2014 Horror Countdown: The Curse of the Mummy's Tomb (1964)

The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb (1964), dir. Michael Carreras, Hammer Film Productions

It’s been a few years since the previous Hammer mummy film, but the end result wasn’t worth the wait. Playing like less of a sequel and more of a knock-off, Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb tries to recapture the magic of the Cushing/Lee take, but it falls rather short. 

 

In 1900, Egypt is swarming with grave robbers, scientists, historians, and scores of people trying to make a buck. The DuBois expedition; consisting of Dr. DuBois (Bernard Rebel), his daughter Annette (Jeanne Roland), Sir Giles Dalrymple (Jack Gwyllim), and Annette’s fiancé John Bray (Ronald Howard), are searching the standard lost tomb and ignoring the local protests and talks of a curse. 

Dr. DuBois should have paid more attention to the locals, however, as he is tracked down across the desert, stabbed to death, and his left hand hacked off. This isn’t brought up much. The rest of the party manages to find the tomb they’ve been looking for, specifically the resting place of pharaoh Ra-Antef. Before they can celebrate, workers bring them the dead body of Dr. DuBois and the living body of Inspector Hashmi Bay (George Pastell). Inspector Bay offers his sympathy and 70,000 pounds for the artifacts on behalf of the Egyptian government. The party is unable to accept, thanks in part to their backer: Sideshow magnate Alexander King (Fred Clark). King ignores both parties and makes it clear that he is going to put the pharaoh’s remains on tour across the world, curse or no curse. 

Getting the contents of the tomb loaded for England (and repelling an attack) introduces us to Adam Beauchamp (Terence Morgan). Beauchamp, despite his claims of having only a passing familiarity with Ancient Egypt, seems to know more about Ra-Antef than is possible for an amateur. For example, he knows that the royal was killed in exile on order from his younger brother Be and his left hand removed.

King goes ahead with a public unveiling, although things go south once the sarcophagus is opened and the body of Ra-Antef (Dickie Owen) is nowhere to be found. The reason, and Beauchamp’s knowledge is revealed. Beauchamp is actually Be, cursed to be immortal by his father after murdering Ra-Antef. The only way to lift the curse is to be killed by Ra-Antef, which is sort of a problem. Beauchamp has a solution to both issues, in a strange amulet that was buried with Ra-Antef. Unfortunately Ra-Antef has little inclination to murder his brother yet, as he has to murder everyone involved with opening his tomb. Beauchamp decides to wait, as he quite taken with Annette and wishes to make his bride in the afterlife.

Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb moves as fast as Ra-Antef. Speaking of the titular mummy, for someone whose left hand was removed, he does seem to do a lot of things with two hands. Unlike Christopher Lee’s take on the mummy, Owen’s face is covered in plaster and shows as much emotion as the scenery.