For those hording toilet paper

Pharaoh's Curse, from 1957, is a first time viewing (and only time) for me. Mummy movies are my guilty pleasure, preferably the Hammer ones, not necessarily the Universal sequels after The Mummy's Hand. But, if we are honest, there haven't been a whole lot of good ones, and the list of bad ones are aplenty. You can lump Pharaoh's Curse in with the latter category. This is the time of the month where I do sort of incorporate fresh view oldies into my October lineup. I plan, for instance, to view The Sorcerers, a film with Karloff, made towards the end of his career in the coming days.

Captain Storm and Simira in Pharaoh's Curse

British officer, Captain Storm (Mark Dana) is sent on a mission to remove American archeologist, Robert Quentin (George Neise) and his company from an unauthorized expedition at a tomb during strained relationship between England and Egypt, hoping to keep the whole situation hush-hush. Robert is enthusiastic and driven, looking to unearth a mummy and be responsible for the findings inside to further publicize it. So Storm is aided by Robert's estranged wife, Sylvia (Diane Brewster) and two more officers, soon encountering enigmatic Egyptian, Simira (Ziva Rodann), who is looking for her brother. This brother is in the company of Robert and the archeological team, including an authority in hieroglyphics and a writer documenting the expedition. The curse of the title is like a blood-drinking, vampiric spirit that moves into Simira's brother, causing his flesh to deteriorate and dry while psychopathically driving him to hunt down and kill those who desecrated the tomb. A slight variation on mummy movies can't escape its poverty-row budget, slow-to-a-crawl pace which even at 66 minutes is a chore, boring cast, and silly story. I couldn't take my eyes off Rodann, who I consider the sole benefit of 66 minutes better suited for even another Universal mummy sequel that features Chaney shambling about with one arm that works sometimes and not others. Rodann pouts but when she speaks, and her alluring presence, I paid attention. There is a purposed connection between her and Bast which I think works because her features and profile, even how she stands and moves, are quite feline. Neise is obviously emphasized as the film continues, as the antagonist, motivated through ego and yearning for prestige, even pummeling his colleague because he won't tell him what a scroll revealed in its ancient text. The skin-aging makeup Alvaro Guillot is disguised isn't too bad considering the budget, and Storm pulling off his arm, at one point, is amusing. But the talky script and unengaging cast don't help to buffet the draggy pace. And we have seen our share of folks moving about a tomb with torch in hands looking for a mummy or other treasures. This one doesn't technically have a mummy which is even worse. Nothing much to see here.
1.5 / 5