The Mummy's Ghost (1944) User Reviews (68)

The Mummy Rises Again!

[bsmith5552 · 5/10 · 4 November 2004]

"The Mummy's Ghost" is a sequel to "The Mummy's Tomb" (1942). In that film Kharis the Mummy (Lon Chaney) perished in a house fire. Also the old high priest (George Zucco) dies of old age while handing over his powers to a new high priest. In this film we find out that not only did Kharis survive the fire unscathed but the old high priest turns up alive and shaking.

This entry has the High Priest Yousef Bey (John Carradine) being assigned the task of going to America to retrieve the mummies of Kharis and his queen Ananka. Hero Tom Hervey (Robert Lowery) is courting a beautiful Egyptian by the name of Amina Mansouri (Ramsay Ames). Meanwhile Yousef Bey sets about arranging to take the two mummies back to Egypt. To this end he unleashes Kharis upon the community to murder anyone who stands in their way.

At the same time Amina starts to experience blackouts as she is being gradually taken over by the spirit of Ananka (the "ghost" of the title) to become the re-incarnation of Queen Ananka. This suddenly becomes a point of issue between Kharis and Yousef Bey until......

Becoming a "B" movie second feature series, the films did nonetheless benefit from Universal's expertise in making this kind of film. Although it features a "B" list cast and runs a scant 61 minutes, it is still an entertaining way to spend an hour.

Lon Chaney would continue in the role of the Mummy in "The Mummy's Curse" (1944) the final film in the series.

The Mummy's Ghost (1944) ***

[JoeKarlosi · 7/10 · 26 October 2004]

Third in the Universal Kharis series, continuing after THE MUMMY'S TOMB (1942). Despite the increasingly familiar nature of these Mummy sequels, this one still has enough to make it brisk and enjoyable. A significant boost is added in casting John Carradine as the newest high priest who keeps Kharis (Lon Chaney) well fed and back on the march - this time with a new angle in trying to reunite the mummy with his princess Ananka, who is now reincarnated into the form of a sexy modern woman (Ramsay Ames).

For some lucky reason, Chaney thankfully invests some character into Kharis this time, allowing him to become visibly angered, frustrated, and even saddened during the course of the movie. The biggest drawback for this chapter is that Robert Lowery and Ramsay Ames are pretty lousy as the two leading lovers. Universal stock music is used to great effect in many sequences, and there is an offbeat ending that may be the best one of the series.

*** out of ****

Definitely a step up again from the previous mummy movie entry.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 7/10 · 18 January 2008]

This is a definitely better movie than the previous Unviversal movie entry "The Mummy's Tomb", from 2 years earlier.

The story and characters are better again this time. Although this doesn't mean that the actual story is really that much special but at least they definitely put some effort in it. It's of course a quite silly story and it gets sort of tiresome how they keep bringing back the mummy back to life time after the time, no matter how often they have killed him off already in the previous movies. Same goes for the Andoheb role played by George Zucco. But oh well, at least the story keeps the movie enjoyable to watch. There aren't really any slow or dull moments ever in this movie.

The movie features both John Carradine and Lon Chaney Jr. again in the role of the mummy. They were both like THE Universal horror movies stars at the time. It's not that they roles are that interesting within this movie but nevertheless their presence is enough to uplifts the movie and makes it all the more enjoyable to watch for the genre fans of the Universal '40's movies.

Unlike the previous Universal mummy-entries, this movie does not feature an happy end, in which our hero kills the mummy and gets back the back. This was quite surprising and also a reason why this movie is better than just the average and typical Universal '40's horror attempt.

The movie has some good typical Unverisal '40's horror moments. Of course it's nothing too scary, at least not by today's standards but it's very classy and good looking all, with the use of shadows and some handy camera-work.

A perfectly watchable mummy-entry.

7/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

The Mummy's Ghost: Consistently passable

[Platypuschow · 5/10 · 16 May 2018]

The Mummy's Ghost is the third of four movies in the original "The Mummy" franchise.

