FilmNRClassic Monsters Gothic Supernatural

The Mummy1932

Name: The Mummy
Genre: Classic Monsters, Gothic, Supernatural
Released: 1932-12-22
Rating: 7.2

“It comes to life!”

Directed by Karl Freund

7.2

Crypt Score

Blended from 3 sources

IMDb 6.9Rotten Tomatoes 90%TMDB 6.8

✍ Review

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Year

1932

Runtime

73 min

Box Office

Budget

$196,000

Revenue (worldwide)

$1,408

🏆 1 win & 4 nominations total

The premise

An ancient Egyptian priest named Imhotep is revived when a British archaeological expedition finds his mummy and one of the researchers accidentally reads an ancient life-giving spell. Imhotep escapes from the field site and searches for the reincarnation of the soul of his lover.

Horror Vault's take

When a British archaeological team unearths a perfectly preserved ancient Egyptian mummy, a carelessly spoken incantation sets in motion a chain of events that should never have been possible. The revived priest Imhotep moves through the modern world with unsettling patience, his singular obsession drawing him ever closer to a young woman who cannot explain her strange, dreamlike pull toward him. Boris Karloff commands every scene with a performance that is more hypnotic than monstrous — less about brute terror and more about an ancient will that refuses to accept death. This pre-Code Universal classic builds its dread through atmosphere and longing rather than shock, making it one of horror's most hauntingly romantic entries.

Content: Mild Depictions Of Death And Resurrection, Brief Scenes Of A Character In Distress, Dated Cultural Depictions Of Ancient Egypt And African Characters