The Mummy's Shroud (1967)

With having recently been in the mood to watch some Hammer Horror,I decided to search around Zavvi,where I was thrilled to discover a double Blu-Ray/DVD of writer/director John Giallings final collaboration with the studio being sold for half price,which led to me excitingly getting ready to unwrap Hammer's Mummy.The plot:2000BC:Escaping from the kingdom with the families few remaining loyal guards as his dad is murdered by a former friend,the pharaoh's son is taken to a far away desert,in the hope that he can be protected from the bloodshed which is taking place across the kingdom.With supply's having dried up,the guards start to die out one by one,remaining loyal to his master till the very end,the pharaoh's son uses his dying wish to give the final guard a royal seal,as a sign of appreciation,and also as a key,so that the guard can protect him in life,and death.1920:Backed by huge financial support from a wealthy investor called Stanley Preston,a group of archeologist's led by Sir Basil Walden head off to Egypt in the hope of proving that a recent discovery of a mummy by architect's who are claiming it to be the body of the long-lost pharaoh's son,is actually that of a former loyal guard.Ignoring the towns people's plea to not going digging around,the gang are relived when they soon stumble upon the elusive tomb containing the pharaoh son's body.As the group excitingly start to lift out the artifacts from the tomb,the pharaoh's most loyal (now mummified) guard prepares to save his master from these unexpected invaders.View on the film:Before getting to the movie itself,I have to mention that whilst the films original soundtrack features flaws that can never be fully fixed, (such as the actors footsteps sounding "hollow",which causes a strong feeling of them being stage bound,instead of being in the middle of the vast desert that the movie is taking place in)Studio Canal bring Hammer's final movie to be shot at Bray Studios alive with an excellent restoration,which along with allowing every line of dialogue to be clearly heard,also allows for the full set details of the movies great Egypt setting to be displayed.Taking his final collaboration with Hammer Horror in an interestingly proto-Slasher direction,writer/director John Gillings, (who would later moan about how the movie turned out,which was probably partly caused by Gillings relationship with Hammer having always been on the "shaky" side of things) shows a real eye in expanding the gang v Mummy outline to include some rather noticeably,subtle touches.Gillings gives the Mummy's a real motivation for its killing spree,and also bravely puts all of the male character's into the background for the movie's second half,so that the second half almost becomes a "Women's Horror" picture,thanks to Gillings making each of the female character's much smarter and cunning then any of their male counterparts.Along with his fast moving screenplay,Gillings also gives the movie a warm desert appearance,that is sharply turned to an icy chill when Gillings display's a strong stylised eye for the film's set piece murder scenes,with Gillings and editor Chris Barnes closely working together to give each murder set piece,a distinctive, snappy feel,from the first victim being only able to see the Mummy in a blurred vision due to losing his glasses,to another first catching a glimpse of the monster from a reflection of photo developing chemicals.Making their own mark in the ensemble cast,Andre Morell reunites with John Gillings for a delightfully cartoon performance,whilst the brilliant Michael Ripper gives a performance that completely changes the design of the character which had been lay down on the script,with Ripper showing his henchmen to be someone who knows all too well what awaits him and the other explores.Joining Morell and Ripper,Elizabeth Sellars (whose previous Hammer title was the first ever one to be shot at Bray studios,in 1951!) gives an icy performance as Barbara Preston,whose frozen glances to her husband Stanley (played by a witty John Phillips) suggest that she is all too aware of the doom that her husband has unwittingly unleashed upon them.

There are several creepy scenes in "The Mummy's Shroud", but the scene that never fails to thrill is the dreamlike sequence when Sir Basil (Andre Morrell) is pulled into her house by Haiti (Catherine Fuller)when she spies him stumbling down the street (using her weird CCTV-like viewing ball). Sir Basil is suffering from snakebite and is desperately ill, all but out of his head, and Haiti tells him that someone is coming. "Who is coming?" he keeps asking, nearly fainting with pain and dread. "Death!" she cackles horridly, toothlessly, truthfully, "Death is coming!" She is just plain torturing Sir Basil with his impending doom, with absolute glee, not having to lift a finger, and Sir Basil is helpless to do a damn thing, as if stuck in a waking nightmare, which he is. Really a grotesque, nasty, and thoroughly enjoyable scene.

An archaeological expedition uncovers the tomb of an ancient Egyptian prince. However, the members find themselves being killed off by a mummy who is revived when the words of the prince's burial shroud are said aloud.An epic back story of a dying young Pharaoh played out on StarTrek- like sets, miniatures with blackened white men is lifted by Don Banks wonderful orchestral score. The Mummy's Shroud moves to 1920 where the set design is as classic as the actors and dialogue itself.What's notable about this Hammer production is that it borrows much from earlier Mummy films but has a look and feel of its own which has clearly influenced more recent incarnations especially the narration and dessert deaths. Nevertheless, the Shroud really drags it feet, and feels as worn and tired as the shroud itself. The Mummy's appearance is around the 50 minute mark which wouldn't be an issue if there had been some suspense or tension in the build up. Not even the great props and 1920's style sets (which are amazing considering the productions budget) weren't the only thing on screen to keep you entertained.There's bribery, a little racial tension and notable is Maggie Kimberly as Claire de Sangre. During the last 30 minutes the kills both on and off screen are effective enough by stuntman Eddie Powell (Christopher Lee's regular double) and Michael Ripper as Longbarrow is a joy and really gets to shine.Absent is blood and there is little if any cleavage on display synonymous with Hammers later outings, but what you have in the closing act are some well executed mummy effects.Overall as the warning tagline read: 'Beware The Beat Of The Cloth-Wrapped Feet!' Make of that what you will.

There's nothing really wrong with this entry in Hammer's Mummy series - there just wasn't really anyplace further to go with these stories (the Universal ones in the 1940s got progressively worse and inane) - this one's almost a remake of Hammer's previous entry, CURSE OF THE MUMMY'S TOMB, without the bombastic performance of Fred Clark. But there are good performances here - Andre Morrell, John Phillips, David Buck, Catherine Lacey and the ever-reliable Michael Ripper (in a larger-than-usual role), and the production maintains the good Hammer standards. It's really nothing to be ashamed of, and quite enjoyable - this was my second viewing (the first was five years ago, though I first heard about the film when it was released in 1967) and the beauty of most Hammer productions is that they can be re-watched at intervals of several years with no loss of enjoyment - 'comfort films' indeed.