It follows on from the previous film and yet another high priest has risen our mummy (Played again by Lon Chaney Jr). Once again he is after the reincarnation of his original love. Trouble is this is the third time we've seen the same plot.

I'm not saying The Mummy's Ghost is any worse than the rest, it's just the same thing.

What it does have however is a very shocking and surprising finale that I found very entertaining. Movies from this time tended to be very predictable so this came as a surprise.

For fans this will entertain, but it could easily have been a stand alone movie.

The Good:

Fantastic finale

Well enough made

The Bad:

Some very hammy acting

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

Fainting was a big thing for women in the 1940's

Mummy tantrums are hilarious

Ancient egyptian bandages were bullet proof

another decent mummy B-movie

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 30 March 2006]

This mummy film is one of a series of four produced by Universal Pictures in the 1940s--well after their original film starring Boris Karloff. While none of these films opened up a lot of new ground, they were good escapist fun--for kids and adults willing to suspend reality and have a good time. I personally LOVE these old Universal horror films--even the lesser ones like this film. This one's plot isn't so special (except once again the mummy somehow makes it to America), but it stands out due to the acting of George Zucco and John Carradine--two wonderful veteran horror actors who played up the campiness of the film and made it far more entertaining.

The film looks a lot less impressive than the newest mummy films from Hollywood, but they still managed to be fun. Plus, the newer films, in my opinion, lack fun because they are so special effects-driven. See this film and have a good old fashioned time.

Best of the '40's series

[django3 · 19 August 2002]

This horror yarn gives new meaning to term " 'til death do us part." This was a real quickie movie and it shows. However, it's one redeeming value is the mummy finally wins the girl, albeit, it may leave one with that sinking feeling.

More of the same.

[BA_Harrison · 5/10 · 19 January 2020]

At the end of The Mummy's Tomb (1942), the mummy Kharis (Lon Chaney Jr.) perishes in a fire and high priest Andoheb (George Zucco) finally dies. It says a lot about the shoddy, muddled, and contrived nature of this follow up that, somehow, Andoheb is back among the living (albeit with a serious case of the shakes) and Kharis isn't even a little bit singed, no explanation given.

This time around, Andoheb passes control of Kharis to creepy Egyptian Yousef Bey (John Carradine), who instructs the crumbling creature to help retrieve the body of Princess Ananka, which is on display in an American museum. However, when the mummy arrives, he finds that Ananka is missing, her soul having entered the body of beautiful Amina (ravishing brunette Ransay Ames), girlfriend of college student Tom Hervey (who looks way too old to still be in school).

At just over an hour long, the film is too short for boredom to set in, but it's not for want of trying, the uninspired antics of the shuffling monster hardly the stuff of nightmares. Several victims are throttled to death by Kharis, but the acting is incredibly hammy and the direction torpid. The most animated performance comes from a cute dog called Peanut, the adorable woofer leading an angry mob to the mummy, who, in true Universal fashion, has carried off the unconscious Amina (whose hair has turned white with shock, Ames looking just as lovely as a peroxide blonde).

In an unusually downbeat finale, Tom is unable to prevent Kharis from disappearing under the surface of a swamp with the rapidly aging Amina still in his arms.

5/10.

Another Fun Mummy Movie

[utgard14 · 6/10 · 12 February 2014]

The Universal mummy series takes a step down with each entry but they're all fun. This time high priest George Zucco sends John Carradine after the infidels. Lon Chaney, Jr.'s back as the mummy, despite seemingly dying in the last film (we never saw an actual death, to be fair). Carradine tries to get the mummy of Princess Ananka but discovers her soul has been reincarnated in the body of a young woman (Ramsay Ames). Robert Lowery plays the leading man and Barton MacLane plays a cop. Ramsay Ames is a beautiful leading lady. It's easy to see why Lowery, Carradine, and even Kharis are crazy about her. Maybe these sequels are a little repetitive, but they're good times for me. I love Universal horror films. The Mummy series are short, fun escapist adventures with horror and some romance added to the mix. This one isn't the best but it's entertaining. Surprising ending too!

