The Mummy's Shroud (1967)

Director: John Gilling

Starring: André Morell, John Phillips

Run Time: 90 mins

Certificate: 15

 

Plot Outline: In 1920 an archaeological expedition discovers the tomb of an ancient Egyptian child prince. Returning home with their discovery they prove their theory correct that an existing mummy is not actually the prince, just his bodyguard who was given the bracelet of the Pharoah by the dying child. The expedition members soon find themselves being killed off by the mummy when a guardian of the tomb reads off the prince's burial shroud to bring it to life.

The Review: OK, so mummy films have never exactly been anything special - in fact they're all the same. Someone finds a tomb, defies a warning not to go in, brings home some relics and is soon killed off by a mummy for desecrating the tomb. Hammer's foray into this repetitive genre have been decent, if somewhat flat. They're typical of the Hammer film - lavish sets, vivid colours, haunting music, etc. But they're pretty unremarkable in that little happens in them that hasn't happened in other films. No attempt is even made to differentiate this one from the other mummy films. In fact many elements of the film seem to have got worse from the previous installment, notably the villain of the title. The mummy here looks pretty feeble - it's more like a scarecrow with a cheesy grin on it's face. It doesn't have the same presence as the previous mummies and isn't as scary. However given the origins of the mummy via the plot (the dying bodyguard wouldn't have been able to afford a proper mummification nor have the tools to do it), this could be forgiven for most of the time. A few Hammer regulars pop up in this one, notably André Morell who's screen presence is cut tragically short (couldn't they have killed off someone else first?) and the reliable Michael Ripper. This guy was in more Hammer films than anyone, only playing small roles such as innkeepers. Here he is given a lot more to do and it's for the best because he's a joy to watch as Longbarrow and is easily the most sympathetic person in the film. After all of the abuse he puts up with from his boss, he still gets killed in horrible fashion by the mummy. Poor bloke. Don Banks also gives us a classical flavoured Egyptian musical score which helps the film along. But there's just a real sense of "been there, done that 6 times before" and we have.

Final Verdict: The Mummy's Shroud was the last of Hammer's films to be shot at Bray Studios, marking the end of a 16 year association. It's a shame they couldn't have ended on high instead of this rather unoriginal and downright tiresome mummy film. Still if, like me, you love mummy films then this one is still worth your time.

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