Mummy Matters

[GordoCrisp]

Hi guys,

I think "The Mummy's Curse" is on Svengoolie this week.


I dig the Mummy character and wanted to take an informal poll:

What is your favorite Mummy movie?

[Earth 2 Chris]

Although I greatly admire Karloff's portrayal of Imhotep/Ardeth Bey in the original, and it's a beautiful film, I can't help but prefer the Chaney films. They are just more fun. The logic is wonky nuts, but they are just fun distractions.

For a synthesis of both, I really like Hammer's first Mummy film with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. Lee makes for a very powerful, convincing unstoppable mummy, and Cushing is...well...he's Peter Cushing!

chris

[Werewolf]

Still like Karloff's version best. The calm eerie menace he portrayed in his withered Ardeth Bey has really yet to be matched.

[PNGwynne]

Not a Chaney mummy fan--those are terrific "Classic Zombie" films, though. I do like the Ananka angle in "Curse."

I like Imhotep very much, even if it is a (better) re-hash of Uni's Dracula.

My second-favorite is Hammer's Kharis pastiche, The Mummy. I give good marks to some of their others in plot, but the effects are a let-down. Kudos to Hammer for trying something different and visually interesting in The Mummy's Shroud.

The Mummy in the Monster Squad film loots great, too.

[thunderbolt]

Love the Karloff one, but I really dig the later b movie sequels.

[hedrap]

I have no idea...

[TrekStar]

It's kind of tough, Karloff is pretty memorable, but I think more of him as Frankenstein, Lon Chaney played
the Mummy very well, plus the aurora kit is based on his image and the ahi version kind of is too, EMCE
prototype was based on Chaney, I've seen it, but they changed it to Karloff instead, but I also think of Chaney
more as the Wolfman since he played him in all 5 movies. The Hammer Mummy with Christopher Lee was
very well done, he looked more menacing and had a faster quicker pace, I always wished they came back with
a sequel right after, with Lee and Cushing again, but it never happened, I never liked the other Hammer Mummy
movies they made. How about the Mummy in Abbott & Costello meet the Mummy. it actual growled, terrible.

[PNGwynne]

The Mummy in Hammer's The Mummy's Shroud is based upon an actual mummy in the British Museum, but I think it's an Aztec one.

[TrekStar]

Just came home in time to watch Svengoolie's The Mummy's Ghost, the female lead was Ramsey Ames,
a real beautiful woman, she has a nice image page which has a color photo of her, a sweet blue eye brunett.
She was born on March 30th 1919 and past away on March 30th 1998 ( lung cancer) how weird is that to be
born and pass away on your birthday, but I guess it does happen, just the odds are very rare. Next week on
Svengoolie they are showing Ghost of Frankenstein, with Chaney playing Franky, he did a great job playing
the monster in that movie.

[johnnystorm]

The original Mummy is my favorite. I wish they would run more "new" films on Sven, I know he's locked in to the Universal contract and they pretty much program what he's showing. I rather see some more Hammer stuff.
We recently got a new channel called you too that shows Macabre Theatre on Saturdays the same time as Svengoolie. They show some badly cut up old films, last week was "Theatre of Blood" with Vincent Price, this week was an Italian cut " Werewolf vs. the Vampire Woman". The hostess Ivonna Cadaver is an Elvira wannabe with Butch Patrick as a regular guest. The channel though is poor quality sound & picture.

[MIB41]

Although I greatly admire Karloff's portrayal of Imhotep/Ardeth Bey in the original, and it's a beautiful film, I can't help but prefer the Chaney films. They are just more fun. The logic is wonky nuts, but they are just fun distractions.

For a synthesis of both, I really like Hammer's first Mummy film with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. Lee makes for a very powerful, convincing unstoppable mummy, and Cushing is...well...he's Peter Cushing!

chris

That's the way I feel. Karloff's film is an odd piece because you see all of the ads showing him in the makeup and you hear about the grueling pains he went through to get into costume. But then how much screen time does he get full on as the Mummy? 20 seconds? I respect that movie allot, but I thought they kind of missed the point. There's a certain pageantry to seeing the creature and having those "monster moments". Chaney Jr. did that to perfection. Plus his movies have some of the most memorable lines in horror history - "Oh he be dancin' wit the devil."

I'll never forget when Universal first put the Mummy movies on VHS. That was truly a mystery bag choosing. I remember my good friend Mike asking me to pick which one was the best. I went by the picture I associated most from the monster mags. Not necessarily a good method. Halfway through the movie Mike turns to me with a look of sarcasm and says, "Are you sure this is the 'good one'? What does Louisiana have to do with an Egyptian mummy?"

[Earth 2 Chris]

^Ha! And of course there's the switch from New England to Louisiana, with no explanation! Kharis goes in a swamp in Vermont and comes out in Nawlins.

But despite all that, they are goofy fun. And yes, Kharis has that actual monster advantage. I've heard others say he is a forerunner to Michael Myers and Jason Vorhees with his slow, plodding stalking.

Chris

[TrekStar]

Not to get of the subject of Mummies, but concerning Lon Chaney, in the original Wolfman movie, when we
first see him become the Wolfman, he was sitting in a chair in his room wearing a white tank top t-shirt
and grey pants, but when he becomes the Wolfman he's wearing a brown UPS outfit, stalking the foggy
woods, but like Earth 2 Chris said It's just great classic goofy fun.

[Bruce Banner]

Love the Karloff original.. it's a true classic, but I also really like the Tom Tyler and Lon Chaney Jr. Kharis series. They're some of my favourite Universal movies.

I also really like Christopher Lee in the 1959 Hammer movie. The part where he's blasted with a shotgun and just keeps coming is awesome.

[MIB41]

Not to get of the subject of Mummies, but concerning Lon Chaney, in the original Wolfman movie, when we
first see him become the Wolfman, he was sitting in a chair in his room wearing a white tank top t-shirt
and grey pants, but when he becomes the Wolfman he's wearing a brown UPS outfit, stalking the foggy
woods, but like Earth 2 Chris said It's just great classic goofy fun.

Even our monsters had to be properly clothed or wrapped to beat the censors back then. It seemed only fitting that the curse would have it's own fashion line.