The Mummy's Hand (1940)

A sequel in name only, 10 May 2006

The Mummy's Hand may be known as a sequel to Universal's classic The Mummy, but it's a sequel in name only. And in my opinion, it was a very wise decision to drop the story line and characters of The Mummy and create a new mythos with Kharis. Without Boris Karloff's involvement, carrying I'm-ho-tep/Ardath Bey into a sequel would have been sacrilege (not to mention totally ridiculous as I'm-ho-tep/Ardath Bey dies in the first movie).

The Mummy's Hand takes a completely different approach than The Mummy. Gone is much of the atmosphere and horror and in its place are humor and adventure. It's not necessarily a bad thing, just different. Some of Wallace Ford's humor actually hits its mark and still brings at least a smile to my face. Another big difference between the original and the sequel is the mummy's "purpose" and the way the mummy is presented. In The Mummy, I'm-ho-tep/Ardath Bey is his own man (so to speak) with a singular, driving reason for being. In contrast, Kharis is a pawn for a master. He does not think and act for himself. The Mummy's Hand also differs from The Mummy in the amount of screen time given to the traditional images of a heavily wrapped, shuffling mummy. The Mummy only gave the actual bandaged mummy a few minutes (if not seconds) of screen time. On the other hand, Kharis' bandaged visage is a fixture in the final 30 minutes of The Mummy's Hand.

Getting away from the comparisons with the original for a moment, The Mummy's Hand is a nice little film that provides plenty of excitement during its relatively short runtime. The movie never bogs down or gets too slow – there's always something going on. The mummy makeup is well done with the blacked-out eyes being the highlight of the special effects for me. It's such a creepy look. The acting is okay, but nothing great. Cecil Kellaway steals every scene in which he appears as the financial backer of the expedition to find the mummy. He's quite funny without appearing to try very hard. And I cannot say enough positive about George Zucco. Zucco is outstanding as the mummy's master, Professor Andoheb, High Priest of Karnak.

Overall, while I will never think of The Mummy's Hand as highly as I do of its predecessor, it's a solid little movie and definitely worth a watch for fans of classic horror.

7/10