Hammer's fourth and final outing into Egyptian territory is a hit-and miss-affair which is still worthwhile for the wonderful atmosphere it casts in places. The reason for the film's disjointed feel is that the production was beset by tragedy - almost as if a real life curse was at work. First off, star Peter Cushing's wife died and the actor had to be replaced by Andrew Keir. Secondly, the director of the film, Seth Holt, who had made the wonderful TASTE OF FEAR some ten years before this, suffered a heart attack, leaving Hammer regular Michael Carreras to take over the directorial duties. Thus the film seems to jump from scene to scene sometimes without any warning and there are definite issues with the pacing and general cohesion despite what should be a relatively simple plot. On the plus side, it's a lot different to the typical mummy film which involves a bandage-wrapped corpse seeking revenge, and it deserves kudos for trying something different. The film is based on Bram Stoker's novel THE JEWEL OF THE SEVEN STARS, as was 1980s horror 'epic' THE AWAKENING and the low budget '90s feature BRAM STOKER'S LEGEND OF THE MUMMY.
The actors certainly aren't at fault. Andrew Keir makes the most of his bed-ridden role although he doesn't have a great deal to work with here, while James Villiers is a memorable villain. Valerie Leon, a stunning actress familiar from her roles in numerous CARRY ON films is easy on the eye and equips herself well with the dual personae. Really, I think she's one of the most beautiful of all British actresses alongside Hazel Court and the film is almost a love letter to her sheer physical perfection. It helps that she's often dressed in little more than jewels or a negligee (depending on whether she's playing the mummy or her reincarnate victim) that ably show off her quite stunning figure.
The special effects budget is obviously low, with set-bound locales, but the gore is quite plentiful with lots of torn throats dripping blood. The budget, or lack thereof, is a sore remainder of the constrained budgets that Hammer faced at this time. There is a memorable scene involving a patient in an asylum who is attacked by mysterious forces (the best scene of the film actually) but the film suffers from an abrupt downbeat ending; it feels like this could have been expanded upon while some of the early scenes could have been excised. BLOOD FROM THE MUMMY'S TOMB isn't one of Hammer's best, but if you are looking for an Egyptian curse story that's a little different then I would recommend it as it's quite unusual compared to the rest of the company's work.
The actors certainly aren't at fault. Andrew Keir makes the most of his bed-ridden role although he doesn't have a great deal to work with here, while James Villiers is a memorable villain. Valerie Leon, a stunning actress familiar from her roles in numerous CARRY ON films is easy on the eye and equips herself well with the dual personae. Really, I think she's one of the most beautiful of all British actresses alongside Hazel Court and the film is almost a love letter to her sheer physical perfection. It helps that she's often dressed in little more than jewels or a negligee (depending on whether she's playing the mummy or her reincarnate victim) that ably show off her quite stunning figure.
The special effects budget is obviously low, with set-bound locales, but the gore is quite plentiful with lots of torn throats dripping blood. The budget, or lack thereof, is a sore remainder of the constrained budgets that Hammer faced at this time. There is a memorable scene involving a patient in an asylum who is attacked by mysterious forces (the best scene of the film actually) but the film suffers from an abrupt downbeat ending; it feels like this could have been expanded upon while some of the early scenes could have been excised. BLOOD FROM THE MUMMY'S TOMB isn't one of Hammer's best, but if you are looking for an Egyptian curse story that's a little different then I would recommend it as it's quite unusual compared to the rest of the company's work.