"Something happens to me when I think of Egypt."

[classicsoncall · 4/10 · 30 November 2004]

If at all possible, try to view all five of the Universal "Mummy" films in order, not so much for the continuity between films, but for the very evident lack thereof. Of course it goes without saying that the original Boris Karloff classic "The Mummy" really shouldn't even be mentioned in the same breath as the so called "sequels", all of which come off as campy or cultish.

This time around, it's revealed that the mummified remains of Princess Ananka have made their way to the United States. And once again, as your eyes deceive you, Kharis the Mummy didn't really die for the second time in "The Mummy's Tomb", but is alive and searching for his lost love Princess Ananka, with the help of the rhetorical nine tana leaves brewed during the cycle of the full moon. To complete the mythology, Kharis needs a caretaker, ably filled by a gaunt John Carradine as Yousef Bey, entrusted with the task by George Zucco's Andoheb, high priest of Arkan.

Kharis and Ananka are to be returned to their final resting place in the hills of Arkan in Egypt. But as we've seen before, being entrusted with the duty of a high priest is a sure bet to end in failure, with Carradine's character falling for the reincarnation of Ananka, Amina Monsouri (Ramsay Ames). It's shocking to see Yousef Bey and the PO'ed bandaged one come to blows over the gorgeous Amina.

Riddle me this - in both "Tomb" and "Curse", Lon Chaney portrays the Mummy with a limp right arm folded helplessly across his chest. When he encounters the fainted Amina, he lifts her up in both arms with no problem; as soon as he puts her down his right arm returns to it's crippled position once again.

The ending of the film is most notable - the monster gets the girl! But it's a short lived victory, as the Mummy and his kidnapped bride succumb to a swampy grave, an ancient Egyptian curse is fulfilled - "The fate of those who defy the will of the ancient gods shall be a cruel and violent death".

Le Borg's direction is much more stylish than his usual

[JohnHowardReid · 7/10 · 29 May 2018]

Copyright 31 December 1943 by Universal Pictures Co., Inc. New York opening at the Rialto: 30 June 1944. U.S. release: 7 July 1944. U.K. release: 2 June 1947 (sic). Australian release: 6 July 1944. 6 reels. 5,499 feet. 61 minutes.

SYNOPSIS: Sequel to The Mummy's Tomb starring Chaney junior as the mummy. Since Turhan Bey failed in the previous movie, Egyptian priest Zucco sends John Carradine to New England to help the mummy find his princess. This time a young college co-ed played by Ramsay Ames is the Ananka look-alike.

NOTES: Number four of the seven-picture "Mummy" series.

COMMENT: The story continues on from The Mummy's Tomb (1942). The mummy it appears was not destroyed in the fire after all, but only disfigured - if you can imagine a mummy being disfigured, though his one eye is rather frightening. Lon Chaney is so completely swathed in bandages as to be unrecognizable - any stuntman or cheap double could have done just as well. Robert Lowery is a rather wet hero, though Ramsay Ames makes a rather fetching heroine and there is a solid cast of character players.

Le Borg's direction is much, much more stylish than his usual humble standard. Some of the sequences are compellingly stated and good use is made of natural locations at the climax. The film looks well-produced though Sickner's photography lacks the atmosphere that Woody Bredell would have brought to the film. The eerie effects are mainly achieved through Jack Pierce's skilled make-up and Salter's well-thumbed musical compilation of standard Universal "B"-picture themes.

There is more than a hint of blasphemy in the script's adaptation of King James-type prayers to pagan identities such as Amon-Ra and it's odd that this was deemed acceptable by the supposedly strict censors of 1944.

another let-down of a sequel to The Mummy's Hand

[FieCrier · 5/10 · 1 July 2005]

In The Mummy's Hand, George Zucco's Egyptian High Priest character very definitely was shot four times, and fell down a flight of stone steps and died. In The Mummy's Tomb, he supposedly was only shot in the arm once in the last film, but he died in this one from old age, having fulfilled his priestly responsibilities by passing on the mantle. He's back again here, inexplicably. Here, he doesn't die, which is funny since he doesn't return for the next film.

