When is a monster not a monster? When it is a Universal monster. Every single one of Universal’s famed horror output posits would-be monsters as misunderstood creations whose intentions are . . . innocent enough. From Dracula’s will to survive to The Wolf Man’s dreaded curse, these creatures of the night are all misunderstood by the normies out there.
And The Mummy, released in 1932, is no different. Take one look at the close-ups of Karloff and you see the desire for beauty and youth and love, love, love.
That’s right, The Mummy is a horror movie about true love. It is also a movie about madness . . . a kind of madness that only love can inspire. And Boris Karloff, who spends most of his time outside of mummy wraps, excels in his performance as Ihmotep, the dead-eyed egyptian who is mad about reuniting with his lost love, whom he believes has been reincarnated into Helen Grosvenor (Zita Johann).
While The Mummy is often overlooked when it comes to celebrating Universal’s horror output, there’s no denying its mesmerizing power over its audience. It is absolutely spellbinding and, honestly, director Karl Freund is responsible for that. Having arrived in America when Germany began its deadly march toward facism, his knowledge of German Expressionism runs throughout the film. From the bold lighting choices to the disturbing close-ups of Karloff as he attempts to control those around him, The Mummy is an exploration into more than the exhumed.
Okay, so the blueprint here is Tod Browning’s Dracula. Hell, even the opening title music is the same and, yes, even Edward Van Sloan (who was Van Helsing in Dracula) makes an appearance as an archeologist who knows far more than he’s willing to admit (at first) when it comes to defeating this walking and talking corpse. Unfortunately, there’s no role for Dwight Frye (who was in both Dracula and Frankenstein) to help out the villain at the center of all the madness.
Instead we have a whole lot of pre-code sexual tension between Johann, Karloff, and David Manners, who plays Frank Whemple, Helen’s love interest . . . at least he wants to be. But Helen’s got those faraway eyes reserved for the tall, dark, and not-so handsome features of Ardeth Bay (Karloff) as he shakes off the wrappings of his 3000 year-old frame and woos his former lover back into existence.
With some clever shadows to help us maneuver through the tombs and crypts, The Mummy brings us as close to eternal life as we’re ever going to get.
4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray Edition + Digital Code
Home Video Distributor: Universal Studios
Available on Blu-ray - October 3, 2023
Screen Formats: 1.37:1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Spanish, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, Mandarin (Simplified), Norwegian, Swedish
Video: HEVC / H.265; Resolution: Native 4K; HDR: HDR10
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono; French: DTS 2.0 Mono; German: DTS 2.0; Italian: DTS 2.0
Discs: 4K Ultra HD; Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set
Region Encoding: 4K region-free; blu-ray locked to Region A
The Mummy features horror icon Boris Karloff in a legendary performance as the Egyptian, Imhotep, who is accidentally revived by a team of archaeologists after 3,700 years. It is revealed in a flashback that he was a high priest, embalmed alive for trying to revive the vestal virgin whom he loved, after she had been sacrificed. Alive again, he sets out on an obsessive—and deadly—quest to find his lost love. Featuring groundbreaking makeup by Jack Pierce and artful direction by Karl Freud to achieve a mysterious atmosphere, this terrifying classic inspired countless sequels, spoofs and spin-offs that continue to fuel the legacy of the monster to this day.
VIDEO
Flawless. There’s no scratch. There’s no loose ends. There’s no ill definitions at all in this stunning 4K transfer from Universal. Framed in the original aspect ratio of 1.33:1, Freund’s work here is impressive as this release marks a newly restored version of the film. The blacks and grays are handled expertly by the transfer. Beads of sweat are visible, textures in clothing and in the location are spotted, and even the sand on the desk is all visible with fine textures throughout. Shadows are thick and atmospheric throughout. Black levels are strong and the cobwebs are thick!
AUDIO
So, there are some audio limitations here. That’s to be expected. After all, sound was still new to the whole movie-going experience so when the same Swan Lake theme shared by Dracula starts, expect some lapses on high and low ends as the DTS-HD mono does its best.
Supplements:
Commentary:
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See Special Features.
Special Features:
Well, they don’t disappoint. Complete with cool looks at the history of The Mummy, this release also includes 4K UHD, Blu-ray and a digital copy of The Mummy.
- Mummy Dearest: A Horror Tradition Unearthed
- He Who Made Monsters: The Life and Art of Jack Pierce
- Unraveling the Legacy of The Mummy
- The Mummy Archives
- 100 Years of Universal: The Carl Laemmle Era
- Trailer Gallery
- Feature Commentary with Rick Baker, Scott Essman, Steve Haberman, Bob Burns, and Brent Armstrong
- Feature Commentary with Film Historian Paul M. Jensen
- Feature Commentary with Rick Baker, Scott Essman, Steve Haberman, Bob Burns and Brent Armstrong
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Composite Blu-ray Grade
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MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime: 73 mins
Director: Karl Freund
Writer: Nina Wilcox Putnam; Richard Schayer
Cast: Boris Karloff; Zita Johann; David Manners
Genre: Horror
Tagline: Karloff - the uncanny... in his most startling role!
Memorable Movie Quote: "He went for a little walk! You should have seen his face!"
Theatrical Distributor: Universal Studios
Official Site:
Release Date: December 22, 1932
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: October 3, 2023
Synopsis: A resurrected Egyptian mummy searches Cairo for the girl he believes to be his long-lost princess.
