31 Days of Horror Reviews 2018: The Mummy's Tomb

Lon Chaney Jr. is put under wraps in this sequel to The Mummy’s Hand.

REVIEW

The Mummy’s Tomb, while visually impressive and does have its tense moments, doesn’t quite have the charm of The Mummy’s Hand. The first ten minutes are a recap of the last film and the remaining fifty run like a typical slasher film. The story is that 30 years after the events of The Mummy’s Hand, Kharis returns along with a new master of the order to kill all the surviving members of the expedition. Why they waited 30 years to do this is never explained.

Three of the characters from the last film come back for this one and are reprise by their previous actors: Steve Banning, Babe Jensen, and Andoheb, who not only survived being shot at in The Mummy’s Hand, but also falling down three dozen steps. By the end of the film, these characters are dead; Andoheb dies due to old age while Steve and Babe are killed by Kharis. Lon Chaney Jr takes over for Tom Tyler in the role of the mummy. Why not? He’s already played Frankenstein and Dracula along with the Wolf Man. I’m surprised he hasn’t played the Bride of Frankenstein, but I’m getting off track. This film does recycle plot points from the last film such as the priest that controls Kharis falling in love with the female character, ordering the mummy to capture her with the intent of making both of them immortal, but is interrupted before anything can be done and then shot.

The point I’m guessing the film is trying to make is that it wants to redo The Mummy’s Hand on a more serious note. It’s not a bad sequel; it runs at a steady pace and does keep you interested if you have the mindset for it, but it falls flat in originality.