Horror fans who missed Lee Cronin’s The Mummy at the cinema will be glad to know that the supernatural reboot is now available on HBO Max.
The movie stars Jack Reynor, May Calamawy, and Laia Costa. The plot follows a journalist whose daughter vanishes into the desert. After eight years, her daughter returns, but she’s not what she once was.
Mummy Movies Have Been Popular for Over a Century
Universal Pictures introduced cinema fans to The Mummy over 100 years ago. The film, released in 1932, starred Boris Karloff as the priest Imhotep. He was resurrected after a team of archaeologists uncovered the sacred Scroll of Thoth.
He then embarked on a mission to unite with his long-lost love. Karl Freund directed the movie, and it became one of the most classic interpretations of the Universal horror series.
This movie cemented Egypt as a source of inspiration, and since then, mummies, curses, tombs, and gods have returned to our screens, time and time again.
National Geographic’s Lost Treasures of Egypt followed a team of archaeologists as they uncovered lost tombs and mapped out temple complexes. Valley of the Kings: Secret Tomb Revealed detailed the inside of Rameses III’s burial chamber and even showed evidence of his assassination.
Books about ancient Egypt remain best sellers, and in iGaming, it’s not uncommon to see casino promotions that can be used on Egyptian-themed titles. Those who deposit and spend £10 can claim 150 free spins, which can be used on Mummy It Up. Other promotions are sometimes available for titles like Fury of Anubis, the Egyptian god who guards the dead.
Part of the appeal of Egypt lies within its mystery. Many tombs are unexplored, and there are countless questions about the curses and the afterlife as well. Points like this lend themselves very naturally to storytelling in horror.
The Unique Plot of Lee Cronin’s The Mummy
The plot of the new Mummy movie is unique. The main character in the movie is used as a flesh prison for a parasite, rather than being possessed or brought back from the dead like most mummy movies. She’s found alive in a sarcophagus, but spreads a deadly curse in her wake.
The family soon realises that something is wrong, as her skin is covered in spells that peel off over time. The only way to stop the carnage from continuing is to make a sacrifice so that the demonic parasite can gain a new vessel.
The new movie did very well at the box office and grossed $90.5 million worldwide. $29.1 million of this was in North America. Warner Bros. produced the movie with a $22 million budget, making it a financial success for the studio.
As The Mummy was such a hit with fans and it generated so much revenue, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the studio continue to work through the Universal Horror monsters, especially given the turnout for the success rate for Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation of the original Frankenstein novel.
