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29 reviews in total

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16 out of 16 people found the following review useful:
An "off-beat" Mummy film, 28 May 1999

Author: Norm Vogel (norm3vog@blast.net) from S. Bound Brook, NJ

This entry in the "Mummy series" is unlike all the others, but that's what makes it interesting!

One of THE most interesting sequences in this film is when the Princess awakens in the bog (due to the sunlight), and slowly rises to her feet, totally covered with mud, and staggers to town. A very dramatic scene!

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17 out of 19 people found the following review useful:
"On the night when the moon is high in the heavens, the mummy and his princess, they walk.", 1 December 2004

Author: classicsoncall from United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

With Lon Chaney portraying The Mummy for the last time, and with no name actors for support, "The Mummy's Curse" is the least noteworthy of the Mummy sequels, but you know what - it's a blast! Let's start with the chronology; originally "The Mummy" starring Boris Karloff was set in 1932, the year of it's release, reinforced by the second expedition to Egypt by the Whemple's at which time they discovered the tomb of Anck-Es-En-Amon, Imhoteps' lost love of 3700 years prior. The first sequel, "The Mummy's Hand" is also chronologically coherent, set in 1940. But then it gets interesting; "The Mummy's Tomb" takes place some thirty years following the events of "Hand", with "The Mummy's Ghost" somewhat after. Now we learn that "The Mummy's Curse" occurs an additional twenty five years after "Ghost". If you're doing the math, we're now into 1995!

Now we're into the locale; "Ghost" ended with Kharis and Ananka lost in a Massachusetts swamp, Ananka's beauty having withered into an ages old hag before the waters of the swamp claimed the two lovebirds. Now we've shifted to the Louisiana bayou country and the site of an industrial project - "The devil's on the loose and he's dancin' with the mummy!" We're signaled to the emergence of the Kharis legend by the first appearance of a dead body, but has anyone noticed that the laborer Antoine died with a knife in his back? Kharis always did his dirty work with his left hand, leaving bandage mold behind on the neck of his victims.

I must say though, the resurrection of Princess Ananka was inspired and a classic piece of work, as she slowly and gradually crawls out of the dirt of the swamp, her twenty five year old mud pack having worked wonders for her complexion - and all without benefit of a tana leaf brew! Speaking of which, the tana leaf legacy gets a slight reworking in this film as well, it takes three leaves to keep Kharis' heart beating and nine to give him life and movement.

As Ananka, Virginia Christine is a quick study, note that in all the Mummy films, none of the victims ever figured it out like Ananka - RUN AWAY FROM THE MONSTER! Hey, how great would it have been though, when Dr. Halsey (Dennis Moore) and Betty Walsh (Kay Harding), discover the collapsed Ananka on the side of a swamp road(?) and the creature not far behind in pursuit, if The Mummy had actually overcome the scientist, picked up Ananka and drove away in the car? It would not have been any zanier than the actual outcome.

Finally, is it possible that Egyptian high priests just have no self discipline? George Zucco's Andoheb, Turhan Bey's Mehemet, John Carradine's Yousef, and now Martin Kosleck's Ragheb falls under the spell of a pretty woman, all breaking their vows to deliver Kharis and Ananka to their final resting place.

Eventually, Lon Chaney's Kharis creates his own undoing, destroying the monastery where Ananka's sarcophagus is held, with the rubble of the building crashing down on top of him. But it was with a sense of "It's not too late to do this at least one more time" that I viewed the ending, Kharis has gotten out of a lot tougher scrapes than this one.

If you can't tell by now, my sarcasm for the Mummy series is done tongue in cheek, because the films are a blast and a sheer joy for lovers of old classic horror. While the original "Mummy" deserves it's place in the Universal pantheon of terrific characters along with Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Wolfman, the sequel Mummy's are best enjoyed on a somewhat different level, one that requires a stronger disengagement from reality and definitely allowing a chuckle or two.

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13 out of 14 people found the following review useful:
There's nothing like a mummy's love., 31 October 2002
Author: Michael O'Keefe from Muskogee OK

There is still life in this curse, barely. The premise has ran its course. Too many familiar scenes and the thrill is just hanging on. This although is still creepy to watch and fun for a rainy night. The living mummy Kharis(Lon Chaney Jr)now seeks his lost love(Virginia Christine) in the bayous of Louisiana. Also notable are Kurt Katch and Jackie Lou Harding. A "mummy" fan's must.

