Ticketworthy! - The Mummy

Director Lee Cronin is the man responsible for 2023’s shockingly good Evil Dead Rise. In that film, the director managed to elevate the Evil Dead franchise into something serious and modern while also delivering a top-tier demon possession horror film. It was an impressive effort and set expectations high for the director. His answer to those expectations is The Mummy, a movie that is essentially just Evil Dead Rise again, but worse. It’s not a bad film, really, but it does nothing to stand out and never even remotely reaches the heights of Cronin’s earlier work.

The story follows Charlie Cannon (Jack Reynor) and his wife, Larissa (Laia Costa), a couple whose daughter Katie (Natalie Grace) was abducted eight years ago in Cairo, Egypt. When Katie is found alive, buried in a sarcophagus and covered in strange bandaging, the Cannons are thrilled to bring her home. However, the trauma of what happened to her has clearly changed Katie and, when strange things begin happening to the family, it becomes clear that what they brought home may not be Katie at all.

To get the good out of the way, Cronin does a wonderful job directing the film. He uses his sets well and the cinematography is usually pretty great. There’s a scene early on in Cairo where Charlie finds himself alone in a dust storm that I thought was excellently shot. Cronin also does great with the gross visual effects. If you’re squeamish, this might be a tough one to watch. I mean that as a compliment.

Most of the acting is fine; there’s not much really asked of the cast. It’s not the kind of movie that’s going to win anyone an Oscar. Credit to Laia Costa, her performance shines among the group. Larissa has a lot going on, fear for her family, love for her daughter, resentment toward her husband, and deep internalized guilt. Costa conveys all of it with the kind of nuance and subtlety that makes Larissa feel like a real person. It’s good work.

Unfortunately, at least if you’re a horror fan, there’s just nothing that makes this movie stand out in an already crowded genre. There’s a demon possessed child, disgusting visuals and body horror, a fracturing family dynamic, a pack of wild dogs, and eventually a death or two. Not a single idea in this film is unique or interesting. There’s even a scene where one of the characters visits a college professor who is an expert on ancient cultures so the professor can explain exactly what kind of demon they’re dealing with. It’s a trope so tired that seeing it happen actually made me laugh out loud.

The movie is also strangely tame, especially considering how intense and gory Cronin’s previous work is. Sure, there’s no shortage of peeling and decaying skin, gnashing teeth, bugs, and a bit of blood, but the overall experience isn’t particularly gory. Nor do any of the characters ever seem to be in real danger. They just sort of live in the same house as a demon, and it’s more inconvenient than anything else. To be fair, the movie does explain why, but that doesn’t make it any more fun to watch.

Realistically, if you’re new to the horror genre or the demon possession sub-genre, The Mummy is a perfectly fine place to start. It’s well shot, competently acted, and offers plenty of thrills provided you haven’t seen them a hundred times before. Fans of this kind of film probably won’t find much to keep them amused, but newcomers will likely have a pretty good time. That said, if you’re really in the mood for this brand of horror, I’d recommend keeping The Mummy wrapped up and just watching Evil Dead Rise instead.