There is no better way to kick off Halloween than with monsters! Werewolves that howl and vampires that bite, classic all hallows eve ghouls.
One of the best monsters is the mummy.
Werewolves cannot be seen or heard in real life, but mummies can be visited in museums.
There is something creepy about the paper-wrapped corpse just waking up and chasing you.
The best mummy movie made so far is “The Mummy” from 1999. Full of thrills and adventure with a hint of terror, it is a staple Halloween film.
Richard O’Connell (Brendan Fraser) is an adventurer straight out of an Indiana Jones movie, but he did not plan for the wild ride Evelyn (Rachel Weisz), the librarian, sends him on to find the Book of Ra and save the world from a dangerous mummy.
He must shoot his way through enemy gangs and swing through traps.
He keeps a wry sense of humor and manages to get his companions out alive.
Evelyn discovers a treasure in an Egyptian tomb and hires Richard to take her to it. She drags along her brother, Jonathan (John Hannah), the comical businessman, and they all set out to find a fortune and make names for themselves.
It’s normal to feel like monsters are unrealistic looking thanks to the work of CGI, especially in the late 1990s. The latest take on a mummy movie had lots of CGI with little payoff. However, the movie does not feel unnatural to the eye.
Little CGI was used, and the other effects are gruesome. The scene where hundreds of beetles devour a man is permanently burned in my brain.
Not every event in the story is realistic as there are some scenarios the team should not have been able to get out of, but it is still fun to watch.
The mummy himself is terrifying to think of. Cursed for loving the pharaoh’s queen, he was submitted to the ultimate punishment, being buried alive with beetles and cursed by priests.
Imagining the bugs eating you alive in total darkness unable to move, it is easy to see why he would want revenge on the world that scorned him. His only way to get his body back with unlimited power is by using the Book of Ra.
Plenty of horror stories get people on the edge of their seats, but again what’s so intriguing about this monster is that it’s not so out of this world.
Ancient Egyptians used extreme punishments and curses. They believed the dead could walk again, and it is this touch of reality mixed with the imaginary that makes your skin crawl. Or maybe that was a beetle?
There are plenty of things to do on Halloween, such as trick or treating, pulling pranks on friends and staying in watching horror movies.
All are fun choices, but if you feel like curling up on the couch, the best movie recommendation is “The Mummy.”
“The Mummy” is available for your viewing pleasure on Amazon Prime Instant Video. Happy Halloween and make sure to stay safe no matter how you choose to spend this holiday.