Mummy Movie Monday 1: Dawn of The Mummy

 

When trying to figure which movie to start this project with, I entertained the idea of going to the classic, the one that started it all, the amazing 1932 Universal Pictures Boris Karloff movie The Mummy.  But I can watch that over and over again- it's a comfort movie for me.

Dawn of the Mummy ended up being my first for the series because it's awful.  I realize that's not the best reason to choose it but I really, really never want to see it again.

Ever.

So I'm getting it out of the way now, moving on and never looking back

Dawn of the Mummy uses the standard plot of grave robbers breaking into a lost tomb, awakening an ancient evil.  

Because it's 1981, it's complicated with the addition of a group of models on a photoshoot.  They tumble upon the tomb and steamroll over the grave robbers and commandeer it for an exotic setting for their photos.

It's validated by the fact that Dawn of the Mummy is actually filmed in Egypt (with an Egyptian writer/director Frank Agrama, head of Harmony Gold, the company that developed the Robotech television series.)

Actually, it doesn't  help.  It might make it a little worse.

So, ancient evil awakened.  And these mummies- a pharaoh named Sefirama and attendants killed to serve him in the afterlife- aren't  the shamblers of cinematic past, content to strangle or bludgeon.  No, they're hungry and feed on the living.

Remember it was 1981 and Dawn of the Dead is still packing them in at midnight shows.

They even work the phrase "The Dawn of the Mummy" into a tomb warning. Because subtlety, I suppose.

At some point, something happened in the movie that got it flagged as a Video Nasty.  Either I'm jaded or I missed it, because Dawn of the Mummy was neither scary or gory.  

Not recommended.

I promise I'll have nice things to say about the next movie.

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