Who's The Mummy? Lon Chaney as Kharis (Tom Tyler in flashbacks)
Mummy's Love? Elyse Knox as Isobel Evans
Where? North America (Egypt in flashbacks)
How Long? 60 minutes
Three decades have passed since the events of The Mummy's Hand (possibly making this a futuristic sci-fi yarn, although fashions etc remain in a 1940s bubble!) and in his Mapleton, Massachusetts, home an aged Steve Banning (Dick Foran) recounts the events of the previous movie to a captive audience, including his son, Dr John Banning (John Hubbard) and John's girlfriend, Isobel Evans (Elyse Knox).
Given that The Mummy's Tomb is only an hour long, a good ten minutes is taken up at the start reliving The Mummy's Hand, with plenty of footage from that film used for the flashbacks.
We then learn that both Andoheb (George Zucco) and the mummy, Kharis (Lon Chaney Jnr), survived their encounter with the American archaeologists, but, for reasons unknown, have waited 30 years to get their revenge.
Like the high priest of Karnak before him, Andoheb passes on his secrets, and mission, to his apprentice: Mehemet (Turhan Bey). Mehemet takes the mummy by sea to America to exact revenge on the members of the expedition that defiled the tomb of Princess Ananka.
Banning goes first, and his death draws his old friend 'Babe' Hanson (Wallace Ford) to come and pay his respects to his old friend. No, I don't know why Babe's surname has changed between films, but in my headcanon it's probably got something to do with a dodgy deal he got tangled up with and trying to avoid creditors. That said, a seemingly random journalist recognises him by sight and knows his name.
Thankfully, the years have mellowed Babe and he's not the annoying character he was in the last movie. He quickly guesses who killed Banning, but no-one believes him... until he, too, is killed.
By this time, Doctor John has received a military commission, but before he goes to take up his new position he plans to marry Isobel.
However, the first time Mehemet sees her (while spying on John, the last of the Banning bloodline) he falls in lust and commands Kharis to kidnap the maiden, so he can threaten her with the usual deal: to be given an immortal life and live out her years as the slave-bride of the high priest.
The Mummy's Tomb is so bad it's actually rather funny, from the drawn-out opening, through some hilariously bad detective work (check out the scientist burying the lede on his examination of a piece of cloth found in the grounds of the Banning household... after going on and on about mold and chemical traces, he just happens to mention the 'hieroglyph' on the cloth that matches one found in the tomb of Princess Ananka!) right up to the overzealous mob that end up burning down the house Dr John has just inherited from his father.
And let's not overlook the unquestioned racism that stirs up the mob in the first place: simply because the new caretaker of the nearby cemetery is Egyptian he MUST be connected to the mummy murders, and so it's okay for 30 or 40 men armed with burning torches and guns to head over there to confront him.
Of course, he is responsible. It's Mehemet after all. But that's rather beside the point.
Although, in all honesty, it made no difference to my eyes, cinematic legend Lon Chaney Jnr took over the monster role of Kharis with this movie, and would continue portraying the character through the following two sequels to The Mummy's Tomb.
The mummy is still only using one hand and sporting a full head of hair, although greased back. While it's impressive - and indicative of the creature's strength - that the mummy does all his killing with a single hand, the hair really bugs me as it simply looks wrong.
I guess this is another magical side-effect of the sacred tana leaves.
No comments:
Post a Comment