Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb (1971) – Film Review

Directors: Seth Holt, Michael Carreras
Cast: Andrew Keir, Valerie Leon, James Villiers
Certificate: 15

By Sarah Morgan

If ever a film could be described as being cursed, it’s Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb.

Just a day into shooting, original star Peter Cushing quit the production after his beloved wife Helen became gravely ill; she passed away shortly afterwards. His replacement, Andrew Keir, then had a nasty fall on set and for some time, could only be filmed while lying down or with a pronounced limp. A young member of the crew also died in a motorcycle accident, and director Seth Holt had a fatal heart attack just one week before completing work on the picture – Hammer stalwart Michael Carreras stepped in to finish the film.

So you might assume that this adaptation of Bram Stoker’s novel The Jewel of Seven Stars would be a disaster, a real mishmash of ideas and tropes that doesn’t hang together all that well. But you’d be wrong.

Christopher Wicking’s screenplay transports the original story to modern-day Britain, where the beautiful but troubled Margaret Fuchs discovers she is the living image of Queen Tera, whose perfectly preserved remains were discovered by her father, archaeologist Julian, and his team during an expedition in Egypt shortly before she was born.

“Distinguished cast”

Now one of Julian’s colleagues wants to resurrect Tera so that he can use her powers for his own evil ends. But to do so, he needs Margaret, believing that the dead woman’s spirit has to use the body of her twin as a vessel for her nefarious soul…

At the time filming began, Valerie Leon hadn’t had that much acting experience. She’d popped up in a handful of films, including some Carry Ons and The Italian Job, but was best known as the Hai Karate girl in a series of popular adverts.

Despite this, she’s rather good in the dual role of Margaret and Tera, creating two distinct characters – one a sweet girl-about-town, the other a deadly diva. She’s ably supported by a distinguished cast too, which includes not only Keir, who had made a memorable mark in the lead role of Quatermass and the Pit some years earlier for Hammer, but James Villiers as the devious Corbeck, the brains behind the plot.

Reliable character actors Hugh Burden, George Coulouris, James Cossins, Aubrey Morris and Rosalie Crutchley also appear, with the only bum note being Mark Edwards as Margaret’s love interest. Sadly, he’s a little bland and nobody really cares when he’s killed off.

“Genuinely chilling”

The film offers a twist on Hammer’s previous ‘mummy’ outings by having a beautiful woman as the central villain. In fact, there isn’t too much mummification going on either – the only bandages we see come in what is a genuinely chilling and thought-provoking final scene.

There are a few in-jokes to look out for too, including calling Edwards’ character Tod Browning, which is the name of a renowned 1930s horror director, and an estate agent’s sign that uses the surnames of two well-known Hammer figures, Roy Skeggs and Christopher Neame.

The special features include two insightful new interviews with Leon and horror expert Kim Newman; there’s also a 64-page booklet to devour.

Sarah Morgan( Writer )

Sarah Morgan studied film journalism at post-graduate level with the BFI and has been writing about TV and film for PA Media’s newspaper, magazine and new media customers since 1996. She’s also written for a wide range of other publications, both online and in print, including the book Offbeat and Intermission magazine, and is a regular contributor to the Talking Pictures TV podcast. When she isn’t watching movies, she’s collecting and reading vintage crime and horror paperback books or, for her sins, watching her beloved Sheffield Wednesday.

You do not have any posts.