The Mummy's Ghost (1944)

 The Mummy's Ghost (1944)

So, thirty years ago, (that would mean 1914, or so, in a normal timeline,) a couple of mummies were brought to America from Egypt, which resulted in a living mummy murder-spree with said living mummy apparently destroyed by the end.

Except it wasn't.

Today (1944?), a scientist messing around with not only an attract-a-mummy, but also a make-a-mummy-live-forever juice finds, unfortunately for him, that his nine Tanna leaves' concoction works all too well.

Back in Egypt, yet another young priest is contracted to go to America and bring the two mummies back home, due to the mummies being cursed and 'needing' to be in Egypt in order for the curse to work properly.

Since the mummies aren't in Egypt, what happens unexpectedly is that one of the two embodies/possesses/reincarnates into a young college girl.

Finding the other living mummy doesn't quite fulfill the priest's oath or end his quest.

Things get complicated when the (reincarnated) girl is found, and the young priest becomes smitten with her and decides to break his oath and escape anywhere else, drink the Tanna juice himself and live forever with the beauty, (who still hasn't even managed to have any say in the matter.)

The living mummy isn't happy with this new arrangement, takes the girl (whose hair has been slowly turning into the Bride of Frankenstein's,) for himself, and horrible, unexpected things happen.

First, this is a world that has been turned upside down.

I guess since the supernatural has been proven beyond any doubt to be real, (there's hundreds of witnesses and all,) apparent superstition has taken the place of science: The contrast between the scientist and his questioning non-scientist, but actually more scientific, wife could not be greater.

She questions, while he does not.

Second, and most satisfying, this is one of those true horror Horrors.

There is no happy ending for anyone, the fate of the (innocent) girl is genuinely terrifying, and there is no return to normality.

I have seen the mummy movies probably once, out of order, and off and on over the years, and I am confused about exactly which is which, since they all seem to follow a very similar pattern, at least as I can recollect: Tanna leaves, check. Mummy, check. Reincarnated girl, check. Swamp, check.

This one fits the pattern.

But since this is the one with John Carradine, maybe that's the way to remember it.

The first one I ever saw was The Mummy's Curse (1944), since I had some trouble translating the word 'curse' (in Spanish 'maldicion' (curse), is not the same as 'curso' (course,) and I was too young and unknowledgeable to discern the difference. I remember my mom made fun of me.

I just hope they remembered to fill that ten-foot-deep pit, lest someone hurt themselves for no reason.