Lee Cronin's The Mummy: Movie Review

Cast: Jack Reynor, Laia Costa, May Calamawy, Natalie Grace, with Veronica Falcón.
Director: Lee Cronin

The latest iteration of the horror franchise takes on new meaning with the director of Evil Dead Rise at the helm.

The young daughter Katie of a journalist disappears into the Egyptian desert without a trace. Eight years later, the broken family is shocked when she is returned to them, as what should be a joyful reunion turns into a living nightmare.

There's a vicious nastiness in Lee Cronin's vision for the return of The Mummy and its something that's as insidious as it is upsetting.

But Cronin deploys a devilishly slow build-up to events that uses a plethora of nightmarish imagery, tropes and ancient mythology to create an atmosphere of extreme unease throughout.

From child-catcher grooming to Exorcist moments and Evil Dead homages, the film revels in its horror edges and its desire to take things seriously and studiously pays off in swathes.

Creaking, cracking sounds, a teeth-chattering husk of a seemingly locked-in child - this is a movie that employs a soundscape that's at another level in setting you om edge.

Yet once again Cronin uses the fracture between sisters (as he did in Evil Dead Rise) to make for truly upsetting moments and tensions throughout.

With dry, arid vistas and an oppressive palette mixing with extreme close-ups, there's no way to escape the claustrophobia of what's on screen. And thankfully, the film stays away from the camera excesses of the Brendan Fraser boys' own style romps that spawned a swathe of nostalgia.

It's not all perfect - a wake teeters very closely on going OTT rather than using chills and Jack Reynor's performance as the dad who was the last to see his daughter isn't quite as compelling as it could be.

But for the large part, the 'We need to talk about Katie' mentality works terrifically well and the idea of how a family curse manifests is fascinating and horrifying to behold.

Dark, disgusting and devilish, Lee Cronin's The Mummy is an absolute frightfest that will haunt your early morning hours long after you've seen it - whether you want it to or not.