In general this story is silly and not especially involving. In 1921, a team of British archaeologists unearth the tomb of this Im-Ho-Tep and the Scroll of Troth. Involving some mysterious mumbo-jumbo regarding an ancient curse and superstitious whatnot a young member of the team inadvertently raises the priest from the dead.
Im-Ho-Tep disappears, but 10 years later reemerges, his body inexplicably reformed. Using his mystic powers he lusts for his dead wife reincarnated in the form of the beautiful Helen Grosvenor (Zita Johann). We know the soul of his late wife is in her through flashback where she wears one of the worst wigs I have ever seen in a film. A small point, but why on God's green earth would the costumer use that wig? Miss Vera West ought to have been fired. Back to the story, the mummy is found out and this troop of renegade archaeologist seek to destroy him by unearthly means.
The special effects are pretty interesting and there are some neat uses of lighting which, particularly when used on Karloff, create a very eerie atmosphere. Really, this film relies mostly on moods rather than genuine scares which it has absolutely zero of. That isn't to say I didn't like it. It doesn't make any sense and the flashback sequence is painfully boring, but it is an endearingly weird film.
I also liked it out of personal interest. Originally a book, it makes reference to the pursuit of science and claims that sometimes there are things better left undiscovered. As a lover of history, I do agree that respect for national artifacts and especially respect for the dead are things which need to be honored. Knowledge is power, but decency is too. Despite the "horror" aspect of the movie I appreciated its message.
Here's a picture of Karloff just because I like it:
He's certainly not as good here as he was as Frankenstein's monster, but how can that not make your skin crawl?
3/4
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