Questions
Who starred in the original The Mummy?
Boris Karloff played the resurrected Egyptian priest Imhotep, who later poses as the modern-day Ardath Bey.
When did The Mummy come out?
Universal Pictures released it on December 22, 1932.
Who directed The Mummy?
Karl Freund directed it as his first American feature. He had been the cinematographer on Universal’s Dracula (1931) before stepping behind the director’s chair.
What inspired the movie?
It was directly inspired by the 1922 opening of Tutankhamun’s tomb and the alleged "curse of the pharaohs" that gripped the public afterward.
Was the story originally about an Egyptian mummy?
No. Producer Carl Laemmle Jr. first conceived a project called Cagliostro about a 4,000-year-old magician who survives via injections. Screenwriter John L. Balderston relocated it to Egypt and renamed the character Imhotep after the historical architect.
How long did Boris Karloff’s mummy makeup take?
Jack Pierce’s process reportedly ran about eight hours, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., using cotton, collodion, spirit gum, clay, and linen bandages treated with acid and burnt in an oven.
Did Karloff actually hate the makeup?
Reportedly yes. Removal took another two-plus hours, and Karloff called it "the most trying ordeal I [had] ever endured."
How much of the movie shows Karloff in full bandages?
Surprisingly little. He appears in the iconic full mummy wrappings only during the opening sequence, and wears minimal makeup for the rest of the film.
Who played the leading lady?
Zita Johann played Anck-es-en-Amon, a character named after Ankhesenamun, the wife of Tutankhamun whose body was missing from the pharaoh’s tomb.
How much did the film cost and how long did it take to shoot?
Filming began in September 1932 on a roughly three-week schedule with a budget of about $196,000.
What music plays over the opening credits?
An arrangement of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, which Universal had already used in Dracula and Murders in the Rue Morgue. James Dietrich composed the score.
Was any footage cut from the film?
Yes. A lengthy flashback showing Anck-es-en-Amon’s reincarnations across the centuries was removed, and actor Henry Victor is still credited as "Saxon Warrior" even though his scenes were cut.
Did The Mummy have sequels?
Rather than direct sequels, Universal reimagined the mummy as a new character named Kharis in The Mummy’s Hand (1940) and its follow-ups.
Were there later remakes?
Yes. Hammer Film Productions made its own mummy films starting in 1959, Stephen Sommers’ 1999 remake spawned a trilogy, and a 2017 reboot tried to launch Universal’s shared monster universe.
How do critics view the film today?
It is highly regarded, holding a 90% positive rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and it helped cement the mummy as a staple of horror and Halloween culture.