The Mummy's Ghost takes places, like The Mummy's Tomb, thirty years after The Mummy's Hand. If that film took place in 1940, this film should be set in 1970, but as in Tomb, no effort is made to create the appearance of it being set in the future.

The mummy was shot and burned in Hand, shot and burned in Tomb, and yet he's back again in this one, his bandages not even singed. In fact, he's even got his left eye back, when in Hand it was all black and in Tomb a crusty mass. Where's the script girl!?

In this one, a young university student is dating an Egyptian named Amina. A priest is sent from Egypt to retrieve Kharis and Ananka's bodies. As in Hand, Kharis can be lured by Tana leaves, something they forgot in Tomb. However, Ananka's body collapses when touched, and she is somehow reincarnated into Amina. She seems unaware of this, apart from getting a white streak in her hair that spreads.

Another odd change is that the priests are priests of Arkam now, rather than Karnak.

This wasn't terribly good, though it does have a somewhat bold tragic ending. At only an hour long, it's not a waste of time at least.

Ramsay Ames Makes 'Mummy's Ghost' so memorable

[jharding44 · 8/10 · 31 March 2005]

Without being too nostalgic, my earliest memories of Universal Horror include the images of lovely Ramsay Ames rising out of her bed to follow the eerie shadow of Kharis out to her front yard, being carried off by the mummy and aging into a 3000 year old mummy herself, and sinking into a bog with her kidnapper as her boyfriend Robert Lowery and townspeople look on in shock. A vivid memory, and one in particular, because the lovely heroine did not reunite with her mortal leading man in the end, but rather joined the undead and opened the way for an interesting sequel later that year in 1944. Ramsay was 'discovered' by fellow Universal contractee Allan Jones at a Miami Beach nightclub and brought to Universal by same in early 1943. Ramsay, at that time, was the leader of an all-girl rumba orchestra, and did not fancy herself a leading lady, but took the opportunity at a movie contract in stride. Her first screen appearance was in the Olsen and Johnson comedy "Crazy House," where she played herself, shaking her maracas and singing "The Tropicana" as Tony and Sally DeMarco danced away. Her next appearance was in the first Inner Sanctum chiller "Calling Dr. Death", where, frankly, she was rather poorly directed by Reggie LeBorg, and while she shows signs of real nastiness as the adulterous wife of Lon Chaney, what appears to be outtakes of her laughing at Chaney in a key scene brings her whole performance down somewhat in that feature. In true Hollywood style, horror queen Acquanetta was being filmed for a scene in the newest Universal chiller, 'Mummy's Ghost', and as she 'fainted' for a scene, struck her head on a stone in the pathway she was being photographed in. Acquanetta, being seriously hurt (a concussion), Universal replaced her with Ramsay, and the rest is horror film history. Ramsay looked gorgeous in her satin nightgown, wandering the streets of Mapleton, Mass., and, being carried away in the climax. After a great role in the Universal 'B' 'Hat Check Honey' where she played bitchy movie queen Mona Mallory, Ramsay left Universal for Warners, but only scored bit parts in 'Mildred Pierce', and 'Green Dolphin Street.' A serial followed, and the Monogram quickie, 'Beauty and the Bandit,' but Ramsay was never featured again in a true golden age Hollywood Classic. A friend once described to me that Ramsay was the 'Girl that every mother wanted her son to marry.' Absolutely gorgeous, and with a touch of spice and mystery she is one of the true Hollywood beauties of the 1940's that created the image of the Hollywood Starlet.

Zucco: The Uncanny....

