Series: Kharis the Mummy

Okay, put away your books. Time for a pop quiz. I know, I know, I promised that you wouldn’t have one today, but isn’t the point of a pop quiz the surprise factor? Don’t worry, it’s brief. Here we go. Established: The Mummy’s Tomb (1942) runs for 60 minutes and 35 seconds. Established: 11 minutes and 27 seconds of that runtime is spent recapping, with extensive flashback footage, the previous film in Universal's Kharis series, The Mummy’s Hand (1940). Resolve: How much actual movie remains after you subtract the recaps? Show your work. Extra credit: Can The Mummy’s Tomb still be considered a feature film? Why or why not?(read more...)

In the 1940s, Universal Pictures sought to bring another horror franchise to life (as it had with Dracula and Frankenstein previously) with the production of four films based off their 1932 film, The Mummy. After a rushed shooting schedule (less than a month) and last minute editing[1], the first of these films was released. Titled The Mummy’s Hand, the film is a less suspenseful reworking of the deliberately slow-paced psychological thriller that served as the framework for the original Mummy, opting instead for an over-the-top action and adventure flick with bits of supernatural elements tossed in to maintain a swift — and oftentimes erratic — pacing.(read more...)