The Mummy, made soon after the hits Dracula and Frankenstein, pulls from both these in different ways. We get the popular Karloff again, although in a very different role, and we get an exotic evil from another culture pursuing a young woman like the famous vampire story. For today's audiences, we can see the plot is actually remarkably similar to the 1990s remake Bram Stoker's Dracula, about a monster from the past seeking his reincarnated love in the "present". Capitalizing on the western hysteria of the time for all things ancient Egypt, The Mummy was another hit for Universal Studios although watching it now it is one of the duller of their classic horrors.
The film tells the story of a villain who, in his attempt to resurrect his love through sorcery, was condemned to death for the act and brought back to life by a curse seeking the reincarnation of his love. His monstrousness comes in his attempt to force her against her will. Modern audiences may find it interesting how much this film focuses on her right to autonomy, to decide who she is and who she should love. It is a love story about an abusive sort of love, one of possession and ownership, not of mutual respect and care. It is about adoration or idolization. Not what loving someone is truly about.
Also interesting to modern audiences, The Mummy barely references contemporaneous Egyptian culture so there are surprisingly little issues with anti-arab racism. The sole exception to this may be Karloff's depiction as "oriental" which is played to be frightening. If anything the film has a more benign style of racism in how its mixed heroine is seen as exotic, a positive feature in the film's eyes. Instead the film focuses on a rather caricature of popular culture understanding of ancient Egypt (pharos, hieroglyphics, etc.) which was all the rage at the time.
For me the story drags a lot. There just isn't enough here to flesh out the rather short runtime. Some of the film's most interesting parts are flashbacks to the past and not so much the current story we are being told. Watching it right after rewatching some of the other classic Universal Monster films one might be a bit disappointed. Having said that it still remains impressive with its iconic nature and just how much it shaped our modern conceptualization of the horror trope of a "mummy."
The film's legacy in this way is impressive and also how it inspired the most successful of Universal's remakes with the 1999 film The Mummy and it's sequels. The story follows the same basic premise, Imhotep resurrected from the dead by tomb raiders and his quest to bring back his ancient love through killing a modern woman. In this version the mummy is super powered and the adventure has been Indiana-Jones-ified. It's a fun if rather silly take on the story and rewatching it I was surprised at just how hammy it is. But it remains a classic in its own right with a big following. Certainly more so than the Tom Cruise reboot from 2017 which flopped critically and commercially.
The Mummy is still one of the classic horror monsters and its influence on film culture is undeniable. While I found it a bit plodding it is still holds its place in the pantheon of Universal Monsters and as part of the legendary Karloff's career.
The Mummy
Starring: Boris Karloff, Zita Johann
Director: Karl Freund
Writer: John L. Balderston
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