Not the worst of the Hammer mummy movies -- that would be Blood From The Mummy's Tomb (1971), in my opinion -- The Mummy's shroud is still a fairly lifeless affair, featuring none of Hammer's more familiar players (Michel Ripper being the obvious exception), with cheap looking sets and locations (the supposedly scorching desert looking suspiciously like an overcast quarry with a few truck loads of sand dumped over it), and lacking a decent hero (David Buck as archaeologist Paul is extremely ineffectual -- it's a shame Ralph Bates wasn't a Hammer star at the time). There's also a noticeable absence of quality Hammer glamour, Maggie Kimberly and Elizabeth Sellars not quite cutting it (at least 'Mummy's Tomb' has Valerie Leon, I suppose).
The plot is the usual Mummy guff: a group of British explorers desecrate the tomb of Kah-to-Bey, thereby incurring the wrath of the guardian of the tomb, Hasmid (Roger Delgado), who instructs the mummy (Eddie Powell) to take revenge. Being the slowest of the 'classic' monsters, the mummy relies on the element of fear, its victims cowering in a corner waiting to be killed, rather than simply side stepping the creature and hot footing it; failing that, the mummy uses the element of surprise, tippy-toeing about and grabbing his victim while their back is turned. Either way, the attacks are lame, not in the least bit scary, and few and far between, most of the film consisting of dull conversation. Adding to the annoyance is one of the most irritating characters in Hammer history -- Stanley Preston (John Phillips), Paul's obnoxious father, who is so rude you'll be longing for him to have the life squeezed out of his body.
The movie's best moment comes at the very end, when the recital of some hieroglyphics causes the monster to crumble to dust, its desiccated flesh falling off to reveal the skeleton underneath, before disintegrating completely. Well done if you make it that far.
3.5/10, rounded up to 4 for IMDb.
The plot is the usual Mummy guff: a group of British explorers desecrate the tomb of Kah-to-Bey, thereby incurring the wrath of the guardian of the tomb, Hasmid (Roger Delgado), who instructs the mummy (Eddie Powell) to take revenge. Being the slowest of the 'classic' monsters, the mummy relies on the element of fear, its victims cowering in a corner waiting to be killed, rather than simply side stepping the creature and hot footing it; failing that, the mummy uses the element of surprise, tippy-toeing about and grabbing his victim while their back is turned. Either way, the attacks are lame, not in the least bit scary, and few and far between, most of the film consisting of dull conversation. Adding to the annoyance is one of the most irritating characters in Hammer history -- Stanley Preston (John Phillips), Paul's obnoxious father, who is so rude you'll be longing for him to have the life squeezed out of his body.
The movie's best moment comes at the very end, when the recital of some hieroglyphics causes the monster to crumble to dust, its desiccated flesh falling off to reveal the skeleton underneath, before disintegrating completely. Well done if you make it that far.
3.5/10, rounded up to 4 for IMDb.