The Mummy's ShroudStarring: Andre Morrell, Elizabeth Sellars, Roger Delgado, and Michael RipperDirector: John Gilling When British explorer Sir John (Morrell) and his obnoxious American financier ignore the warning of a crazed tomb guardian (Delgado) and move the mummified body of an ancient child-king to a museum,
they unleash a deadly curse... and, of course, a revived mummy bodyguard hell-bent on revenge. "The Mummy's Shroud" is the worst of the Hammer mummy movies. Although it's got great performances by Morrell, Delgado, and Ripper (in a supporting role that's larger than what he usually gets--Gilling must have liked Ripper!) give great performances, most of the actors are average to bad. The script is also pretty awful, with uneven pacing and too few chills and scares to really sustain the film. (The most intense moments come when a feverish Sir John is wandering the darkened streets of Cairo, during the lead-up to his death.) Finally, there is the mummy. This film possibly features the WORST mummy costume ever put on film; even the awful direct-to-DVD "Mummy Raider" seemed to have invested more effort in their mummy costume than the production crew on "The Mummy's Shroud" did on theirs. The mummy here looks like a guy in a mask, wearing tan coveralls with some bandages glued on. The only truly good thing about "The Mummy's Shroud" is the tagline on the lobby card reproduction included with the Achor Bay DVD release of the film: Beware the Beat of the Cloth-wrapped Feet. (And even that seems more appropriate as a promo for a horror comedy rather than a serious film like this one.)
May 3, 2006
