THE MUMMY'S GHOST (1944)

Our first Mummy feature is.......

THE MUMMY'S GHOST

The Mummy's Ghost is the fourth film to feature a Mummy, and the third chapter in the Kharis saga. It is also the second time Lon Chaney Jr. played the role of Kharis. We open with George Zucco, who plays what seems like a parkinsons patient, instructing a young and impressionable John Carradine to head for America and help make murder with Kharis the Mummy (luring him with drugs, well tana leaves), who still haunts Mapleton, MA despite being burnt to a crisp at the conclusion of the previous entry (The Mummy's Tomb). No attempt is made to explain the Mummy's return. Apparently, Kharis just, still lives, even if only for the all mighty dollar......

Not long after Carradine, we meet the Mummy who seems to have begun a new rampage even before the arrival of Carradine. His main target: A girl of Egyptian Heritage! Some people are killed, the Mummy shuffles around, overacting abound, various close-ups of newspaper headlines, Carradine wants the girl for himself etc, etc......

Cliche after cliche lace the film but somehow don't destroy it. As unscary as this might be today it can still be appreciated for a couple reasons. It has an unmatched (for the time) creepy ending (not spoiling it) and as usual, like a good Universal Horror film should, we have some sets. Even if they aren't the best, they're here. The inclusion of a little dog is a little annoying and adds nothing to the film.

So consistency never seemed like too much for the makers of this picture. Even less for the makers of it's sequel (The Mummy's Curse). But we'll get to that. The Mummy's Ghost is a little dull, not much effort really went into the writing and plot and I still wonder why the priests of Arkham keep Kharis in America while they constantly preach of how he must "guard Annanka's tomb until the end of time" (her tomb is in Egypt). So yeah, it doesn't make too much sense and it's generally a connect-the-dots type film in relation to the Mummy films of the time. But if you're a big fan of Universal Horror films, you'll be able to find a soft spot for it. THREE STARS OUT OF FIVE.