‘Warning: to every creature of flesh and blood! Beware the beat of the cloth-wrapped feet!’
The Mummy’s Shroud is a 1967 British supernatural horror film directed by John Gilling (The Night Caller; The Reptile; The Plague of the Zombies) from a screenplay co-written with Anthony Hinds.
This was the final Hammer production to be made at Bray Studios. It opened as part of a double-bill on the ABC cinema circuit with Frankenstein Created Woman on 18 June 1967.
The Seven Arts-Hammer Film production stars André Morell, David Buck, John Phillips, Maggie Kimberly, Elizabeth Sellars and Michael Ripper. Stuntman Eddie Powell (Christopher Lee’s regular stunt double) played the Mummy.
Plot:
Ancient Egypt: Prem (Dickie Owen), a manservant of Kah-To-Bey, spirited away the boy when his father (Bruno Barnabe) was killed in a palace coup and took him into the desert for protection. Unfortunately, the boy dies and is buried…
1920: An expedition led by scientist Sir Basil Walden (André Morell) and businessman Stanley Preston (John Phillips) is intent on finding the tomb. They ignore the dire warning issued to them by Hasmid (Roger Delgado), a local Bedouin about the consequences for those that violate the tombs of Ancient Egypt and remove the bodies and the sacred shroud. Sir Basil is bitten by a snake just after finding the tomb. He recovers but has a relapse after arriving back in Cairo…
Blu-ray release:
The Mummy’s Shroud will be released on Blu-ray by Scream Factory on January 14th, 2020. Special features:
Audio commentary by film historian Bruce G. Hallenbeck (new)
The Beat Goes On: The Making of The Mummy’s Shroud
Remembering David Buck
World of Hammer – Mummies, Werewolves, and the Living Dead
Theatrical trailer
Still gallery
Reviews:
” …there is little of interest except for perhaps the pleasantly over-the-top performances of Lacey as the toothless hag and Ripper as the venal but ineffectual agent of the expedition’s glory-seeking sponsor.” Phil Hardy (editor), The Aurum Film Encyclopedia: Horror
“Tedious horror hokum, scuppered by a low budget and an even lower sense of imagination. The climax, in which the Mummy crushes itself to dust, is a long time coming.” Howard Maxford, The A – Z of Horror Films, Batsford, 1996
” …Longbarrow [Michael Ripper] is the only character who evokes any kind of sympathy due to Ripper’s effectively endearing performance. Other characters aren’t given much to do, and the admittedly attractive hero and heroine (David Buck and Maggie Kimberly) are a little bland.” Behind the Couch
“Gilling’s style surfaces most effectively in the murder sequences, using unusual angles to denote threat, high contrast between light and dark or a single primary colour, focus and wide-angle lenses to skew perception … Unfortunately, there isn’t enough of his visual stamp on the film and a string of very wordy scenes are only intermittently punctuated by these exotic visuals and the pace of the film suffers.” Cathode Ray Tube
“Andre Morell is exceptional as the head of the expedition, a spoiled, you-love-to-hate-him millionaire. Stylishly done with individual deaths often outshining the sum total. Maggie Kimberley portrays an unlikely archaeologist, what with those flimsy nightgowns and low-cut blouses.” Best of the cast is Catherine Lacey as a decaying old soothsayer who reads crystal balls.” John Stanley, Creature Features, Berkley Boulevard Books, 2000
“A bit too talky for its own good, The Mummy’s Shroud can be fun if you take it in stride and savor the rewarding death scenes, as well as the effective ending which boasts some impressive effects by Les Bowie […] director Gilling is able to conclude his tenure with Hammer with some stylish Dutch angles and several shots manifested from a crystal ball that are reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz.” DVD Drive-In
“There’s a laughably cheap historical prologue accompanied by a seemingly interminable narration […] In compensation, we’re given beautifully layered contributions from Michael Ripper, André Morrell and Elizabeth Sellars, plus an outrageous turn from Catherine Lacey as a malign, spittle-flecked fortune-teller called Haiti. We also get several brisk and brutal murder sequences which work inventive variations on the classic “He’s behind you!’ routine.” Jonathan Rigby, English Gothic, Reynold & Hearn, 2015
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“Uninspired addition to the mummy genre.” Alan Frank, The Horror Film Handbook, Batsford, 1982
” … Gilling understands this is basically pulp, and he treats it as such. The mummy attack scenes are a highlight: Gilling uses canted angles, dynamic compositions, and vivid colors to accompany the surprisingly brutal murders, lending the film an E.C. Comics vibe.” Midnight Only
“Stilted rehash of the old avenging mummy routine…” British Film Institute (BFI) Monthly Film Bulletin, 1967
” …the finale, complete with some impressive special effects, is pretty damn exciting. Alas, it’s too little too late (the creature itself doesn’t even appear until we’ve past the halfway point). Slow and plodding The Mummy’s Shroud ranks as one of the dullest Hammer films…” 2,500 Movies Challenge
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