Book Review: Mummy Movies

Bryan Senn’s new book from McFarland publishers explores Mummy Movies, as per its title.  It is a book that runs over 300 pages, with two columns per page, that is densely packed with information.

The Mummy concept itself is fascinating as being the Universal studios monster that did not come from a literary source like Frankenstein and Dracula had.  It was the result of short story writer Nina Wilcox Putnam and editor Richard Schayer.  The screenplay was penned by John Balderston.  It is this film that the author uses as his starting point, overlooking any similar concepts from the silent era, including a 1911 Thanhouser one-reeler that shows a mummy popping out alive from its coffin.

While the book is very thorough from the 1932 Universal film onward, the author chooses to present the films alphabetically, like an encyclopedia or dictionary, with a chronological listing in an appendix.  Perhaps it would have been better the other way around, so the text would present us the evolution of the character and various tangents, including exploring other genres (e.g. Abbott and Costello Meet The Mummy, which, alphabetically, begins the reference).

 Beyond that trifling quibble, the author does offer a lot of valuable information for each entry, providing all of the details regarding production, content, aesthetic value, and historical significance.  The book also features many great photos and graphics as illustrations, including some truly fascinating original newspaper and trade magazine ads.

Mummy Movies is the definitive study of this horror film sub-genre and it is highly recommended for libraries, research centers, and all of the many horror and sci-fi fans.  The book is available at this link:  MUMMY