Blood from the Mummy's Tomb

Waning Gibbous Moon

If you are looking for a spooky, possibly campy, Halloween movie with a different twist on the mummy theme, you could do worse than Blood from the Mummy's Tomb.

Released in October of 1971, this colorful, imaginatively shot horror classic features the magnificent cleavage of British actress Valerie Leon. You could say that Ms. Leon, who plays both of the lead characters  (the most unfortunately named Margaret Fuchs plus the Egyptian pharaoh temptress Queen Tara) puts the "boo!" in "boobies!"

During a brief break from the cleavage cam, there is a terrific asylum scene in which a crazed archaeologist played by George Coulouris goes completely ape when Margaret comes to see him to retrieve a very important/magical cobra statue. This scene does not rise to the frenzied level of Hitchcockian cinema-psychosis but it is close. It is straight-jacketed, bug-eyed, sweaty, shrieking stardom for old George in this one, asylum fans. Awesome! Here's a shot of George from Midnight on the Orient Express. When it comes to crazy, this guy can bring it.

This movie (let's just call it Blood for short) was shot ten years before Raiders of the Lost Ark, but the whole archaeologist garb thing was already set in stone. The bit characters, who do not have magnificent protruding boobies, gathered for this photo. George, pictured here before he was carted off to the loony bin and assassinated by a jackal, I think, is second from the left.

The gratuitous egghead science woman seen way back in the back was only in a few scenes and had no observable boobies whatsoever. Margaret's incomparable chest pretty much stole the show from beginning to end. That and the severed hand, which belonged to Margaret's ancient soul sister Queen Tara. It was stolen from the tomb and kept in a cigar box by that nut job on the far right. He was doomed by ambition, a soulless, amoral bastard.

Oh, and that biggo ring played a big role, too, given to Margaret by her archaeologist father to protect her during an uncomfortably tender, quasi-incestuous moment early on. Geez! I am not sure the amulet worked as intended. 

As a fun, scary, fast-paced, Halloween-season thriller, Blood from the Mummy's Tomb worked for me. Even with the obvious horn-dog Hollywood director skin exploitation, I liked it a lot better than the stuff that came out in the 80s and 90s and since then. 

Peace, Love, and Titillation,

Jim