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Monday, January 20, 2014

The Mummy's Tomb (1942)

Starring Lon Chaney, Jr., Dick Foran, John Hubbard, Elyse Knox, George Zucco
Directed by Harold Young
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

An Egyptian high priest is tasked with transporting the still-living Kharis the mummy to America, so he can bring death to the surviving members of the Banning expedition that violated his princess' tomb.

In this sequel to The Mummy's Hand, set thirty years in the future, despite the prior film having been released just two years earlier, Chaney takes over the role of Kharis the mummy, and the heroes of the last installment become Kharis' victims this time around.  This was disappointing to me, as I found Foran and Wallace Ford and the rest very likable characters, and even George Zucco, so entertaining as the villain of the last film, is forced to turn over the reins to a younger high priest.  Nevertheless, Chaney is a strong upgrade as the Mummy, with his stocky frame and lone staring eye beneath the makeup making for a more fearsome monster.  Chaney's presence, along with Universal's production values and fine music cues, make this another fun monster movie, although not exactly what I was hoping for.

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