The Mummy (1932)
83%RT Audience Score: 72%
Awards & Nominations: Nominated for 1 Oscar
5 wins & 24 nominations total
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
If you’re looking for a movie that’s equal parts spooky and silly, The Mummy is the perfect pick. Sure, the story might be a bit hocus-pocus, but Boris Karloff’s performance as Im-Ho-Tep is worth the watch alone. Plus, who doesn’t love a good old-fashioned monster movie? The Mummy might not be the best of the bunch, but it’s definitely a classic that deserves a spot in your Halloween movie marathon.
Production Company(ies)
Nero-Film AG,
Distributor
MCA/Universal Pictures [us], Screen Gems, Universal Studios Inc., Universal Home Entertainment, Universal Pictures, Realart Pictures Inc.
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Wide)
Filming Location(s)
Arizona, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated PG-13 for pervasive adventure violence and some partial nudity
Year of Release
1932
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital SDDS
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:1h 12m
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Language(s):English, Egyptian, (, Ancient), Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Hungarian
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Dec 22, 1932 Original
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 28, 1999
Genre(s)
Horror
Keyword(s)
starring Boris Karloff, Zita Johann, David Manners, Edward Van Sloan, Arthur Byron, Bramwell Fletcher, directed by Karl Freund, written by Nina Wilcox Putnam, Richard Schayer, John L Balderston, horror, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Sydney Morning Herald, Empire Magazine, AV Club, TIME Magazine, Variety, Chicago Reader, Film Inquiry, LarsenOnFilm, Ian Thomas Malone, Washington Star, Brooklyn Daily Eagle, The Nippu Jiji (Honolulu), Boris Karloff as Imhotep, Ardath Bey, Zita Johann as Helen Grosvenor, Princess Anckesen-Amon, David Manners as Frank Whemple, Edward Van Sloan as Dr Muller, Arthur Byron as Sir Joseph Whemple, Bramwell Fletcher as Ralph Norton, produced by Carl Laemmle Jr., MPAA rating, Universal Studios Inc., Realart Pictures Inc., MCA/Universal Pictures [us], Screen Gems, Universal Home Entertainment, Universal Pictures, sound mix, mono, aspect ratio, flat (1.37:1), The Mummy, Karl Freund, Nina Wilcox Putnam, Richard Schayer, John L Balderston, horror, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Sydney Morning Herald, Empire Magazine, AV Club, TIME Magazine, Variety, Chicago Reader, Film Inquiry, LarsenOnFilm, Ian Thomas Malone, Washington Star, Brooklyn Daily Eagle, The Nippu Jiji (Honolulu), Boris Karloff, Zita Johann, David Manners, Edward Van Sloan, Arthur Byron, Bramwell Fletcher
Worldwide gross: $415,933,406
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $746,612,061
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 163
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 81,418,982
US/Canada gross: $155,385,488
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $278,921,283
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 218
US/Canada opening weekend: $43,369,635
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $77,849,704
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 111
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $80,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $143,602,231
Production budget ranking: 232
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $77,329,801
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $525,680,029
ROI to date (est.): 238%
ROI ranking: 555
Zita Johann – Helen Grosvenor, Princess Anckesen-Amon
David Manners – Frank Whemple
Edward Van Sloan – Dr. Muller
Arthur Byron – Sir Joseph Whemple
Bramwell Fletcher – Ralph Norton
Director(s)
Karl Freund
Writer(s)
Nina Wilcox Putnam, Richard Schayer, John L. Balderston
Producer(s)
Carl Laemmle Jr.
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Nominated for 1 Oscar
5 wins & 24 nominations total
Academy Awards
All Critics (45) | Top Critics (8) | Fresh (40) | Rotten (5)
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.
October 8, 2020
SMH Staff
Sydney Morning Herald
TOP CRITIC
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.
October 8, 2020 | Rating: 4/5
David Parkinson
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
An eerie, weirdly moving film about loneliness and the persistence of history.
October 8, 2020
Keith Phipps
AV Club
TOP CRITIC
Thoroughly unreasonable hocus-pocus.
October 21, 2010
TIME Staff
TIME Magazine
TOP CRITIC
The transformation of Karloff’s Im-Ho-Tep from a clay-like figure in a coffin to a living thing is the highlight.
July 6, 2010
Variety Staff
Variety
TOP CRITIC
The drama may be clumsy, but Freund’s lighting is a wonder.
September 19, 2007
Dave Kehr
Chicago Reader
TOP CRITIC
The Mummy remains a classic staple of horror and the mummy genre, transforming itself to the immortality of cinematic history.
February 8, 2022
Stephanie Archer
Film Inquiry
Karloff’s eyes glow with otherworldly menace…
January 28, 2022 | Rating: 3/4
Josh Larsen
LarsenOnFilm
Karloff delivers the kind of singular performance that carries the entire film. The indomitably cool Ardeth Bay remains one of the genre’s defining achievements.
October 13, 2021
Ian Thomas Malone
Ian Thomas Malone
It is not by any means a good film. Nor is it the peer of melodramas. But it does offer a certain thrill to those who are looking for such things.
October 8, 2020
E. de S. Melcher
Washington Star
The Mummy, although It reveals that master of makeup Karloff in the weirdest of his movie disguises to date, is somewhat less horrifying than Frankenstein and less skilfully produced than Dracula, which it seems to resemble in its general design.
October 8, 2020
Martin Dickstein
Brooklyn Daily Eagle
[Director Karl Freund] employs some good moving camera tricks and presents tremendously effective full-sized close ups of Boris Karloff.
October 8, 2020
James T. Hamada
The Nippu Jiji (Honolulu)…
Plot
An English librarian called Evelyn Carnahan becomes interested in starting an archaeological dig at the ancient city of Hamunaptra. She gains the help of Rick O’Connell, after saving him from his death. What Evelyn, her brother Jonathan and Rick are unaware of is that another group of explorers are interested in the same dig. Unfortunately for everyone, this group ends up unleashing a curse which been laid on the dead High Priest Imhotep. Now ‘The Mummy’ is awake and it’s going to take a lot more than guns to send him back to where he came from.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The Mummy stars Boris Karloff as the undead flesh-faced high priest Im-Ho-Tep.
Karl-Freund.jpg