[simeon_flake · 6/10 · 13 June 2005]

A "tough, old bird" may not be an apt enough description of George Zucco's high priest character in the Mummy series. Somehow, still alive and shaking, he passes on the priesthood of what is now referred to as "Arkham" to Yousef Bey (John Carradine) & once again feels the need to recap the mummy's life history, which has been altered since "Mummy's Tomb". Now the story goes that the once exalted Princess Ananka died an accursed death and that Kharis was buried with her. Now it's the task of Yousef to go to Mapleton and bring the royal dead of Egypt back to their homeland.

Meanwhile, the wafting scent of tana leaves in the air attracts Kharis to the home of one Professor Norman. As Kharis shambles his way towards the cup of life, a young dish named Amina Mansouri (Ramsay Ames) gets a chance to show off her talents in filling out a nightgown as she sleepwalks her way to the very same house. Anyone else notice that black cat that ran in front of Ames during this scene? I believe that's called foreshadowing.

The reincarnation angle from the original Karloff "Mummy" gets dusted off. The spirit of Ananka has left its mummified shell & taken residence in the body of Amina. Now Kharis must go about what must be for him a pleasant task of carrying off yet another woman clad in white (it's the only activity that gets his "dead" arm to work) and hope that another high priest won't succumb to any lascivious thoughts lurking in the back of his mind.

But, that's not how things work out, for the life of an undead character stuck in repetitious sequels penned by unimaginative story writers is a hard one. The only merciful thing to do would've been to let Kharis & his Princess drown in eternal bliss, but the call of the box-office demanded one more sequel (Amon-Ra help us).

An Odd Corner of New England

[joebergeron · 5/10 · 12 October 2006]

We are introduced to a world where living mummies are explained to undergraduate students and the police deal with them in a matter-of-fact manner. A big-city police inspector, made aware of the mummy's latest rampage, devises a very sensible plan of action against him which probably would have worked. Alas, his scheme is never put to the test, as the night he tries it coincides with the mummy's mission to retrieve the reincarnated Princess Ananka, the one task which takes precedence over the imbibing of tana fluid (although the mummy is visibly distracted by its lure). Upon beholding the girl, the latest high priest of whatever their cult is called succumbs to a sly and literal voice of temptation and attempts to keep her for himself (again), which ticks off poor Kharis, who has had enough of these unfaithful, horny priests. The "hero", a 35-year-old undergraduate student, pursues the captive girl and her shambling suitor, only to witness her being drawn into a swamp as a withered crone. Perhaps a sip of tana fluid would have done the girl some good after all.

Haunting, Brooding masterpiece!

[PrincessAnanka · 25 June 2001]

"The Mummy's Ghost" is haunting and unforgettable thanks to the appearance of probably the most ravishing starlet to ever grace the screen: Ramsey Ames. She portrays the doomed Princess Ananka/Amina Monsouri heroine with a brooding, tremulous quality and when she sinks into the quicksand at the end with the mummy, you're shocked by watching her age into a 1000 mummy's bride. John Carradine is in great form as the high priest of arkham. Robert Lowery is unusually surly as the boyfriend. Reginald LeBorg directed this l944 classic. He originally wanted Acquanetta as the heroine but this sultry starlet fell and injured her shoulder on the first day of shooting. Ames was criminally ill-used by Universal but looked great in a short bob for the Republic serial, "G-Men Never Forget" in l947. Before she died two years ago from throat cancer, she remembered that Lon Chaney, who played the mummy, created many problems but she wouldn't specify. Other reports have it that Chaney was usually drunk by 12 noon. Ames was terrified he would stumble with her on the long, steep boardwalk to the remote shed and also into the swamp.wonderful atmosphere, classic musical scoring (originally from "Son of Frankenstein). Vera West does brilliant job in designing Ames beautiful white silk gowns.

Continuity? What's that?

[bensonmum2 · 5/10 · 18 October 2005]

In this installment of Universal's Kharis mummy series, George Zucco is back as Andoheb, High Priest of Arkan. He sends his loyal servant Yousef Bey (John Carradine) to America to reunite Kharis with his love Ananka (to have been dead for thousands of years, this woman is a lot of trouble). Tana leaves are brewed, the mummy comes back to life, and Ananka's spirit is transferred into the body of another woman. Will Kharis find his true love before the storyline changes?

