Coming off the heels of Evil Dead Rise, Lee Cronin is back with his latest, Lee Cronin’s The Mummy. Under the Blumhouse and Atomic Monster banners, Cronin swings big with a story of a young American girl taken from her temporary home in Cairo, Egypt under suspicious circumstances. With influences from films like The Exorcist (1973) and The Conjuring (2013), Cronin’s take on The Mummy fails to hone those influences to its benefit.
Who’s Who?
Katie (Emily Mitchell) goes missing out of her backyard. Her parents, Charlie (Jack Reynor) and Larissa (Laia Costa), go straight to the police in Cairo for help. When the seasoned detective doubts their story, an ambitious rookie, Dalia Zaki (May Calamawy), believes that there is more to the story. Although, it takes eight years to find answers about what happened to Katie. She’s found alive inside of a 3,000 year old sarcophagus through no help from the police. Charlie and Larissa arrive in Cairo to see their daughter is a shell of the girl she used to be. However, the doctors find no reason to keep her. They quickly discharge her, hoping that being around family will help her find her way back to normalcy.
Much like his previous film, Cronin’s flair for gore is stamped throughout this modern take on a possession story. One thing he seems to be good at is destroying a family from within and making us enjoy it. However, once Katie is home, the movie becomes a copy and paste version of about ten different horror movies. Weirdly enough, including Cronin’s own Evil Dead Rise. From the random professor who is an expert on hieroglyphics to a videotape with all the information needed to solve the mystery, Cronin’s script doesn’t feel like his. That is until someone’s teeth aren’t where they are supposed to be.
Some Pros and Cons
Calaway is captivating on screen, dominating the few moments we get of her. Reynor doesn’t settle into his role as a father of four well enough to deliver a believable performance. The four child actors give their best, but nothing can help this film regain the momentum it loses halfway through. The third act attempts to correct this with an all out battle. We watch as Charlie goes to great lengths to save his daughter and his family.
All it takes is a quick Google search to see that the horror genre is lacking in good mummy movies. Lee Cronin utilizing the ancient practice of mummification in a modern possession story has me thinking that it’s something we should just leave alone at this point. Especially when elements of such a story aren’t handled with care. Jerky editing, weak storytelling, and inconsistent tone hinder Lee Cronin’s The Mummy from being anything more than just another Blumhouse movie.
