Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

The Mummy

Play trailer Poster for The Mummy Released Dec 22, 1932 1h 12m Horror Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
89% Tomatometer 47 Reviews 71% Popcornmeter 10,000+ Ratings
A team of British archaeologists led by Sir Joseph Whemple (Arthur Byron) discover the mummified remains of the ancient Egyptian prince Imhotep (Boris Karloff), along with the legendary scroll of Thoth. When one of the archaeologists recites the scroll aloud, Imhotep returns to life, but escapes. Several years later, Imhotep has taken on the guise of a wealthy man, as he searches Egypt for his lost love, who he believes has been reincarnated as the lovely Helen Grosvenor (Zita Johann).
Watch on Fandango at Home Buy Now

Where to Watch

The Mummy

The Mummy

What to Know

Critics Consensus

Relying more on mood and atmosphere than the thrills typical of modern horror fare, Universal's The Mummy sets a masterful template for mummy-themed films to follow.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View All (47) Critics Reviews
SMH Staff Sydney Morning Herald One looks forward with vivid expectation to seeing how the centuries-dead creature will react to the sights and sounds of the present day. But the further the story goes, the more thoroughly it lapses into the worn-out hocus-pocus of melodrama. Oct 8, 2020 Full Review David Parkinson Empire Magazine As in Frankenstein, Karloff's ability to communicate through his makeup is vital to establishing his character, even in human form, it's clearly pain and not incarnate evil that dictates his actions. Rated: 4/5 Oct 8, 2020 Full Review Keith Phipps AV Club An eerie, weirdly moving film about loneliness and the persistence of history. Oct 8, 2020 Full Review Carson Timar ClapperCast The film has worthwhile moments and strong performances but ultimately feels a bit lesser than the other Universal Monster films. It always feels like it is on the verge of being something great but it never reaches that. Oct 31, 2023 Full Review Matt Brunson Film Frenzy It’s a shame that when audiences today hear the word “mummy” in relation to cinema, they think of that middling Brendan Fraser film and its imbecilic sequels (or, worse, that Godawful Dark Universe nonsense with Tom Cruise). This version is the real deal. Rated: 3.5/4 Oct 14, 2023 Full Review Stephanie Archer Film Inquiry The Mummy remains a classic staple of horror and the mummy genre, transforming itself to the immortality of cinematic history. Feb 8, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (560) audience reviews
Elvis D Después de que Drácula y Frankenstein atemorizaran al público a inicios de los años 30, el siguiente monstruo que apareció en pantalla fue la momia Imhotep. Aunque la versión de 1999 es la más popular, Imhotep apareció por primera vez en 1932 con un aire mucho más misterioso y similar a Drácula. Boris Karloff da vida al personaje siendo presentado al inicio como una momia recién desenterrada, pero que ocupa el resto de la película en su forma humana recuperada. Es evidente notar que Imhotep es un ser de muchos años de antigüedad por el maquillaje que le da al personaje un aspecto antiguo a pesar de parecer una persona normal. Karloff incluso ofrece una mirada penetrante en algunas escenas haciendo que este sea el rol más terrorífico en su carrera. El ritmo de la película es igual al de Drácula (1931) y con el pasar de los años la película se ha vuelto bastante predecible. Pero la historia aún sigue siendo igual de fascinante como las películas que Universal produjo anteriormente de sus monstruos. La historia está bien escrita y la narrativa tiene una buena ejecución. La búsqueda de Imhotep por revivir a su amada Anck-es-en-Amon por medio de la joven Helen es muy interesante. Los que han visto la versión de 1999 pueden entender fácilmente esta historia. La película siempre se inclina a que Helen es la reencarnación de Anck-es-en-Amon, aunque también podría dar la sensación de ser una descendiente lejana. La primera opción es la más coherente, puesto que en la vida real Anck-es-en-Amon no tuvo descendientes. Lo que hace que esta película tenga un lugar en el cine de terror clásico es por su manera de representar el lado oscuro de la mitología egipcia vinculada a la muerte. Un cadáver resucitado puede ser algo aterrador, pero la película hace más énfasis es un muerto resucitado que es un ser condenado que ya no pertenece al mundo de los vivos y lleva consigo un poder proveniente del mundo de los muertos. El espiritu de Anck-es-en-Amon incluso entiende que Imhotep ya no es un ser humano y bajo esa figura humana es un ser contaminado por la oscuridad. El flashback de la vida pasada de Imhotep vemos por qué él fue sentenciado y es porque claramente traer un muerto del más allá puede traer serias consecuencias al mundo de los vivos. Eso se ve bien reflejado en la versión de 1999. Para los egipcios perturbar el descanso de los muertos podía dar lugar a una terrible calamidad. Imhotep en la vida real era una figura respetada y en la película tiene un lore diferente en la que al desafiar a los dioses, termino siendo condenado y convertido en un ser de las tinieblas. Aunque con los años llegaron películas mejores o peores de la figura de la momia, esta es una buena película que introdujo a la momia como un ser aterrador o amenazante y eso la hace valiosa junto con las demás películas de los monstruos clásicos. Mi calificación final para esta película es un 8/10. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/08/25 Full Review Ted B 3.5 stars. This is one of the classic Universal Studio's classic horror series of the 1930s, along with Frankenstein, Dracula, and the Wolfman. All of these originals spawned a number of sequels that didn't measure up to the originals. However, they were good in their own way What I enjoy about those earlier films is that the plots, although similar, had depth to them. The creatures had background stories to them that usually added to the horror of the plot. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/03/24 Full Review Dallas H The Mummy is not my favorite of the original Universal Monsters franchises, but I still enjoyed watching it. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 11/03/24 Full Review Julian S It truly comes to life in the third act, thanks to Zita Johann’s striking portrayal of the Mummy’s centuries-long lost love. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 09/20/24 Full Review David R The slow pace is beyond comprehension. It takes half an hour to cross the room. The special effects are elementary. The acting is horrendous and after three nights of trying to stay awake to finish viewing “The Mummy”, the ending shockingly has zero climax. Rated 1 out of 5 stars 08/21/24 Full Review The Movie G I grew up with the Universal Monster movies. Boris Karloff is the GOAT of monster movies. The Mummy never been a big favorite of the Universal Monster movies but you really don't see him as The Mummy that much. Just the beginning. It's more of Imotep. I give it a 5.4 / 10 it's ok Rated 2 out of 5 stars 06/16/24 Full Review Read all reviews
The Mummy

