of Kharis is unearthed from his dried swamp by excavators somewhere way off in the Louisiana bayous. Another Egyptian disciple named Zandaab (Peter Coe) enlists the aid of one of the swamp workers (Martin Kosleck) in hoarding Kharis at an abandoned secret monastery. Meanwhile, in the film's greatest scene, the body of Princess Ananka (Virginia Christine) arises like a plaster zombie out of her muddy tomb and finds her way to town. Suffering from memory lapses and amnesia, the girl is unsure as to her identity but is cared for by the local Cajuns. Realizing that this girl is the Princess Ananka reincarnated, Zandaab sends Kharis to reclaim her only to find death and destruction all in a climax that literally brings down the house and wound up putting the final lid on Kharis' casket once and for all.
Though by no means an unenjoyable film, THE MUMMY'S CURSE is still the weakest of the Kharis movies. By this time the series was suffering from a serious case of familiarity. A change in locale for the story helps a little, as does Virginia Christine's performance, but the film is basically one plodding chase after another, with the mummy always inches within reach of Ananka yet never succeeding in grabbing hold of her. Chaney's disdain for the mummy role is more evident than ever in his lifeless performance as Kharis.
This DVD, as stated, gives you both films on one disc. When you've watched the first feature, however, you are not able to access the second one unless you either stop and start the DVD again or just hit your remote's TITLE button to return to the main menu (this is preferable).
As for the picture quality, both black and white films look sharp and detailed, with minimal grain in evidence (most of this can be found in night scenes). There are little spots, nicks, and scratches to be seen on the print but the overall look is very good and represents the finest these films have ever appeared, with one exception: In THE MUMMY'S CURSE you can see a faint yellowish line that runs horizontally across the middle of the screen for a good nine or ten minutes. This occurs about 1/2 hour through the film, in chapters 10 and 11. I double-checked my laserdisc copy and discovered the same defect, though not as pronounced. This distraction disappears completely if you turn the color OFF on your television set. As for the 2.0 mono sound, it is loud and clear with no noise present.
Having two movies for the price of one is actually a nice Bonus Feature in itself, but we are also given a Realart theatrical trailer for both movies, and a fine Production Notes set of menus written by Tom Weaver and including fun little tidbits which compensate for the lack of a commentary track or interviews. Likewise, although a still gallery is sadly missed, the many menus on this disc provide alternate photos and is the next best thing. Weaver also supplies informative biographies for the directors and actors of THE MUMMY'S GHOST and THE MUMMY'S CURSE.
Many thanks is due to Universal for realizing the interest fans have in these classic monster movies and presenting so many double feature sets at one time for filmgoers to treasure. (Joe Lozowsky)