I had never seen the 1932 Boris Karloff version of The Mummy, but I was a fan of the Stephen Sommers remakes from a purely entertainment level and was shocked to see how much of the original film actually inspired the Sommers versions. While Sommers, of course, took the story and turned it into an action adventure, the motivation for the villain in the story remained intact. While this old school version isn't exactly a masterpiece of storytelling, it does have plenty to love and was certainly a leap in make-up effects as Karloff's appearance in any form is astounding considering the day and age in which this film was made, and this special edition pays tribute to it.

The Mummy has been digitally remastered and considering this is my first time seeing the film I would hate to guess at how bad it must have looked in the past because this one is still pretty rough around the edges. However, I look at that as part of the appeal. Sort of how some movies just are better with subtitles, a monster film classic gains respect from grainy footage in the very same way.

Considering horror fanatics and fans of classic monster movies are likely to snatch this up without recommendation from me I will try and aim my review at the folks that may be more familiar with the Stephen Sommers versions, just as I was. Actually, out of the big four - Dracula, Frankenstein, The Wolf Man and The Mummy - The Wolf Man is the only other Universal monster classic I have seen (and that one I love). I know it is something of a crime to have not seen Karloff in Frankenstein and Lugosi as Dracula, but in many cases I am playing catch-up as I have become a fan of all kinds of film in the past four years, a major reason for my Cinematic Revival column. It is about making an effort to understand film by knowing where it all started, and while The Mummy wasn't the first to use make-up effects, you will watch this film and believe that effects artist Jack Pierce mastered it. [ ... ]