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

The Mummy

The Mummy: Official Clip - Buried Alive For Love The Mummy: Official Clip - Buried Alive For Love 3:00 The Mummy: Official Clip - Too Weak to Fight It The Mummy: Official Clip - Too Weak to Fight It 2:59 The Mummy: Official Clip - Save Me, Frank The Mummy: Official Clip - Save Me, Frank 2:04 The Mummy: Official Clip - A Mummy Once More The Mummy: Official Clip - A Mummy Once More 2:46 The Mummy: Official Clip - Death to Sir Joseph The Mummy: Official Clip - Death to Sir Joseph 2:49 The Mummy: Official Clip - The Mummy Rises The Mummy: Official Clip - The Mummy Rises 2:23 The Mummy: Official Clip - I Want to Live The Mummy: Official Clip - I Want to Live 2:52 The Mummy: Official Clip - Helen's Trance The Mummy: Official Clip - Helen's Trance 2:27 The Mummy: Official Clip - Caught Doing An Unholy Thing The Mummy: Official Clip - Caught Doing An Unholy Thing 2:46 The Mummy: Official Clip - An Uncanny Recognition The Mummy: Official Clip - An Uncanny Recognition 3:00 View more videos
Dracula 94% 82% Dracula Watchlist Frankenstein 94% 87% Frankenstein Watchlist Bride of Frankenstein 98% 87% Bride of Frankenstein Watchlist Murders in the Rue Morgue 79% 47% Murders in the Rue Morgue Watchlist Dracula's Daughter 64% 44% Dracula's Daughter Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis A team of British archaeologists led by Sir Joseph Whemple (Arthur Byron) discover the mummified remains of the ancient Egyptian prince Imhotep (Boris Karloff), along with the legendary scroll of Thoth. When one of the archaeologists recites the scroll aloud, Imhotep returns to life, but escapes. Several years later, Imhotep has taken on the guise of a wealthy man, as he searches Egypt for his lost love, who he believes has been reincarnated as the lovely Helen Grosvenor (Zita Johann).
Director
Karl Freund
Producer
Carl Laemmle Jr.
Screenwriter
Nina Wilcox Putnam, Richard Schayer, John L. Balderston
Distributor
MCA/Universal Pictures [us], Screen Gems, Universal Studios Inc., Universal Home Entertainment, Universal Pictures, Realart Pictures Inc.
Production Co
Universal Pictures
Genre
Horror
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 22, 1932, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Apr 19, 2016
Runtime
1h 12m
Sound Mix
Mono
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.37:1)
Most Popular at Home Now