Blood from the Mummy's Tomb (1971)

An archaeological expedition brings back to London the coffin of an Egyptian queen known for her magical powers. Her spirit returns in the form of a young girl and strange things start to happen.

Directors:

Seth Holt, Michael Carreras (uncredited)

Writers:

Christopher Wicking (screenplay), Bram Stoker (novel)

Stars:

Andrew Keir, Valerie Leon, James Villiers

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Andrew Keir	...	Fuchs
Valerie Leon	...	Margaret / Tera
James Villiers	...	Corbeck
Hugh Burden	...	Dandridge
George Coulouris	...	Berigan
Mark Edwards	...	Tod Browning
Rosalie Crutchley	...	Helen Dickerson
Aubrey Morris	...	Doctor Putnum
David Markham	...	Doctor Burgess
Joan Young	...	Mrs. Caporal
James Cossins	...	Older Male Nurse
David Jackson	...	Young Male Nurse
Jonathan Burn	...	Saturnine Young Man
Graham James	...	Youth In Museum
Tamara Ustinov	...	Veronica

Storyline

On the night before her anniversary, Margaret Fuchs receives an ancient Egyptian ring with a red stone as a birthday gift from her father, Prof. Julian Fuchs. Margaret has frequent nightmares about an expedition in Egypt with five members, including her father, finding the tomb of Queen Tera, an evil sorcerer with a severed hand. The members collect the sarcophagus with a totally preserved mummy, the severed hand with the ring with a red stone, and three relics. Margaret is possessed by the spirit of Tera and chases the expedition members to retrieve the objects and gives life back to Tera.

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Plot Keywords:

sarcophagus | nightmare | relic | cleavage | death in childbirth | 

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Taglines:

A severed hand beckons from an open grave!

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 May 1972 (USA)

Also Known As:

Blood from the Mummy's Tomb

Filming Locations:

EMI-MGM Elstree Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

EMI Films, Hammer Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor ®)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Valerie Leon was rather upset at not being allowed time off from the filming, so that she could pay her final respects to Seth Holt at his funeral.

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Goofs

Every time the sarcophagus is opened, the lid is simply slid across. Yet the girl inside, headdress and all, is elevated above the base by at least 6 inches.

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Quotes

Corbeck: The meek shall NOT inherit the earth. They can't be trusted with it.

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Crazy Credits

Sunbronze Danny Boy as Tod's Cat

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Alternate Versions

The 1971 cinema version was cut and this seems to have become the definitive version for all videos/DVDs since (Region 1 and 2 releases). The cuts were: A shot of a hospital orderly striking an inmate was removed.

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Connections

Version of The Awakening (1980)

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Soundtracks

The Temple
(uncredited)
Music by Monia Liter (uncredited)
Boosey & Hawkes Ltd

User Reviews

I'm a sucker for Egyptian mumbo-jumbo.

At the exact moment that Egyptologist Professor Fuchs (Andrew Keir) and party are opening the tomb of the Egyptian Queen of the Darkness, Tara, Fuchs' daughter is born dead in a London hospital. The two events are connected as Tara's spirit enters young Margaret Fuchs (Valerie Leon) and bring her back to life. Unaware of their connection, Margaret grows up to be the spitting image of Tara. Nearing her 21st (?) birthday, Margaret begins having unsettling dreams of Tara. Thus begins Tara's resurrection. To complete the transformation, Margaret/Tara must collect the artifacts from her tomb that are now in the possession of Professor Fuchs' colleagues who assisted in the original expedition. Collecting the objects will lead to a trail of bloody bodies, each with its throat ripped out.

Writing that poorly worded plot synopsis was much more difficult that it should have been. The problem is that the plot in Blood from the Mummy's Tomb is a mess of ideas going in several different directions. It's entertaining, but it is admittedly a mess. I quite enjoy the story, but as I've written before, I'm a sucker for Egyptian mumbo- jumbo. Throw in some hokum about an evil queen, possessed artifacts, stars aligning in just the right way, and a traveling, disembodied hand and I'll eat it up. So, despite the many flaws in the plot, none of it really matters to me as I always have great fun watching Blood from the Mummy's Tomb.

Watching the film last night for the first time in about 10 years, I realized I had forgotten much about the plot and really most everything else. One thing I hadn't forgotten was Valerie Leon. I defy anyone to watch this movie and not remember Ms Leon. I realize she wasn't hired for her acting ability, but she isn't all that bad. She may be a bit wooden in some scenes, but at worst, she's always watchable. I know Hammer used young women like Ms Leon, but at least Hammer provided her and others the opportunity to star in film. Hammer gave actresses like Ms Leon, Yutte Stensgaard, and Jennifer Daniel a chance for a role with some meat to it. None will be remembered as award caliber actresses, but all are memorable to fans in the various Hammer films/roles.

Beyond Ms Leon, the rest of the cast is surprisingly strong. Andrew Keir was a real pro and is quite good as Professor Fuchs. James Villers, as the scheming Corbeck, is a scene-stealer. He's one part smarmy and one part evil. An entertaining combination. The rest of the cast is solid with Aubrey Morris, George Coulouris, and Mark Edwards giving memorable performances.

To summarize, Blood from the Mummy's Tomb features a messy but very fun story, the memorable Valerie Leon, and a solid supporting cast. I'm keeping the 7/10 rating I gave it 10 years ago.