The Mummy's Ghost (1944)

Continuity? What's that?, 18 October 2005

In this installment of Universal's Kharis mummy series, George Zucco is back as Andoheb, High Priest of Arkan. He sends his loyal servant Yousef Bey (John Carradine) to America to reunite Kharis with his love Ananka (to have been dead for thousands of years, this woman is a lot of trouble). Tana leaves are brewed, the mummy comes back to life, and Ananka's spirit is transferred into the body of another woman. Will Kharis find his true love before the storyline changes?

Attempting to keep up with the ever-changing storyline in Universal's Kharis mummy series can be a daunting challenge but part of the fun of these movies. Some of the obvious examples in The Mummy's Ghost include:

1. How is Andoheb back again? He was apparently killed in both of the previous two mummy movies.

2. Arkan? It was Karnak in the first two Kharis movies.

3. In the previous movies, Kharis' purpose was to protect Ananka's tomb and seek revenge on anyone who dared to defile it. All of a sudden, the mission changes to reuniting Kharis with Ananka so they can return to their tombs in Egypt.

4. Kharis has been burned twice yet there doesn't appear to be so much as a singe on any of his wrappings.

5. How many Tana leaves does it take to bring Kharis back to life? The number changes from movie to movie.

If all this sounds confusing, just watch what happens in the next sequel. Continuity doesn't appear to have been very high on the priority list.

With the exception of The Mummy's Hand, the Kharis films have fairly interchangeable parts. One is not much better or worse than the others. And while there are moments in each I enjoy, it's difficult to call any of the last three Kharis films "good". At best, The Mummy's Ghost is a harmless, sometimes entertaining way to spend an hour or so. I watch these movies over and over because I'm a sucker for mummy movies and mummy lore. The whole concept of a mummy coming back to life fascinates me like few other movie monsters.

5/10