'The Mummy's Real Inspiration Is A Monster Movie You Never Saw
The Mummy (1999) is one of the most iconic action horror films to come out in the past 40 years and remains a staple for anyone who loves horror, romance, or adventure. This is mainly due to some amazingly charismatic characters and a simple story that has incredibly high stakes but is driven by the love two people share.
While many would assume this was based on the Universal Classic Monster movie of the same name, and they'd be right, it's not the only one. There are actually two films that inspired what we know as The Mummy and kept it relevant for decades to come, and one you've never heard of.
What Is 'The Mummy's Hand' About?
The Mummy's Hand (1940) remains the one film that inspired The Mummy that most horror fans may not know about or even think of. But when it comes to story, the comparisons are nearly impossible to ignore. The film follows a man who is given the position of caring for a mummy who has been locked away for centuries, Kharis.
There is also an archaeologist and his friend looking for the lost tomb of a princess, and after acquiring the funding from a magician and his daughter, they travel to the desert to find it. Hoping to look for riches, they're instead hindered initially and later made to be the targets of the awakened mummy, Kharis, who needs a white liquid to regain his full strength.
Ultimately, Kahris and his associate are defeated before the young woman can be made into an immortal as well, and the archaeologist gets together with her. In many ways, the narrative parallels between both films are evident, as it's about people looking for a treasure that shouldn't be found. Tonally, the film also balances humor and horror, as Kharis is a genuinely unsettling image, but also the characters have enough charm to garner a few laughs from viewers in between the mummy attacks.
How Does 'The Mummy' Borrow From 'The Mummy's Hand'?
While the story shares similarities, what makes The Mummy's Hand a perfect source for The Mummy is the origin of its main villain. In The Mummy's Hand, Prince Kharis fell in love with Princess Ananka, but after her death, he read from forbidden texts to try to revive her. Caught, his punishment was to be buried alive without a tongue, and since then, he has been kept alive to protect the tomb.
This is incredibly similar to The Mummy, where Imhotep fell in love with Anck-Su-Namun, and after her death, he tried to revive her, only to be caught and have his tongue cut out and buried alive with scarabs.
The Mummy (1932) shares similarities in name and in the idea of a monster tearing apart the world of the living to reunite with his beloved, but it's the origins and story structure that don't connect. Between this film and The Mummy's Hand, you get a perfect blend that led to the 1999 film, and it worked perfectly. This also led to two other sequels and a fourth film on the way, which is an incredible run since, even if it's not the most recognizable, The Mummy franchise has been one of Universal's most successful.
'The Mummy's Hand' Is a Fun Monster Movie Everyone Should See Once
The Mummy's Hand isn't a well-known Universal monster movie, even if Kharis is likely one of the more popular names in the franchise. Nevertheless, this is a film that remains worth watching over 50 years later because of how it blends genres so well.
The movie can be creepy when we see Kharis attack, as his added eyes create an unsettling, shaky effect, and it can also be funny because its main characters don't even realize the danger they are in for most of the runtime. This blend also mirrors the mix of action and horror that made The Mummy so iconic decades later.
The Mummy's Hand was released just a year before The Wolf Man (1941) changed modern horror movies forever and proved that Universal could tackle multiple genres and succeed. Considering how many Mummy movies there were without crossing over with other monsters, it's an impressive feat for a character people don't often connect with.
With decades of history and Kharis spearheading most of them, it's incredible to see how The Mummy films have grown, and even more impressive to see that the first two films played a part in making an even better movie. The Mummy's Hand isn't perfect, but it's a movie worth watching as a perfect ingredient to make one of horror's most beloved modern movies happen.
