O Sarcófago Maldito

OK, it's a corny mummy movie made by Hammer Films in the 1960's. Low budget, over the top acting, cool creepy music and a really scary Mummy monster. Really, what more do you need? If you are a Hammer fan, you will definitely enjoy this one. If not, you may not want to bother. Hammer wasn't trying to fool anyone into thinking of this movie as some kind of masterpiece. Its just a monster movie of the Saturday matinée, or late night channel surfing variety. Nothing to write to Oscar about. In other words, its a Hammer film... get the popcorn and soda, fluff up your sofa cushion, prop your head back, put your feet up and kick back and enjoy!

An archaeological expedition does what archaeological expeditions in movies do best: they desecrate an Egyptian tomb and incur the wrath of a mummy. Routine mummy movie from Hammer. Helped by nice cast that includes Hammer vets Michael Ripper and Andre Morell. Ripper has probably his best role as the tragic Longbarrow. John Phillips makes a particularly hissable villain. Opening prologue seems to go on forever. The mummy makeup/costume is particularly ratty. Not sure if that was the look they were going for or if it was just the best they could do. It's not a particularly special horror movie but it's entertaining enough if you're a fan of mummy movies as I am.

In 2000 B.C., in Egypt, the pharaoh Men-Ta (Bruno Barnabe) celebrates with his people the birth of his son Kah-To-Bey (Toolsie Persaud) despite the death of his wife (Toni Gilpin). Meanwhile his brother Amen- Ta plots a scheme to overthrow Men-Ta. When the rebel army invades the palace, Men-Ta asks his servant Prem (Dickie Owen) to flee with his son and protect him. But Kah-To-Bey dies in the desert and Prem buries him in a tomb covered with a shroud.

In 1920, the wealthy British Stanley Preston (John Phillips) sponsors the archaeologists Sir Basil Walden (Andre Morell), his son Paul Preston (David Buck), Claire de Sangre (Maggie Kimberley) and Harry (Tim Barrett) to find Kah-To-Bey's tomb after the discovery of Prem's remains. The expedition is considered missing and Stanley and his wife Barbara Preston (Elizabeth Sellars) travel to Egypt to organize the search parties. Meanwhile the group finds the tomb and is warned by the keeper Hasmid (Roger Delgado) to leave the place; otherwise they will be cursed and doomed to die. However Stanley arrives and they take the mummified corpse and the shroud to the Cairo Museum. The arrogant Stanley uses the press to promote himself. Meanwhile the clairvoyant Haiti (Catherine Lacey) meets Hasmid and he summons Prem using the shroud. Soon Sir Basil Walden is found mysteriously murdered and Stanley asks his minion Longbarrow (Michael Ripper) to buy a ticket for him to travel to England. However he is forbidden by Inspector Barrani (Richard Warner) to leave Egypt during his investigation. When Harry is also mysteriously murdered by Prem, Stanley panics. Who will be the next victim of Prem?

"The Mummy's Shroud" is another entertaining Hammer's low budget movie. The unoriginal story is totally predictable, actually a rip-off of other mummies movies, but has a good screenplay that holds the attention of the viewer until the very end. Roger Delgado is a frightening villain and the conclusion is satisfactory. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "A Mortalha da Múmia" ("The Mummy's Shroud")

The Mummy's Shroud is directed by John Gilling who also co-adapts the screenplay with Anthony Hinds. It stars André Morell, John Phillips, David Buck, Elizabeth Sellars, Maggie Kimberly and Michael Ripper. Music is by Don Banks and cinematography by Arthur Grant.

Mezzera, Egypt, 1920, and an expedition to find the tomb of Pharaoh Kah-to-Bey gets more than they bargained for when they unearth a shroud adorned with the ancient writings of life and death...

The third instalment of Hammer Films forays into Mumified based Egyptology, The Mummy's Shroud follows the standard formula but never the less entertains in undemanding fashion. Released as the support feature to Frankenstein Created Woman (not Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed as listed in some quarters since that was two years later), it's nicely photographed, stoically performed by the cast (especially by Hammer hero Ripper who gets a meaty role) and is pacey enough to uphold the interest. The violence aspects are strongly constructed, but kept mostly in suggestive terms as per visual enticements, and how nice to see the lead ladies here be more than token cleavage.

This was the last Hammer feature to be made at Bray Studios, so it has some poignant significance in the history of Hammer Films. It's not a great send off for Bray, but it's unmistakably one of those Hammer Horror films that fans of the studio's output can easily spend the evening with and not feel it has been time wasted. 6.5/10

The Mummy's Shroud is far from an awful film, I've yet to see an unwatchable Hammer film, even their lesser work. It is however an uneven film, with a number of strengths and an even number of big weaknesses, and one of Hammer's least accomplished.

It looks good, some of the editing lacks tightness sometimes and the Mummy effects are not very good, but the photography is solid and often wonderful especially in the final thirty minutes, the lighting is suitably eerie and the sets give a sense of time and place very well while also looking great. The music score thunders thrillingly and doesn't feel stock and over-bearing, fitting with the atmosphere appropriately. The murders are inventive and quite grisly, while the first murder is the one with the most punch the most memorable being Longbarrow's. While the best The Mummy's Shroud gets is the final thirty minutes, which is very entertaining and legitimately scary.

Casting and acting-wise, it is a rather mixed bag with a few coming off well. The best performance comes from Michael Ripper, I appreciated that his role was more substantial in comparison to some of his other roles, and he is excellent in it, the tragic nature of the character Longbarrow was so poignantly done and had such pathos that it was easy to feel sympathy for him. John Phillips also stands out as a suitably loathsome villain, while Barbara Sellars matches him more than ideally; the interplay between Phillips is very effectively played by both. David Buck is an appealing hero. Catherine Lacey tries too hard sometimes, but it is clear that she was having fun and she is enjoyable to fun as one of the film's more colourful characters.

Others don't fare so well. Roger Delgardo has a tendency to over-compensate, that it takes one out of the film, his tongue-in-cheek comedic nature too much out of place. Andre Morell was a reliable actor but is completely wasted, no matter how hard he tried to give some serious depth to his character. As truly attractive Maggie Kimberly looks, her acting is very over-theatrical and melodramatic and it does hurt the film sometimes. Lastly the Mummy of the title is badly disadvantaged by the truly laughable and fake look it has(the Egyptians in the opening sequence are also very poorly made up), its far too late and far too short screen time and Eddie Powell's(even more lumbering and anaemic than the worst of Lon Chaney Jnr's interpretation) emotionless and un-menacing performance.

The film takes far too long to get going, with an overlong(did it really need to be seven minutes?) and not always relevant opening scene, with the back-story rather unnecessary. Despite the distinguished delivery, the narration was not really needed, and it should have been a case of more show less tell. The script is very stiff and rambling, with a lot of talk that doesn't do anywhere. The first half is also let down by its draggy pacing, noticeable lack of suspense and horror and a very over-familiar story with a few subplots that either lead nowhere, add little or both.

All in all, an uneven film and one of Hammer's lesser and least accomplished films, but by all means watchable, especially for the final thirty minutes and Ripper's performance. 5/10 Bethany Cox