Attempting to keep up with the ever-changing storyline in Universal's Kharis mummy series can be a daunting challenge but part of the fun of these movies. Some of the obvious examples in The Mummy's Ghost include ---- 1. How is Andoheb back again? He was apparently killed in both of the previous two mummy movies. 2. Arkan? It was Karnak in the first two Kharis movies. 3. In the previous movies, Kharis' purpose was to protect Ananka's tomb and seek revenge on anyone who dared to defile it. All of a sudden, the mission changes to reuniting Kharis with Ananka so they can return to their tombs in Egypt. 4. Kharis has been burned twice yet there doesn't appear to be so much as a singe on any of his wrappings. 5. How many Tana leaves does it take to bring Kharis back to life? The number changes from movie to movie. ---- If all this sounds confusing, just watch what happens in the next sequel. Continuity doesn't appear to have been very high on the priority list.

With the exception of The Mummy's Hand, the Kharis films have fairly interchangeable parts. One is not much better or worse than the others. And while there are moments in each I enjoy, it's difficult to call any of the last three Kharis films "good". At best, The Mummy's Ghost is a harmless, sometimes entertaining way to spend an hour or so. I watch these movies over and over because I'm a sucker for mummy movies and mummy lore. The whole concept of a mummy coming back to life fascinates me like few other movie monsters.

All Wrapped up

[tarzan61 · 6/10 · 18 September 2001]

Lon Chaney doesn't say much to me as the mummy.The old high priest is still alive(yet again he thinks he's dying though)and he passes the job of feeding Kharis to one of his students again.This time their job has something added to it.Now they're going to get princess Annaka back to life.But along the way,they run into an unexpected suprise...........

Well, at least this sequel tried to be different

[TheLittleSongbird · 5/10 · 24 May 2015]

None of the four Universal Kharis films are particularly great, and to me The Mummy's Hand is the only one that is near-good. This said, neither of them are bad either, and of the sequels to The Mummy's Hand my vote for the best of them goes to this, The Mummy's Ghost.

What makes The Mummy's Ghost the best of the sequels(if not exactly by much) is that it is the only one that tried to do something different. Even if the basic plot is still very flawed and formulaic, The Mummy's Ghost contains by far the boldest and most shocking ending of the four(and in a very good way, it's the highlight of the film), and is the only one to have almost non-existent stock footage material. The Mummy's Ghost does contain some campy fun with John Carradine and a few scenes with Kharis have some creepiness(others however just read of repetitive running around).

There are some attractively made sets, some atmospheric lighting and Ramsey Ames' costumes are to die for, though on the most-part The Mummy's Ghost is not one of Universal's most accomplished-looking films. Three performances register quite well. Best of all is John Carradine, who is deliciously diabolical and although he doesn't feature in much of the film he is still very memorable. George Zucco's role is also brief, but nonetheless played with sinister authority. Lastly, Lon Chaney Jnr's performance as Kharis is more consistent this time round, he intimidates much more and lumbers less, there even was glimpses of effort at giving Kharis a human side despite not having much to work with.

However, apparently The Mummy's Ghost was made very quickly and it does show in some shoddy editing, some terribly staged close-ups of Kharis and Kharis basically looks like a man very poorly wrapped up in bandages. While Chaney, Zucco and Carradine fare well, the rest of the cast on the other hand are bad. Ramsey Ames' alluring appearance and beautiful costuming are not enough to make up for how she spends her whole screen time looking bewildered and on edge, while Robert Lowery is hopelessly wooden to the point he veers on irritating. The chemistry between the two of them is non-descript.

