Retro Review: The Mummy (1932)

Let's get one of the biggest things out of the way first which is the exceptionally executed make up and design work on Boris Karloff’s mummy. This is a true masterpiece of prosthetics and a prime example of classic horror cinema’s golden age, the Universal Monster movie era where practical costumes were incredibly crafted and presented with masterful levels of integrity. To my surprise however, Boris Karloff actually primarily appears without the mummy aesthetics throughout the movie as Ardath Bey/Imhotep. I was thrown off initially as I admittedly wanted to watch a straight forward mummy monster movie with one of my favorite horror movie actors of that era, but thankfully what I got instead was just as engaging. Karloff’s performance as Ardath is just as incredibly screen stealing as his initial mummy’s richly detailed and eerie presentation.

The unnervingly stiff and stoic way that he carries himself while interacting with other characters is just as inhuman feeling and supernaturally disconnected as say Frankenstein’s monster. I absolutely loved the sense of intimidation factor and tension that he brought to every scene that he was highlighted in. There’s also this recurring beautifully haunting and visually striking close up shot of his face that we see whenever he’s using his powers. It's a shot of Imhotep's face that just pops right out of the screen towards the audience. I can only imagine watching this at the cinemas back in the day and seeing this giant frame of a creepy face with piercing eyes glaring right at me as if hypnotizing me. And knowing that he uses his powers to give people heart attacks from a distance makes it all the more chilling. 

Now if anyone has ever seen the Brenden Fraser Mummy movie(s) from the late 90s and 2000s, you essentially know the gist of what this story is about regarding reincarnation and forbidden love lying at the center of a supernatural horror prism. And to be honest, I found that general concept to be much more eerie in its execution here due to the performances and direction (although the '99 remake is much more entertaining and a different type of experience altogether). So with that said, 1932's The Mummy is not the atmospherically engaging mummy-horror movie that I desired to see at the end of the day. However, what I did get was another standout performance by Boris Karloff engulfed in exceptionally done makeup and an altogether engaging viewing experience.

I was pleasantly delighted overall however I can’t shake the feeling of wishing I’d see more of the Mummy in his full prosthetics glory terrifying people. That beginning quarter of the film was very promising and had me all amped up for what could've been a fantastic pre-slasher, mass murdering mummy movie following Karloff's most sinister role yet. ...Oh well. On a different note, I thought it was fun getting to see Edward Van Sloan playing a similar role as he did in another Universal Monster classic, Dracula. There’s also Dwight Frye who makes another appearance in this franchise as a mentally unstable individual who has an encounter or connection to the titular monster.

Rating: 8/10