‘The evil one must not live again!’
The Awakening is a 1980 British horror film about an archaeologist who discovers his daughter is possessed by the spirit of an Egyptian queen. To save mankind he must destroy her.
The film was the film debut of director Mike Newell, who had previously worked extensively in television. It is the third film version of Bram Stoker‘s 1903 novel The Jewel of Seven Stars, following a 1970 television adaptation as The Curse of the Mummy, and the recommended 1971 Hammer film, Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb.
The movie stars Charlton Heston, Susannah York, Jill Townsend, Stephanie Zimbalist, Patrick Drury, Bruce Myers, Nadim Sawalha, Ian McDiarmid, Ahmed Osman, Miriam Margolyes, Michael Mellinger, Leonard Maguire, Ishia Bennison, Madhav Sharma, Michael Halphie, Christopher Fairbank and Roger Kemp.
Another adaptation of Stoker’s novel was released directly to video in 1998, Bram Stoker’s The Mummy.
Reviews:
“Zimbalist’s performance seriously undercuts The Awakening‘s reason for being. Luckily, fans of Heston can enjoy his rather low-key turn here, pitched just right with his light, perfectly acceptable English accent coming and going on a whim. At 58 looking pretty fit with his shirt off, Heston’s genteel-yet-commanding theatricality here gives The Awakening a nostalgic, “classical” feel…” Movies and Drinks
“It’s actually executed generally well, the downbeat ending only ups its rating here. Subtle and slow-paced, this might not appeal to all tastes but is certainly worth a watch, particularly to see sci-fi hero Heston in an uncharacteristically subdued terror performance.” The Terror Trap
“A cross between a standard mummy film (with the whole tomb exploration marked by an ancient curse angle) and a demonic possession opus (with the gradual and increasing influence over not only outside events, but two of the three main characters, until it closes on a final and irrevocable samadhi and atavism in the final reel), the film is both intriguing in conception and flat in execution…” Third Eye Cinema
” …The Awakening can be slow going at times […] Those hoping for an honest to goodness mummy movie will probably be severely disappointed as the traditional bandaged mummy shenanigans are practically nonexistent. It’s closer to The Omen than anything. […] The cinematography by the great Jack Cardiff is solid too.” The Video Vacuum
YouTube reviews:
Trailer [1080p]:
Full film – free to watch online:
Cast and characters:
Technical details:
1 hour 41 minutes
Audio: Dolby
Aspect ratio: 1.85: 1