The story does try to do things differently, but still manages to be on the paper-thin and formulaic side, with much of the plot reading of a series of familiar plot devices routinely handled. It also takes too long to get going, with an incredibly dull first third to the extent that the final fifteen minutes feels like a real relief, and is let down even further by tediously padded out college scenes(that are poorly played and add very little to the storytelling) and a sickeningly saccharine and passionless romantic subplot that seemed to only be there for the sake of it. The college and romantic scenes also suffered from the worst of the film's erratic(mostly lethargic) pacing and incredibly trite dialogue. The direction shows little care and style, with occasional glimpses of atmosphere that stops it from falling into ineptitude, and the characters are even more thinly written than the story, and some like Lowery and his friends are annoying.

All in all, has a lot lacking but has just enough to make it watchable. 5/10 Bethany Cox

Good 3rd Film in the Kharis Series

[Rainey-Dawn · 7/10 · 7 November 2015]

This film series does not include Universal's and Karloff's The Mummy (1932). This particular film series starts with 'The Mummy's Hand (1940), 'The Mummy's Tomb (1942)' and then this third film 'The Mummy's Ghost (1944).

What is nice about this series, it picks where the last film leaves off. They always give a little background on the previous which helps when the films are 2 years apart or if you simply find yourself watching one of the films one night on TV.

The ghost in this film is not that of Kharis but the long dead Queen Ananka whom you will see slowly entering and taking over Amina Mansouri. It makes for an entertaining mummy film.

7.5/10

The Mummy's Ghost (1944) **

[Bunuel1976 · 4/10 · 5 August 2005]

Perhaps the weakest film in the "Kharis" series, despite the presence of John Carradine (miscast as an Egyptian high priest) and George Zucco (as his predecessor, hilariously afflicted by a bad case of Parkinson's Disease) supporting Lon Chaney Jr. as the titular creature - if indeed it was him under the bandages, as his contribution is negligible at best! It's a watchable 60 minutes in itself, I guess, but the standards have considerably lowered when compared even to the two previous entries, and the end result is strictly routine and not at all memorable. Just about the only interesting feature here is the fact that the female lead happens to be the reincarnation of Princess Ananka, mentioned a great deal in earlier films but never actually seen.

This is the better 1940s "Mummy" film.

[alexanderdavies-99382 · 6/10 · 17 May 2017]

The "Mummy" films from the 1940s were never going to be as good as the 1932 classic and sure enough, they aren't.

This one from 1944 is a slight improvement and is the best of the trio that Lon Chaney Jnr made. According to reports, this character was the actors least favourite and I can understand why.

The film has a bit of incident and even a bit of atmosphere.

Mummy Goes to the Dogs!

[BaronBl00d · 5/10 · 23 March 2008]

Okay, one might and could quite ably argue that the Mummy sequels are perhaps the least of any of the Universal Horror franchises, but they are all, for better or worse, for lack of anything else, all quite short in the department of time investment. This makes all of them highly watchable if nothing else as they all do have some of those magical, necessary Universal touches: some quality actors, able directors, brooding music and great set designs - and, oh yeah, a great monster even if on the decline. Coming in at just 61 minutes, The Mummy's Ghost now follows Kharis and a new high priest going off to New England to fulfill Kharis and Anaka's destiny. The film has good ole George Zucco bequeath his desire and servitude to this quest to a young John Carradine. Zucco's brief role is great and Carradine is pretty good as well. You get all the same Mummy stuff here with the 9 Tana leaves under a moonlit sky, a slow striding, almost catatonic Lon Chaney moving about in a decidedly lumbering fashion, those old-fashioned Universal murder scenes(the one with Frank Reicher particularly effective), and, of course, the ridiculous romance between two actors that cannot act - here the lovely Ramsay Ames and the vacuous Robert Lowery. Throw in Barton MacLane as a tough detective and you have all the makings of not-so-classic Universal fare. This Mummy sequel actually has some originality along plot lines and is much better than at least two of the other sequels. I do have some questions; however. A swamp? Really, a swamp in New England? Huh. There are some others about what Kharis does and Anaka, but suffice it to say they are inexplicable too. Lon Chaney gives a bit more range in his performance in this his second time around as the wrapped one, but he is beginning to become camp here - unintentionally I think. There are several scenes with dogs that best Chaney and they are amusing and pathetic as well, not cutesy as I am sure some may have projected. All in all The Mummy's Ghost is one of the better Mummy sequels and will be mercifully short.

