The tomb of Prince Ra is opened by a group of scholarly archeologists, who are treated none too well by the locals for their efforts. But then the contents of the tomb are treated far worse when their greedy American benefactor (Fred Clark) shows up with plans to exhibit the remains of the prince, side-show style. Soon the mummy is up, destroying those who entered the tomb. But something even more mysterious is going on and someone has a secret, but is it disgraced drunken archeologist Sir Giles Dalrymple (Jack Gwillim), beautiful and French-for-no-reason Annette DuBois (Jeanne Roland), rich and handsome amateur Egyptologist, Adam Beauchamp (Terence Morgan), or the disapproving Egyptian Hashmi Bey (George Pastell)? It is up to John Bray (Ronald Howard) to discover what is truly happening, before the mummy finishes him.
The second of Hammer studio’s mummy cycle, and unrelated to the others, The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb is a surprisingly clever film, trotting out all the mummy clichés, and then smashing them into dust. The characters are all presented as the cardboard cutouts we’ve learned to expect in mummy films, and then shown to be completely different. The normal bad guys are noble, the heartless fool isn’t either heartless or a fool, and the wise man is less than wise. OK, Miss DuBois is nothing but a pair of breasts on legs, but otherwise the characters are complicated, with conflicting desires. The plot appears to follow the over-tried and true formula, but again, shatters expectations. It isn’t about a mummy squashing folks for entering a tomb. Yes, there is a splatter or two, but The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb isn’t a typical horror film, but a suspense/mystery, with a mummy tossed it. People looking for the same old Hammer Horror flick, or just another mummy pic will be (and have been) disappointed that the focus isn’t non-stop monster mayhem. Everyone else will be pleased to find something more.
The cast also helps to elevate The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb from its B/C-movie roots. Ronald Howard lends an air of sophistication to a role that could have been annoying in the hands of a younger actor. Gwillim, Morgan, and Bey all supply solid support, while Clark steals the show. Fred Clark was a top notch comic character actor, and he’s in full, fast-talking quip mode, making obnoxious American showman Alexander King likeable as well as supplying energy to the non-bloody portion of the film. Only Jeanne Roland drags down the proceedings, but as she is around for fully-covered eye candy, and she is quite attractive, she can be forgiven.
Like 1959’s The Mummy, the clear cinematography and lush colors are not always a plus. The Egyptian sets look as cheap as they no doubt were. It is a bit less glaring than in the other Hammer Horror films, due to little time being spent in fake desserts, but it is a relief when the story swings away from an Egypt that looks like a diorama.
The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb isn’t going to end up on any list of ten best horror films, unless that list is trimmed to only include dead guys in bandages (in which case…well..it will be as there are not a lot of shiny mummy movies). Its wit and deviation from the norm make it not only Hammer’s finest mummy pic, but an entertaining way to spend an afternoon.
Hammer’s “Mummy cycle” includes The Mummy (1959), The Mummy’s Shroud (1967), and Blood From the Mummy’s Tomb (1971).