| Kharis The Mummy Lives(Or you haven't changed undies in HOW many centuries? |
| Okay I'll admit it.I have a soft spot in my head for the Universal 1940's Kharis movies.They are almost interchangable as most of them use footage from earlier films to pad out the sparse running times.But they are fun little time wasters. The Mummy's Hand is not a sequel to the 1932 The Mummy although the "love story" is the same.Kharis fell in love with the Egyptian Princess who died and he tried to restore her to life.He was buried alive for this blasphemy and is to guard her tomb forever. Two down on their luck Americans (Steve Banning and hid buddy "Babe") join forces with a magician, his daughter and a professor to seek out the tomb of Ananka.But they encounter the evil Professor Andoheb (George Zucco).Kharis returns and strangles most of the cast before he gets charbroiled with a flaming brazier. It took me a long time to warm up to this movie.Didn't care for the comedy and the fact that it takes forever to get rolling.Once it does it is pretty exciting."Look!The Hill Of The Seven Jackasses!" The Mummy's Tomb was next and is probably my favorite of the series.Turhan Bey is a new disciple who transports Kharis to Mapleton Mass 30 years after the events in Hand.His job is to wipe out the infidels who violated the tombs.So he takes on the job of caretaker of the local cemetary. Kharis shuffles out of the graveyard on moonlit windy nights.This is great atmosphere to see a mummy shambling amongst the graves.Kharis once again strangles most of the cast.But when his boss gets an eyeful of the future Mrs Banning he stops thinking with his higher brain.He orders Kharis to kidnap her so he can make her HIS bride.This leads to a fiery finale with the angry mob burning down the Banning house.Try explaining THAT one to your insurance agent! The Mummy's Ghost is probably the worst of the series.The two juvenile leads are irrritating.Kept wishing that Kharis would grab the leading man by the scrotum and squeeze until his head exploded.No such luck.We have to suffer with this whiny arsed petulant brat throughout the picture.John Carradine plays yet another Priest of Arkham/Karnak.This time he and Kharis must find Princess Ananka and haul her carcass back to the middle east.But she has been reincarnated into a young student.And of course once Carradine gets a load of her in a nightie his pants start breathing.So he wants to make her his bride but that angers Kharis who makes Carradine do the funky chicken and die.Kharis takes his bride into the swamp for a downbeat ending. The Mummy's Curse is rather surreal.Somehow Kharis & his bride went down in a marsh in New England and wind up in the swamps of Louisiana!However this one is fun with the Cajun setting and the famous Tante Berthe's cafe.Peter Coe is the Egyptian priest in disguise and Martin Kosleck is his slimy aide.Kharis once again lumbers through the night slaughtering swampers left and right in search of his recently resurrected princess.(There is an awesome scene of her returning to life emerging from the mud of the swamp).This time the Priest doesn't get horny but his aide gets all hot and bothered over a woman which leads to the death of almost all concerned and the end of the Kharis series. For the most part the last 3 films in the series run barely over an hour.So they are great viewing when you don't have a lot of time on your hands and don't want your brain to be overworked.So grab a bottle of diet tana leaf brew and watch old "Moldy Shorts" shuffle after slow prey. |
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