Don't Let the Children See this Movie

[smprescott-1 · 9/10 · 3 March 2010]

This movie will scare the pants off of children. I grew up in the 50's. Our house was on a semi-rural road overshadowed on one side by a thick forest. At the foot of the tall hill upon which stood our house there was a swamp. The nearest neighbor was a quarter mile away. To an adult eye, the evening view on a moonlit night was, I am sure, romantic. To a child, however, the scene was an empty vessel ready to be filled with imaginary images of fearsome things.

One weekend night, my parents left me in charge of my two younger brothers. I put them to bed and sat down to see what could possibly be on TV. An hour or so later, I lay in bed, in the moonlight, in a pool of sweat, thinking about tana leaves and the possibility, however remote, that a pot of them might have been mistakenly left simmering on the stove. In my imagination, I knew he was out there coming for me. It didn't matter if he was miles away or just down the road. He knew who I was; he had taken a special interest in me. Up the moonlit road, step by step, limping along, relentless, unstoppable. Somehow I made it through the night but that mummy stayed with me for years and inspired many a nightmare.

My point here is that horror films are designed to scare you. We pay money to get scared. This one will do the trick if you're 10 years old and you're all alone (or almost alone -- when you're surrounded by mummies, you really do need an adult). Nine stars.

A grim lover's triangle.

[michaelRokeefe · 7/10 · 16 February 2017]

Not all love is lost. Reginald Le Borg direct this tale of the High Priest (George Zucco) summoning Yousef Bey (John Caradine) to New York's Scripps Museum to retrieve the ancient love interest, the Princess Ananka, from her resting place along with the insane mummy Kharis (Lon Chaney Jr.). Bey finds the soul of the princess has been reincarnated as a beautiful Egytian exchange student named Amina (Ramsay Ames). An Egytlogist professor (Frank Reicher) has been carrying out experiments and the jealous Kharis makes his appearance. As the charming student goes into strange trances, the professor is killed and the mummy makes haste with the rapidly decaying reincarnation.

Other players: Robert Lowery, Barton MacLane, Lester Sharpe and Harry Shannon.

Entertaining yet goofy entry in Universal's mummy series

[AlsExGal · 5/10 · 14 April 2017]

John Carradine plays an Egyptian priest who is ordered by George Zucco to go to America and bring back the mummy Kharis (Lon Chaney, Jr.). Meanwhile, in New England, Robert Lowery is in love with Ramsay Ames, who happens to be of Egyptian descent. In fact, she is really the reincarnation of the Princess Ananka, whom Kharis had/has/always will have the hots for. Lowery's professor, played by Frank Reicher, manages to decipher some hieroglyphics, which brings us to a major hiccup in the plot points. You see, the big breakthrough for Reicher comes when he translates the number "nine." So apparently he can translate hieroglyphics, but not Egyptian numerals.

We quickly move to major idiotic point number 2. While Reicher is brewing 9 tana leaves, the mummy just happens to walk out of the woods nearby. In fact he seems to walk out of a tree. Where has he been hiding since the last film? This leads to major idiotic point number 3. The tana leaves are supposed to sustain Kharis, so what does he do? He chokes the stuffing out of Reicher and shuffles off without taking a sip.

The ending is nonsensical, especially since, if memory serves, Ananka awakens in the next film in Louisiana.

There are so many other goofy plot points that they are too numerous to mention, but here are a few. Ames' hair starts developing white streaks; people notice, but nobody mentions it to her. Since when does a twenty year old girl get even one gray hair and not freak out? One of the investigators declares "If those aren't mummy footprints, I'll eat 'em". Where did such a strange expression come from?

The supporting cast is good, headed by Barton MacLane as a detective. For film buffs, silent leading lady Claire Whitney has a substantial part as Reicher's wife. The producers also threw a bone to silent film western star William Desmond by having him appear in one scene, with no dialogue.