‘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. It was a Seven Arts -Hammer Film production.
It 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 Terence Fisher’s Frankenstein Created Woman on 18 June 1967
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Main cast:
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 (Andre 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…
Reviews:
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. However, Gilling’s film is also blessed by some sensational performances.” Frank Collins, Cathode Ray Tube
” … 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.” Jeff Kuykendall, Midnight Only
“Director John Gilling … brings the delightfully creepy atmosphere from his Cornish films and a competent sense of tension, despite the film’s predictability. Fortunately, The Mummy’s Shroud ends on a very high note, with one of the best conclusions in any of their Mummy films, which sort of makes up for its unnecessary prologue.” Sam Delghan, Diabolique magazine
Cast and characters:
- André Morell as Sir Basil Walden (as Andre Morell)
- John Phillips as Stanley Preston
- David Buck as Paul Preston
- Elizabeth Sellars as Barbara Preston
- Maggie Kimberly as Claire (as Maggie Kimberley)
- Michael Ripper as Longbarrow
- Tim Barrett as Harry
- Richard Warner as Inspector Barrani
- Roger Delgado as Hasmid
- Catherine Lacey as Haiti
- Dickie Owen as Prem
- Bruno Barnabe as Pharaoh
- Toni Gilpin as Pharaoh’s Wife
- Toolsie Persaud as Kah-to-Bey
- Eddie Powell as The Mummy
Comic strip adaptation:
The film was adapted into a 12-page comic strip for the December 1977 issue of the magazine House of Hammer (volume 2, #15, published by Top Sellers Limited). It was drawn by David Jackson from a script by Donne Avenell. The cover of the issue featured a painting by Brian Lewis, depicting a scene from the movie.
Filming locations:
Bray Film Studios
Wapsey’s Wood quarry at Gerrard’s Cross
Wikipedia | IMDb | Related: The Shuffling Saga of the Mummy on Screen – article by Daz Lawrence
