Irish auteur Lee Cronin has carved out a niche as the “resurrector” of aging horror intellectual properties. Following his high-octane success with Evil Dead Rise, Cronin has shifted his sights from Deadites to the ancient sands of Universal’s most famous embalmed antagonist. In this latest reimagining of The Mummy, Cronin once again explores his favorite theme: the literal and metaphorical rot at the center of the modern nuclear family. While the film is a masterclass in visceral discomfort and sonic dread, it often finds itself entangled in its own influences, struggling to step out from the long shadow of Sam Raimi.
Story
While the 1932 original and the 1999 adventure classic leaned into archaeological wonder, Cronin’s The Mummy pivots toward the “elevated horror” aesthetic. The narrative begins in Cairo, where television reporter Charlie Cannon (Jack Reynor) and his wife Larissa (Laia Costa) suffer the unthinkable: their young daughter, Katie, is abducted by a mysterious sorceress.
Fast-forward eight years, and the broken family has relocated to a gabled, atmospheric house on the outskirts of Albuquerque—a setting that feels intentionally reminiscent of the claustrophobic architecture seen in Hereditary. The quiet grief of the household is shattered when Charlie receives a call from Detective Dalia Zaki (May Calamawy) in Cairo. Katie has been found. However, she hasn’t returned as a teenager; she has returned as a malnourished, ancient-looking entity found inside a sarcophagus, her skin resembling tattered papyrus. As Larissa tries to mother the un-motherable, the family must confront a supernatural force that mimics their trauma.
Performances
The emotional heavy lifting is done by Laia Costa, who portrays Larissa’s maternal denial with a haunting, fragile desperation. Her performance provides the film with its most grounded and human elements. Natalie Grace, playing the returned Katie, handles an incredibly demanding physical role; hidden beneath layers of grotesque prosthetics, she manages to convey a “wheezy death rattle” presence that is consistently unsettling.
In a parallel storyline that frequently outshines the New Mexico domestic drama, May Calamawy is excellent as Detective Zaki. Her investigation in Egypt provides a tense, procedural-style counterpoint to the supernatural chaos at home. Additionally, Verónica Falcón brings a sharp, commanding energy to the role of the grandmother, Carmen, serving as the catalyst for some of the film’s darkest moments.
Behind the Lens
Technically, The Mummy is a powerhouse, though its visual choices are polarizing. Cinematographer Dave Garbett opts for a low-lit, “mustard-filtered” gloom that leaves very little room for light. While the use of split-diopter shots effectively isolates Katie from her family visually, the sheer darkness of the film occasionally borders on the oppressive.
The true star of the production, however, is the auditory experience. Peter Albrechtsen’s sound design is nothing short of an assault—relentless, physical, and bone-crunching. This is bolstered by Stephen McKeon’s score, which builds a sense of ancient, encroaching doom that the script doesn’t always manage to match. Cronin’s penchant for “wet” body horror is on full display here; expect plenty of loose flesh, extracted teeth, and creative use of desert fauna.
Final Verdict
At 133 minutes, The Mummy is a victim of its own ambition. The pacing often drags as Cronin lingers on slow corridor walks that lack the tension of his previous work. The film eventually finds its pulse in a chaotic, Raimi-esque third act that leans heavily into “splatter” comedy and high-octane gore, but the journey to get there is long.
Ultimately, Lee Cronin has delivered a technically superior horror film that prioritizes atmosphere over narrative depth. It is a frightening, unpleasant, and visually striking exercise in body horror that captures the “gross-out” factor perfectly but misses the adventurous heart of its predecessors. It is a solid entry for genre fans, even if it feels a bit too wrapped up in its own influences to truly stand alone.
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