{"id":610372,"date":"2026-04-16T09:04:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-16T09:04:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/610372\/"},"modified":"2026-04-16T09:04:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-16T09:04:10","slug":"film-review-lee-cronins-the-mummy-investigative-horror-story-is-unnerving-and-psychologically-potent","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/610372\/","title":{"rendered":"Film Review: Lee Cronin’s The Mummy; investigative horror story is unnerving and psychologically potent"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Lee Cronin\u2019s The Mummy is not the film you might be expecting \u2013 and that\u2019s precisely its strength. Rather than leaning into the sweeping, action-adventure bombast typically associated with the title, Lee Cronin pivots sharply into something far more intimate and unnerving: a slow-burn, investigative horror story rooted in grief, absence, and the uncanny terror of something returned\u2026 wrong.<\/p>\n

The premise is deceptively simple. When young Katie (Emily Mitchell), the daughter of Charlie Cannon (Jack Reynor), a journalist based in Cairo, vanishes into the desert without a trace, the emotional devastation fractures a family beyond repair. Eight years later, her sudden reappearance should signal relief, even joy \u2013 but Cronin is far more interested in the psychological fallout than catharsis. What unfolds instead is a deeply unsettling portrait of a family trying to reconcile memory with the reality standing in front of them.<\/p>\n

Cronin, building on the oppressive atmosphere he honed in Evil Dead Rise, dials back the outright gore in favour of sustained dread. That\u2019s not to say the film is without its visceral moments \u2013 it absolutely has them \u2013 but they\u2019re deployed with precision rather than excess. A sequence involving the cutting of Katie\u2019s overgrown nails is a masterclass in squeamish tension, the kind of scene that has audiences recoiling not because of what\u2019s explicitly shown, but because of how deeply it gets under your skin.<\/p>\n

At its core, this is a film about performance \u2013 and the cast rises to meet its demands beautifully. Reynor and Laia Costa ground the film as parents caught between hope and horror, their grief never feeling performative, but lived-in and raw. May Calamawy brings a quiet authority to Dalia Zaki, the detective assigned to the Cannon\u2019s case, serving as both an audience surrogate and a stabilising force amid the growing unease.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s Natalie Grace as the returned Katie who lingers long after the credits roll. With minimal dialogue, she crafts a performance that is equal parts terrifying and tragic. There\u2019s a physicality to her presence \u2013 an unnatural stillness punctuated by bursts of contorted movement \u2013 that evokes the best traditions of possession horror, while still feeling wholly her own. She is, at once, the film\u2019s greatest mystery and its emotional anchor.<\/p>\n

The film\u2019s structure leans heavily into its investigative framework, slowly peeling back layers of what happened in the desert and what, exactly, has returned. This measured pacing is largely effective, though it does contribute to one of the film\u2019s few shortcomings: at over 130 minutes, it occasionally feels like it\u2019s stretching material that might have benefited from tighter editing. Some narrative beats linger a touch too long, slightly diluting the otherwise razor-sharp tension.<\/p>\n

Similarly, the final act shifts gears into more familiar horror territory. After such a carefully controlled build, the last 30 minutes embrace a broader, more spectacle-driven approach that, while effective, feels somewhat at odds with the film\u2019s earlier restraint. It doesn\u2019t derail the experience, but it does soften the uniqueness that defines much of what comes before.<\/p>\n

Still, these are minor quibbles in what is otherwise a compelling reimagining of a classic horror concept. Originally titled The Resurrected, the film\u2019s evolution into The Mummy places it in conversation with modern reinterpretations like The Invisible Man and Wolf Man \u2013 stories that strip away iconography to uncover something more psychologically potent beneath.<\/p>\n

Much was made of rumours surrounding producer James Wan allegedly walking out of a screening, with speculation ranging from excessive violence to outright failure. In reality, as Cronin himself clarified, the truth was far less dramatic \u2013 and the film itself proves why those rumours never held weight. This is neither an exercise in empty shock nor a misfire; it\u2019s a confident, controlled piece of horror filmmaking.<\/p>\n

The Mummy is less concerned with resurrecting a monster than it is with examining what resurrection does to the people left behind. It\u2019s eerie, emotionally grounded, and anchored by a breakout performance that signals a formidable new talent. Cronin may not reinvent horror entirely here, but he demonstrates a clear command of tone and tension \u2013 and, more importantly, a willingness to let discomfort do the heavy lifting.<\/p>\n

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THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)<\/p>\n

Lee Cronin\u2019s The Mummy is now screening in Australian theatres, before opening in the United States on April 17th.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

*Image credit: Patrick Redmond\/Warner Bros. Pictures.
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