Plot: What’s it about?
Kharis (Lon Chaney, Jr.) and his eternal love Ananka now rest on American soil, but soon enough, someone will reclaim them for Egypt. That someone is an Egyptian high priest by the name of Yousef Bey (John Carradine), who ventures to American to stake Egypt’s claim on the two doomed lovers’ remains. But Yousef has additional plans for Kharis and in order to control the mummy, he must track down Ananka. He soon learns that the woman’s spirit has been sent into another body, which means he must find the woman and bring her to Kharis. He soon runs into an Egyptian woman who strikes an uncanny likeness of Ananka, but this doesn’t solve all of Yousef’s problems. He allows greed to cloud his mind and as such, he is unable to control Kharis and of course, this means bad news for America, to be sure.
This Mummy driven double feature kicks off with The Mummy’s Ghost, a romantic tale of forbidden love and total terror. I find this to be the weakest volume in Universal’s Mummy series, as it has little fresh elements and runs a little slow at times. I suppose this movie would be solid enough if you haven’t seen the others, but fans of the series have seen most of this before. I still like The Mummy’s Ghost however, just not nearly as much as the other installments, including the final one, The Mummy’s Curse. The Mummy’s Ghost has average performances, decent writing, and the presence of Lon Chaney, Jr. (The Wolf Man, House of Dracula), but even those elements can’t save this one in the end. I recommend this movie to fans of the series and since it’s packed in with the superior The Mummy’s Curse, this release is more than worthwhile.
The ancient mummy Kharis (Lon Chaney, Jr.) has been uncovered once again and this time, he is taken to America, to be held in Louisiana. Of course, his forbidden lover Ananka (Virginia Christine) is still his obsession and he plans to continue his search. So as soon as the chance is offered, he begins to terrorize the locals and even in Cajun country, Kharis is able to demolish his fair share of people & property. As Kharis pushes forward to reincarnate his love, he runs into problems here and there, but makes short work of the obstacles. Kharis is soon able to be reunited with Ananka and of course, the two let loose a little chaos, to get some additional revenge, although it is delayed from their real days suffering. The two former lovers are now back in each other’s arms, but will it last and if not, what force will dare to separate them once again?
The second film in this double dose is The Mummy’s Curse, one of the more unusual installments in Universal’s series with The Mummy. I happen to like this film a lot and while it does have some strange moments, I think that is a strength, not a weakness. Yes, it takes some different turns than the others in the series, but I think it all works out very well, as The Mummy’s Curse is fun to watch and remains quite memorable. As expected from a film in Universal’s Mummy series, this movie has an eerie atmosphere and plenty of suspense, so purists can’t complain in that respect. As it turned out, The Mummy’s Curse would be the final installment in this classic series, so perhaps this offbeat effort was a wise choice. Lon Chaney, Jr. (Son of Dracula, The Ghost of Frankenstein) gives a terrific performance in his last whirl as Universal’s Kharis, one of his most memorable roles. I recommend this movie to fans of the series and since you can nab it in this cool double feature, there’s no reason not to add it to your collection.
Video: How does it look?
The Mummy’s Ghost is presented in a full frame transfer, as intended. As usual on their monster movie releases, Universal has taken great care and it shows, as this image is nothing short of superb. This film was made in 1944, but it looks much younger, thanks to a clean source print and sharp overall image. Some debris and marks can be seen on the print, but not as much as expected, to be sure. The image looks so clean here, I had to pinch myself and even then, I couldn’t believe my eyes. The black & white visuals come across in fine form, due to well balanced black levels and high detail presence. This is a superb visual treatment, one that defies the movie’s age and as such, I commend Universal for their work here.
The Mummy’s Curse is also presented in a full frame transfer, as intended. Much like the other half of this double feature, this movie looks terrific and shows no signs of the true age of the materials used. This film was also made in 1944, but looks as if it were made much later, because of Universal’s fine treatment. The print used is very clean and shows minimal defects, which is impressive enough, if you ask me. But the image has a sharp presence and looks very refined, with hardly any grain to report and no real age signs to discuss. This is about as good as a black & white monster movie from 1944 can look, which means fans will be thrilled, without a doubt.
Audio: How does it sound?
Both films use the original mono options, which have aged well, even if not as well as the video elements. I heard minimal hiss, distortion, and other age related problems, which means the basics can shine, which they do. The vocals are crisp and never hard to understand in either track, while music and sound effects are solid also. These are older mono tracks however, so keep in mind the limits of the format, as well as the age of the materials involved. Each film also offers a Spanish language option, as well as English and French subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes production notes, talent files, and theatrical trailers for both films.
