If you don’t like horrific and brutal horror films then stop reading right now because Lee Cronin’s The Mummy is not the film for you. I’ve seen some pretty confronting horror films over the years, some so full-on they have never become general releases in cinema, but I have to admit that I have rarely seen a horror film that has had me looking away from the screen as often as this film did.
Before our deep dive into the film though let’s begin with the questions that most people have asked me about this film. Who the hell is Lee Cronin and why is his name in the title of the movie?
Decent questions because yes that honour is something normally only reserved for the likes of Steven Spielberg or James Cameron. But to answer the first question Lee Cronin is the person that brought us Evil Dead Rise and to answer the second – because Blumhouse Studios who made this film are trying to point out that this is Cronin’s version of The Mummy legend and has nothing to do with the Universal Monsters universe or the films starring Brendan Fraser.
Cronin’s The Mummy centres around an American family living and working in Egypt. The father, Charlie Cannon (Jack Reynor – Midsommar), is working as a television reporter while the mother, Larissa (Laia Costa – Only You), works as a nurse in a local hospital.
Their blissful lives are suddenly thrown into chaos when their daughter is kidnapped by a mysterious woman, known as The Magician (Hayat Kamille – Murder On The Orient Express). Charlie gives chase but a sand storm prevents him from catching up to them. Worse still the Police Unit investigating, which includes Detective Dalia Zaki (May Calamawy – Moon Knight), seems to think that Charlie is the prime suspect.
The story then picks up years later with Charlie, Larrisa and their other children, Sebastian (Shylo Molina – Deadly Illusions) and Maud (Billie Roy – Spirit Halloween) living with Larissa’s mother (Veronica Falcon – Jungle Cruise) back in the USA.
The family are fractured but suddenly receive good news – their missing daughter, Katie (Natalie Grace – Raymar), has been found alive. However, the happiness is short lived because when Katie is returned to them it is easy to see that she is disfigured and disturbed. Something is obviously horrifically wrong because she seems to want to cause pain and even death to all of those around her.
Lee Cronin’s The Mummy is one horror film that certainly doesn’t hold back any punches – this film is absolutely savage. Cronin’s screenplay basically uses the character of The Mummy to deliver a brilliantly written possession movie. And while most horror films these days seem to aim for a lower classification to boost audience numbers Cronin throws that playbook right out the window.
Nobody is safe in this film with the demon not caring whether it hurts children or even elderly women. People get hurt or meet grisly ends throughout this film and as you would expect that heightens the suspense that the film generates for the audience. Let’s be honest if they weren’t hiding their eyes behind a popcorn box then they would be sitting right on the edge of their seat.
Yes, there are some pretty gruesome scenes to sit through with his film – especially if you are like my wife and have issues with scenes depicting things like human finger and toenails. But to his credit Cronin hasn’t included those scenes just for the shock factor they do all play important parts when it comes to the plot.
In fact the only fault that I found with this film was that it felt that the suspicion on Charlie petered out fairly quickly – something that doesn’t happen in real life kidnapping cases. The screenplay does try to make up for that by allowing the audience to see scenes where Charlie and Larissa are basically blaming each other for Katie’s death, and while those scenes are well-written and dramatic it is not the same as law enforcement breathing down his neck. In fact the film is arguably stronger when the character of Detective Zaki is around so it is a shame that she goes missing for a huge chunk of the film.
When it comes to the acting performances the intensity of the film also plays a huge part. The child actors – Shylo Molina, Billie Roy and Natalie Grace – are all put through the ringer in their roles and to credit they deliver some truly remarkable performances. The star here though is Jack Reynor who throughout the films more dramatic scenes shows Hollywood that he is ready for leading man status.
Lee Cronin’s The Mummy is not always an easy film to watch but it needs to be praised for the fact that it is a horror film that doesn’t hold back. Cronin’s work here is creative and while the film is savage you do have to say that this is one of the most possession horrors to have surfaced in the last decade.
