Movie review – Mummy #5 - “The Mummy’s Curse” (1945) **1/2

The last of Universal’s mummy films – at least, until Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy. It takes place a number of years after the last one, with engineers wanting to drain the swamp in which the mummy and his girlfriend disappeared last into. (For anyone who came in late, there are flashbacks to bring you up to speed). The mummy turns out to be not in the swamp but in another tomb, and the girl comes back to life via the sun. Of course there is another villainous Egyptian priest along to help keep things mischevious. 

The addition of this girl (Princess Ananka played by Virigina Christine, a different actor from the girl who played the role in The Mummy’s Ghost) to the action adds freshness to the series – it’s like a new character. (She doesn’t seem to have suffered too much from being decomposed all that time). 

Unfortunately, they don’t exploit the potential of this as much as they might eg why not have the archaeology guy fall in love with her or something? What does the archaeology guy’s girlfriend think of it? (A great potential love triangle and they ignore it). 

By the end the story turns into the regular mummy kidnapping the girl and shenanigans with tanna leaves and humans trying to save the day, with a mob of people running up a hill. There’s also a bit where one of the mummy priest’s servants gets hot for a girl and tries to have his way with her, resulting in him killing the priest (something similar happened in The Mummy’s Ghost). 

The film lacks star power – there’s Lon Chaney Jnr but no George Zucco, John Carradine or even Turhan Bey (Peter Coe steps in instead). Dennis Moore, the unmemorable male lead, makes you long for Dick Foran. There is a comic lawdy-lawdy black American (who says things like “the mummy’s on the loose and he’s dancing with the devil”). 

But there are some fun things. I really enjoyed the mummy tearing apart a gaol to get at a baddie and having it collapse on him, as always the photography and sets are enjoyable, and the non-Ananka female lead is quite sprightly and engaging.