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13 out of 14 people found the following review useful:
It's a love story. No, really!, 5 July 2001
Author: reptilicus from Vancouver, Canada

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

You know what you are in for in an early scene when Kharis' coffin slowly opens and you see a 3000 year old sarcophagus has modern hinges on the lid. Also, Peter Coe as the fanatically devoted priest of Karnak says "mummy cases" when he should have said "sarcophagus". Oh well. Will someone, anyone, please tell me how Kharis could sink into a swamp in Massachusetts at the end of THE MUMMY'S GHOST and be dredged out of a Louisiana bayou in this film? Also, this movie takes place in 1969. THE MUMMY'S HAND was set in 1912; THE MUMMY'S TOMB (the best of the lot) was set 30 years later and ended with the hero being drafted into WW2; THE MUMMY'S GHOST took place only a short time later and this film is set "25 years later" which would make it 1969 at least! At least after so mush frustration Kharis finally reclaims his lost love (Virginia Christine). Hopefully they can . . .er . . ."live" happily ever after. Performances are good but Martin Kosleck steals the show as Ragheb, the acolyte who betrays his trust when he falls in love (or at least in lust) with the pretty heroine. Lon Chaney hated Kharis as much as he loved The Wolfman and pretty much just wanders through this role. he had to have known he was cast for his name value and that anyone could have been inside the gauze. Watch for 2 silent film performers in cameo roles. William Farnum, best remembered for the 1914 version of THE SPOILERS as the keeper of the monastery the Egyptian priests have "defiled" by bringing their equipment there. Also on hand is Charlie Stevens, real life grandson of the Indian warrior Geronimo, as a workman named Achilles. Stevens had appeared with Douglas Fairbanks in ROBIN HOOD (1922), THE BLACK PIRATE (1926) among others and was Injun Joe in the first talkie version of HUCKLEBERRY FINN (1930). On the minus side there is some embarrassing racial humour involving a black worker named Goobie (Napoleon Simpson). Trust me, he ain't no Mantan Moreland! Personally I think all the Mummy movies are fun, but it was wise of them to end the series with this one.

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11 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
Interesting B Movie, 15 March 2005
Author: hausrathman

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Workers on an irrigation project in a Louisiana swamp surprisingly awaken the mummy Kharis and his princess Ananka in this final installment of the original Universal Mummy series. I say surprisingly awaken because Kharis and Ananka sank into a Massachusetts swamp at the end of the previous film. Oh well. That's okay. The change of location actually breathes a little life into the film. Granted, although the original Karloff "Mummy" was an all-time Universal classic, this series of sequels were B-movies at best. The most interesting thing is that I felt the sequels got more interesting as they continued, mainly in regard to the role of women. Women are always saved in old school studio horror pictures, but the Mummy, unlike his monstrous peers like King Kong, managed to snag the girl in the last picture. Once again, Ananka also provides the most interest here. Ananka's resurrection in the swamp is perhaps the best, and creepiest, scene in the film, but her fate is once again out of character for the times. Once Ananka is found by our heroes, she is assigned the traditional Hollywood role of woman in jeopardy. However, once again, that role doesn't afford much protection. The guys don't seem to mind very much when she ends up dead at the end!

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12 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
The Mummy Fades Out!, 7 November 2004

Author: (bsmith5552@rogers.com) from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

"The Mummy's Curse" was the fifth and final installment of Universal's mummy series and the third to star Lon Chaney as Kharis.

At the close of the previous film, "The Mummy's Ghost" Kharis and the reincarnated Princess Ananka are seen descending into a swamp located in New England. As this film opens we find out that they have magically been transported to the Louisiana bayous. Anyway, it seems that a certain swamp is about to be drained and the locals fear that the ancient mummy will be dredged up. As luck would have it, he is.

Dr. James Halsey (Dennis Moore) along with colleague Dr. Ilzer Zandaab (Peter Coe) have come to the area to recover the two mummies for a museum. Dr. Zandaab turns out to be the latest in along line of Egyptian High Priests charged with returning Kharis and Ananka to Egypt. Zandaab along with assistant Raghab (Martin Kosleck) revives Kharis (Chaney) in an old abandoned church and instructs him to find the Princess Ananka and to kill anyone who gets in his way. This he does.

Meanwhile Ananka (Virginia Christine) climbs out of the bayou and wanders aimlessly through the countryside. She is befriended and taken in by the locals. Eventually Kharis finds her and takes her back to Zantaab and.......

The film features a flashback sequence lifted in tact from "The Mummy's Hand" (1940) which itself was largely made up from footage taken from "The Mummy" (1932). In this sequence we see Tom Tyler as the unbandaged Kharis. The slim and muscular Tyler bore little resemblance to the heavier Chaney.

Watch for two veterans of the silent screen, William Farnum and Charlie Stevens in minor roles.

The Mummy was resurrected briefly for 1955's "Abbott & Costello Meet The Mummy".

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13 out of 15 people found the following review useful:
The Mummy's Curse (1944) **, 26 October 2004

Author: JoeKarlosi from U.S.A.

This may be the most repetitious of all the Kharis films and it's kind of gratifying that Universal finally stopped the cookie cutter after this last entry. It's by no means unenjoyable, but by now there's a severe case of "been here, done that" festering about and there isn't much new to help us along. Lon Chaney merely goes through the motions and gives the most listless of his three mummy performances. Peter Coe takes the award as the worst high priest, but Martin Kosleck is a good choice as his treacherous assistant even though he isn't given enough to do. The script is little more than a plodding chase which has the clumsy Kharis always coming within inches of seizing his beloved princess, only to narrowly miss her time and time again as she manages to ecape from his grasp.

