4/5
Karl Freund’s The Mummy is a haunting, atmospheric classic of horror that I’ve always undervalued when thinking about the original Universal monster movies. But upon rewatch, I love the layers Freund and his writers work in for us to unpack in the film’s exploration of colonization, gender, and identity. The film sets up archetypal and traditional masculine heroes to fight the titular monster, but they’re all completely ineffectual and ill-equipped to face-off against their supernatural foe – the traditional Dudley Do-Right is little better than a puppy dog, and the professor’s knowledge may help them know what they’re facing, but it does nothing to protect them. The film’s true hero is a biracial woman who exists as both colonized and colonizer. And it’s only through the embrace of her dual identity, through her appeal to an ancient goddess, that the monster is defeated. Freund takes limited effects and creates an eerie, haunting atmosphere through his effective use of cross-cutting, camera movement, and skilled performers. There are so many intriguing layers to unpack here – even as the film is more problematic in the way it handles issues of race and ethnicity. It’s always a pleasure to discover that a film you saw years ago is even better than you remembered, and The Mummy is one that I will undoubtedly return to Halloween after Halloween.
