Amazon.com essential video: You have to hand it to the walking dead. What they lack in speed and agility, they more than make up for in sheer single-minded determination. Im-Ho-Tep is a case in point. He's an ancient Egyptian priest, cursed for his terrible crimes against the gods. A team of British archaeologists digs up his sarcophagus, along with a box inscribed with a warning that opening it will unleash death and destruction. You'll never guess what they do. Once freed, Im-Ho-Tep takes on the appropriately evil alias Ardath Bey and gets to the task of resurrecting his ancient lover--which will, of course, require a living human surrogate. While the premise may sound formulaic, The Mummy in fact turns out to be bracingly weird, relying on atmospheric creepiness rather than on jump-out-and-scare-you effects. Boris Karloff gives a terrific performance as Im-Ho-Tep. He has all the malevolence the film requires, but also manages subtler touches; the expression in his eyes as he is wrapped in preparation for being buried alive is absolutely chilling. Instead of forcing him to do all the tedious shambling around that so many mummies resort to, the filmmakers have wisely given Im-Ho-Tep/Ardath Bey a nearly living appearance once he's cleaned up and has a few psychic powers to boot, making him a potent adversary. Stock up on ace bandages and prepare for a good spooky evening. --Ali Davis
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - A rousing good tale told in creepy style
Ah, "The Mummy" on Halloween night! What could be better? My brother and I, now aging boomers, were allowed as children the special treat to stay up on Friday nights to watch Horror Theater (or whatever it was called) and scare ourselves silly. This was in the late '50's. "The Mummy" was a favorite, so when I found this VHS tape in the library, I took it home for Halloween.
After a couple of hours of Trick or Treating, the three children were ready to go home. We put on the movie, expecting magic to revisit. Their grandfather (my brother) and I expected to pass on a tradition. We really ... Read More
Rating: - Legacy Series DVD picture cropped slightly from 1999 release
Just wanted to mention that I recently compared the transfers on the Mummy Special Edition (Universal Legacy Series) 2-disc DVD released in July 2008 and the original 1999 Universal single-disc DVD release. The quality of the transfers in terms of contrast, brightness, detail, scratches and blemishes, etc., seems to be virtually identical. However, for some unknown reason the framing of the Legacy Series release is cropped tighter than the 1999 edition, with a small but significant loss of picture information along the right, left, and bottom borders. I watched the Legacy Series version yesterday and ... Read More
Rating: - The Mummy talked us to death.
I had remembered the mummy movies with Boris Karloff from my childhood. After viewing this one I think I must have seen only the several sequels that followed. The foot dragging monster was nearly absent in this movie. However there was a lot of dialouge. Of course what was scary in my youth doesn't even register on the scale of the Brandon Frazier mummy movies. Still all-in-all I am glad I purchased the DVD.
Rating: - "Looks As Though He Died in Some Sensationally Unpleasant Manner"
-This review pertains to The Mummy: Special Edition DVD-
In 1932, one year after Universal Studios' success with Frankenstein, Boris Karloff got all wrapped up in a role that would become one of the all-time great movie monsters. As the mummy, Im-Ho-Tep, Karloff gave a drastically different performance than that of the pathetic and misunderstood creature in Frankenstein. Im-Ho-Tep is a cold and methodical killer, his heart warped from the pain of losing his love. He uses any means necessary to obtain that which he covets, whether it's power or people.
The Mummy was the directorial debut ... Read More
Rating: - A Doomed Love Story With Horrific Overtones...
...has always been my take on THE MUMMY even when I first saw it as a child. I was fascinated by the Karloff character in the beginning and then felt sorry for him when I realized that he did it all for love. His hypnotic powers were awesome especially the shots of his eyes glowing in their blackened eye sockets. The power of the scarab ring to bring death and the pool of dry ice created lasting memories that have lingered years after first having seen them. And then there was Zita Johann! She was my first real crush to come from the movies. Her face was so striking and her voice seemed so exotic. As I got ... Read More
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