Redeeming qualities are found in the switching of locations to the Louisiana bayou territory, as well as Virginia Christine's appearance as the reincarnated Princess Ananka. Her resurrection sequence from a muddy swamp is not only the high spot of the picture, but it's one of the best in the entire saga. By the way, what's interesting is that if you recognized from a hotel receipt that THE MUMMY'S HAND took place in 1940, and then added up the "30 years" later of THE MUMMY'S TOMB & THE MUMMY'S GHOST, and top it off with the "25 years later" of THE MUMMY'S CURSE, you'd see that this entry would take place in 1995!

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7 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
The vultures will pick the flesh off your bones! When Kharis learns of your treachery!, 26 March 2010

Author: sol1218 from brooklyn NY

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

***SPOILERS*** Long awaited squeal to the film "The Mummy's Ghost" that was released some six months later has the Mummy Prince Kharis, Lon Chaney Jr, back from the dead looking for his love the beautiful Princess Ananka, Virginia Christine, who he's been estranged from for some 3,000 years! Now with the help of modern Egyptian high priest, masquerading around town as an archaeologist, Dr. Llzor Zandaad, Peter Coe, and his loyal henchman Reheb, Martin Kosleck, Kharis is brought back to life with the fluid of the ancient Egyptian Tana Leaves so he can be reunited with Princess Ananka and finally become Mr & Mrs Mummy.

It's been some 20 years since Kharis and the Princess were swallowed up by the Louisiana swamps as they were chased by any angry mob of local Cajuns who just had about enough of them and, on Kharis's part, their murderous antics. Now brought back to life Kharis is, with Dr. Llzor's help, more then ever determined to get his Princess back and together with her get on the first boat back to Cairo Egypt even if it kills him, and anyone who dares to stands in his way, to do it!

Incredibly slow moving with his body bandaged up from head to toe it's amazing that Kharis could catch anyone in the movie even if they were just standing still! In fact Kharis' first victim Michael, William Farnm, the self-appointed caretaker of the monastery that Kharis, with the help of Dr. Llzor & Reheb, made his home just stood there with him not as much as moving a muscle until Kharis got his hands on him! As Kharis was soon to find out that as much as he wanted Princess Ananka she seemed totally uninterested in him. Having like Khris come back from the dead the Princess got the hang of modern living, with all its conveniences, and had no interest of going back to jolly old Egypt to spent the rest of eternity with Kharis sealed up in an air-tight ancient Egyptian burial chamber!

***SPOILER*** It was the sneaky and sex crazed Reheb in him wanting to get it on with Dr. James Halsey's, Dennis Moore, pretty assistant Betty Walsh (Kay Harding), who both discovered the amnesic Princess Anana in the Louisiana swamps, that in the end spoiled everything! Not being able to control his overactive libido Reheb made a mess of everything in defiling, by his uncontrollable lust, the laws of Amon-Ra the ancient Egyptian God and was made to pay the consequences for doing that. But not until Reheb finished off his "Master" Dr. Llzor and destroyed the Tana Leaves that kept Khris alive. Mad as hell and not going to take it anymore in Rebeb making a monkey out of him Khrais went totally berserk not only doing Rebeb in but himself as well!

P.S In the flashbacks in the movie Khris is played by the legendary Boris Karloff in clips from Karloff's original 1932 Mummy classic aptly titled "The Mummy".

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9 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
Having a tanna leaf brew with Kharis for the last time., 28 September 1999

Author: evilskip from in the bayou swamp

By this time the Kharis series was out of ideas. In the last movie Kharis & his princess submerged into a new england swamp. As usual with the Universal programmers that was ignored and we are shifted to Louisiana.Once again Kharis wants to be reunited with his loved one.AGAIN!

The acting is decent while Kosleck gives a very slimy performance as a perverted Kharis follower.Chaney isn't given much except to stumble around and do some one armed strangling.The sets are nicely done as well. The scene where the princess breaks out of the ground is excellent.

The characters are cardboard and there is some offensive racial stereotyping typical of the 40's.What I want to know is why don't folks run from Kharis? He moves like a tortoise. Dance around the walking ragpile, grab a torch and roast marshmellows with him.He's thousands of years old! He'll go up in a heartbeat.

This movie doesn't require or deserve a lot of thought.It clocks in at 59 minutes so if you have an hour to kill it won't hurt you.Average.

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11 out of 16 people found the following review useful:
Fun Film, 13 October 2008
Author: Michael_Elliott from Louisville, KY

Mummy's Curse, The (1944)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Twenty-five years after the events of the previous film, the swampy locations of Louisiana are about to be drained, which doesn't sit well with some locals who know that Kharis (Lon Chaney, Jr.) is resting there. This doesn't stop anything so the swamp is drained and soon the mummy is set loose. Once again we're treated to a 61-minute movie that goes by pretty fast but the story is rather weak, which is to be expected. I'm not sure what new things they could have tried with the series but the locations of Louisiana do make for some interesting moments. The bodies being revealed in the swamp are certainly a highlight as is the ending that manages to pack a small punch. The supporting cast this time out is rather weak with no one really sticking out or catching ones eye. Chaney is back in his third and final film in the series and manages a good performance but he isn't given too much to do.

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