The Mummy Murders

Imagine for a moment, you are in the café you go to every single afternoon. You order the usual, a glass of Rosé. Life is good, and everything is right in your world. You're a reporter for the local news station, and you are busily working on a case; when suddenly a man approaches your table and asks to sit down. And in a blink of the eye that decision changes the course of your entire life, as it is turned upside down, the earth collapses beneath your feet, and the landscape of your reality is nothing more than insubstantial dust motes floating in the air. The serial killer that everybody refers to as the Mummy Murderer is now sitting right across the table from you...

That is how the beginning of this film starts.

As the protagonist character Alexis Kelly, who is a reporter, happens to find herself in this exact situation. The serial killer relishes her with the most sadistic tale. The antagonist character Joe Morton he's obsessed with embalming women, and his ultimate goal is to embalm one while she is still alive. Time is running out for an unknown victim, and so Alexis, who is being portrayed as the greedy reporter who wants an exclusive on this man who is running around stalking, lurking and terrorising the women of the town, she makes the ultimate decision, one that is guaranteed to end very badly.

There are some scenes of horror, but all in all I would say this film is more a psychological thriller than anything else. Which is great for us females, as we get to see how another woman reacts in this scenario. Whereas for the male audience, it could be a bit of a slow burn. It's not man horror as such, unless you like to watch something that makes you have to think, but if you like visual scares, this one is not for you. The slow burn effect I believe it has a purpose, because as you will see, Joe Morton is one who likes to bide his time, savour the experience with his victims, and it's part of his character.

I found the characters to be rather one dimensional for me, and I didn't invest in them at all. Throughout his narration, we get a summary of Joe's background and history, and I felt closer to him then I did with Alexis. Which is a strange dynamic - whether that is just me, an accident, or the intention of the filmmaker from the beginning. This is more a character film, not an action film. In Joe's early childhood he is traumatised when he finds his grandma dead on her bed. Did this trauma kick start his killing spree later in life? He wants to become the ultimate serial killer, better than all the others. The fact he hasn't been caught adds to this character's cleverness. I would have liked to have felt some emotion from Alexis in particular, then I would have felt something for her at the end scene. Alexis is too unemotional, and Joe's expressions are like that of a mannequin at a depot store. The actress who plays Alexis (Leila Annastasia Scott) I found her to be not fully invested in her character role. I also found it confusing in the end scene, where there seems to be an actress change, she looks nothing like the Alexis we met in the café, even though it is only one year later. I like the way the actor who played Joe Morton (Jason Scarbrough) gave off vibes of Patrick Bateman and Hannibal Lecter, for their calm demeanours, methodical modus operandi, and anal-retentive attention to detail to their craft; nice portrayal of the generic serial killer. I did however lose track of the victims along the way as there were too many names and setting changes, and the fact I felt taken out of the story on several occasions as my brain tried to grasp the concept and understand the storyline. Perhaps twenty-five victims is too much? When there are too many side characters it can have the potential to interfere with the film. The story arc and the plot can become too convoluted, effecting the consistency, pacing and timeline. I felt I would need to watch this a couple of times to get everything cemented in my head.

By the end, I still didn't feel anything for the characters though. Joe is a pure evil diabolical monster, he's every woman's worse nightmare! As for Alexis, she is too calm for my liking, I would have liked to see some tension there, some internal battle as she wonders how the hell she's going to get away. Then again, as we see as we travel along through the story, the reason for her detachment becomes clear, as it is revealed towards the end, and explains her very sullen demeanour. Perhaps more closeup shots of her terror would have helped with building tension that seems to be lacking in some places throughout the film. She had many opportunities to leave, run out, cause a fuss, perhaps if she made some attempts to try to leave, it would have felt more convincing and authentic. Realistically, would a woman really put up with some absolute stranger coming up to her and admitting that he is the local infamous serial killer, and not seem to react in the way a normal person would? Perhaps. Human beings are a complicated bunch, we all have our own ways of reacting to certain situations, and sometimes, those situations arrive as a surprise and unexpectedly, like in this case with Alexis. Perhaps her survival mode kicked in and in a way, she was trapped there with him in a state of fear, possibly frozen to the spot. If that is the case, I didn't get any sense of urgency until the end.

There is a stillness, a certain calmness to the way the whole film plays out - like the calm before the storm. None of the scenes felt too chaotic, they're contained rather well. I think overall this was worth the watch. I enjoyed the way the two characters interact with each other. Is she terrified enough is my question? I would have liked to have seen more closeup visuals of Alexis's internal pain. At first it seems like an unremarkable meeting, quite unrealistic, yet in a way, it's very relevant to the fact that sometimes we are not as safe as we think we are. The dialogue was interesting, a lot of talking. Though, it did work, especially for those who have a hard time working things out or keeping up with the storyline. I think it's advantageous for those people who need everything spelt out to them in order to comprehend the film.

The buildup towards the end is good. The scenes I really enjoyed, were the finger in the box dilemma. Who does it belong to and is that person still alive? The way he displayed the victims' bodies like art pieces was done really well. Love and pain go hand in hand for Joe Morton, he calls himself an artist, and his victims are canvasses. There is a gory bloody scene with one of his victims Amanda as she is being embalmed. Some of the scenes feel a little drawn out, long-winded, though it is in line with the character of Joe, being methodical and very patient with his obsession. He is crazed with the embalming process, the way that blood changes colour, the decomposition of the victims' bodies. I enjoyed the rant from Joe at the end, his narration is on point and relevant to the world we live in today.

At the end, the question is, will she write his story? Will she sacrifice people to get what she wants? And what are the consequences? The ending had me sitting on the edge of my seat. Bravo for that! I am happily satisfied with the ending. Great twist, I did not see that coming until it arrived. This is a good enough story to spend an hour and a half. I'd recommend this film to any indie film lovers, or people who like to use their brains.

Reviewed by Del Gibson 😊