Absolutely Fantastic

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

John Gilling directed this third Hammer Studios Mummy picture, this time set in 1920, where an expedition led by Sir Basil Walden(played by Andre Morel) discovers the tomb of an Egyptian child prince, and takes it back to the museum. Unknown to them, a high priest(played by future "Doctor Who" Master Roger Delgado) knows the secret of reviving its Mummy guardian back to life, in an effort to avenge the tomb desecration, starting with Sir Basil.... Not original at all of course, but this one almost pulls it off by some effective(if unintentional) satiric comedy, having fun with the clichés, especially Catherine Lacey's turn as a cackling(and drooling!) fortune teller. Michael Ripper is also quite good as a doomed agent of the expedition's financial backers. Not scary at all, but does have its moments.

There are several creepy scenes in "The Mummy's Shroud", but the scene that never fails to thrill is the dreamlike sequence when Sir Basil (Andre Morrell) is pulled into her house by Haiti (Catherine Fuller)when she spies him stumbling down the street (using her weird CCTV-like viewing ball). Sir Basil is suffering from snakebite and is desperately ill, all but out of his head, and Haiti tells him that someone is coming. "Who is coming?" he keeps asking, nearly fainting with pain and dread. "Death!" she cackles horridly, toothlessly, truthfully, "Death is coming!" She is just plain torturing Sir Basil with his impending doom, with absolute glee, not having to lift a finger, and Sir Basil is helpless to do a damn thing, as if stuck in a waking nightmare, which he is. Really a grotesque, nasty, and thoroughly enjoyable scene.

An archaeological expedition uncovers the tomb of an ancient Egyptian prince. However, the members find themselves being killed off by a mummy who is revived when the words of the prince's burial shroud are said aloud.An epic back story of a dying young Pharaoh played out on StarTrek- like sets, miniatures with blackened white men is lifted by Don Banks wonderful orchestral score. The Mummy's Shroud moves to 1920 where the set design is as classic as the actors and dialogue itself.What's notable about this Hammer production is that it borrows much from earlier Mummy films but has a look and feel of its own which has clearly influenced more recent incarnations especially the narration and dessert deaths. Nevertheless, the Shroud really drags it feet, and feels as worn and tired as the shroud itself. The Mummy's appearance is around the 50 minute mark which wouldn't be an issue if there had been some suspense or tension in the build up. Not even the great props and 1920's style sets (which are amazing considering the productions budget) weren't the only thing on screen to keep you entertained.There's bribery, a little racial tension and notable is Maggie Kimberly as Claire de Sangre. During the last 30 minutes the kills both on and off screen are effective enough by stuntman Eddie Powell (Christopher Lee's regular double) and Michael Ripper as Longbarrow is a joy and really gets to shine.Absent is blood and there is little if any cleavage on display synonymous with Hammers later outings, but what you have in the closing act are some well executed mummy effects.Overall as the warning tagline read: 'Beware The Beat Of The Cloth-Wrapped Feet!' Make of that what you will.

Mummy movies are notoriously difficult to make interesting. The original Universal film with Boris Karloff succeeded by becoming a dark and dreamy romantic fantasy. Hammer's full-blooded remake in 1959 gave us a powerful yet sympathetic Mummy portrayed by Christopher Lee. Beyond those two, most mummy films have been of middling quality. This is one of the better ones, though it surely has its faults.The lengthy historical prologue has been complained about by many, but I think it it necessary to show the great loyalty and devotion that the slave Prem has towards his young master, Kah-to-bey. It gives him a sympathetic edge, as he did everything to honor his master both in life and death. This aura of sympathy is in all of Hammer's Mummy films to some degree. Lee's Kharis suffered horribly for true love while Ra-Antef in "Curse of the Mummy's Tomb" was a noble soul terribly betrayed. Prem fits well with his predecessors.The reanimated Prem is little more than a slave of the fanatical Hasmid and his crazed mother. But when he strikes, it's with a lot of violence in some very well-crafted death scenes. He crushes one character's head like an eggshell (off screen but we can imagine the gruesome details), splatters another with burning acid before setting him on fire, strangles another before dashing his brains out on a wall and wraps up another in a bed sheet before tossing him out a window to the street far below! Now THAT is a violent mummy and one capable of more than just simply strangling people.Prem's unique look is based on actual Egyptian mummies. Some find it disappointing...I do not. One of the best scenes is when the mummy slowly opens its crusty eyelids. Prem is also mighty tough. He gets singed with acid (giving him a nice smoky look), hacked with an axe and shot to hell at close range without much effect. When destruction finally comes to the mummy, it comes in a most unique and gruesome fashion.Most Hammer films boast good performances and there are several worth noting here. John Phillips hits just the right note as the arrogant and cowardly Stanley Preston. One of the more subtle horrors of the film is his completely loveless and emotionally dead relationship with his wife. Just before his meeting with the Mummy, Preston must realize that he will be missed by no one. Elisabeth Sellars as Mrs. Preston gives one of the most cold-blooded and emotionally detached performances I've seen. Roger Delgado is great as the sinister Hasmid, unleashing an amazingly perfect stream of Arabic gibberish. Delgado would perfect his evil as The Master in Dr. Who. Another wild performance is given by Catherine Lacey as the demented Haiti the fortune teller. Never has any fortune teller delighted in predicting her customer's deaths as much as Haiti.One black mark against the movie is the criminal misuse of Andre Morell as Sir Basil. Morell was a terrific actor, so memorable in "Plague of the Zombies", "Hound of the Baskervilles" and the little-seen "Cash On Demand", but here he makes little to no impression. Something which I blame more on the script and the director than Morell himself.Maggie Kimberly is quite stunning as Claire. She looks rather average at first, but the more she is in peril, the more attractive she becomes.The actor who really walks off with the movie is Hammer mainstay Michael Ripper. What a versatile actor he was. As the meek and suffering lackey of Preston's, he makes for a perfect milksop. We feel an overwhelming sympathy for this simple character and his death is a brutal shock.There are parts where the movie lags, particularly in the opening desert scenes, but once Prem is awakened, the action never flags and the movie builds to a powerful and action-packed climax. In the end, Hammer gave as much life as they could to the tired mummy concept with "The Mummy's Shroud" and the film should satisfy anyone looking for escapist horror.